Five Reasons to Visit Desolation Sound, BC

Homfray Lodge, an exclusive wilderness resort, is nestled in the calm waters of Desolation Sound just north of the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia. A short flight from Vancouver or a scenic drive with ferry crossings, it is the only place on the Pacific Coast with waters warmer than Mexico. While exploring the quiet wilderness, you can naturally slow down, notice and listen the seasonal changes brought to the surrounding coastal rainforest. This is an empowering wellness travel adventure steeped in authenticity. From grizzly bear viewing tours and forest bathing to waterfall viewing, this is disconnecting at its best.

Desolation Transformation Yoga Retreat

Retreat from the noise of the city, this spring, and join us in the tranquility of Desolation Sound for yoga, meditation, exploring and enjoying the quiet of the Pacific coastal wilderness. Combining the natural beauty of the B.C. Coast and the calm waters of Desolation Sound, this yoga and meditation retreat is a once in a lifetime experience. Your yoga instructor will bring together nature and yoga by practicing Svadhyaya (nature-study and self-study) and teaching you to slow down, notice and listen – always leaving you with some food for thought to help you practice on the mat and into the rests of your life. This is a transformation where you can practice stillness and help balance out the busyness of our daily lives.

Play Outdoors

Do you have an emotional urgency to play outside? The more exposure to nature, the more you benefit from overall wellbeing, reduced stress, and creativity. Homfray Lodge is set between the Coast Mountains, rainforest and Pacific Ocean. Take a swim into the ocean right from the dock, with the warmest waters north of Mexico, reaching up to 22°C (75°F). You can also jump in a kayak and paddle the calm waters of Desolation Sound, gliding over incredible intertidal life, often under the watchful eye of a curious harbour seal. Ask the staff to take you on a short “forest bathing” hike into the rainforest behind the lodge and check out the property’s natural source of glacier water.

Watch Grizzly Bears

Want a completely unique wildlife viewing opportunity? Grizzly bear viewing from Homfray Lodge is the closet place to watch bears from Vancouver. Not only do you travel in comfort, dock to dock and always with covered boats, but the viewing area has six raised and covered viewing towers set alongside the remote Klite river. Surrounded by wilderness and accompanied by professional indigenous guides, we sit in silence as the bears calmly go about their daily routine, often viewed feasting on salmon as they get ready to snooze for the winter.

Hear the Stories

The Canadian wilderness is a place to hear stories. Join award-winning author and broadcaster, Grant Lawrence, for a one-of-a-kind tour of Desolation Sound. Lawrence will lead a day of outings during our cruise to many of the spectacular, hidden locations he wrote about in his best-selling 2010 memoir, “Adventures in Solitude”. Grant will share hilarious, intriguing and frightening stories of the local legends that have managed to cling to the shores of the Sound like barnacles. Stories will cover the local First Nations lore, pioneer era, Age of Aquarius, and modern day. Lawrence’s family has owned land in Desolation Sound for over 40 years – few know it better! As a bonus, one evening Grant’s stories will be complemented by songs performed by Grant’s wife, three-time Juno Award nominated artist, Jill Barber.

Soak in the Natural Beauty

Desolation Sound provides Homfray Lodge with a backdrop of lush coastal rainforest, majestic mountains and calm emerald green waters. Stay in comfort with cedar lodge rooms and a huge cedar beam lodge offering seamless indoor and outdoor living spaces. Relax on the outdoor deck of the covered cruising boat watching for marine life. After dinner at the lodge, watch the sunset and let the stars reveal themselves for a quintessential Canadian wilderness experience that is accessible, all inclusive and desolate, just the way we like it.

For more information, visit www.coastalcruises.ca

Take advantage of the Fly Free Offer, with flights from Vancouver to Powell River (35 minutes), free with bookings made before March 31, 2020.

www.coastalcruises.ca/specials

To take advantage of the 15% CARP Member Offer, visit

https://www.carp.ca/member-benefits/pacific-coastal-cruises-tours/