Explore Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest & Routes of the Explorers with Robert & Birgit Bateman and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society

Canadian Geographic and Maple Leaf Adventures Launch West Coast Expedition Cruises; 2014’s Exclusive Trip with Limited Places Will Raise Funds for Geographical Society

Click map to enlarge the Great Bear Rainforest.

Stand on the bow of a classic sailing ship as it slices the waters of the Inside Passage and you may be channeling Captain George Vancouver, one of the great explorers of Canada. But just as likely, you may be talking to Robert Bateman, arguably Canada’s most famous living nature artist. Both experiences are possible next summer, aboard a special expedition cruise in Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest, by Canadian Geographic and Maple Leaf Adventures.

This 9-day trip, June 19-27, 2014, aboard a flotilla of one to three small, coastal expedition ships, will raise funds for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and coastal conservation.

With just eight guests per ship, participants will have the opportunity for in depth conversations with the trip’s experienced captain and guides, including naturalist Bateman and his wife Birgit, an accomplished photographer.

Bear viewing in June in the Great Bear Rainforest

This very exclusive opportunity marks the beginning of a series of west coast trips between Canadian Geographic and Maple Leaf Adventures.

The cruise includes onshore explorations and visits with residents and researchers. Highlights:

• Coastal fjords, where waterfalls drop from granite mountains to the sea.
• Grizzly bear viewing and exploration of the grizzly bear’s daily life in spring.
• The routes of explorers, including Capt. Vancouver, who charted the area in the 1790s
• Visits to coastal First Nations communities and tours and discussions with residents.
• Visits to west coast island beaches, and walks in the ancient rainforest.
• Planned visits with researchers, such as whale researchers, to discuss their findings.

Exploring one of Canada's great natural areas (the 6.4 million hectare Great Bear Rainforest)

“So much of the Great Bear Rainforest is pristine, like the world used to be everywhere before modern man changed it,” says Bateman. “It’s kind of a Garden of Eden.”

Located on the British Columbia coast, the 6-million hectare Great Bear Rainforest stretches from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the Alaska border. It’s becoming famed for its deep, granite fjords, its rich whale population, and its bears – grizzly and black bears, including the rare, white spirit bear. There are almost no roads, and people travel by water. Since 2006, over a third of the land area has been protected, and eco-tourism has flourished.

“The Great Bear Rainforest is one of Canada’s globally significant places,” said Kevin Smith, Maple Leaf Adventures’ president, and a geographer whose been involved in the highest level of land use planning for the area. “Its landscapes, wildlife, cultures with an ancient connection to the place, and its history of exploration make it the perfect place for a Canadian Geographic trip.”

Drumming in a big house, Great Bear Rainforest

“Our motto at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society is making Canada better known to Canadians, and exploring the west coast by heritage Canadian ship is the perfect way for Canadian Geographic and Society supporters to do this,” said John Geiger, president of the Society. “Having the Batemans and the schooner Maple Leaf’s crew as our personal guides to their home is the icing on the cake.”

Trip Details: Great Bear Rainforest Expedition with Robert & Birgit Bateman and Canadian Geographic – a fundraiser for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
June 19-27, 2014, 9 days / 8 nights, CDN $9995 per person, depart & return: Vancouver, BC. Info and booking: www.MapleLeafAdventures.com/CanGeo or +1-250-386-7245 / 1-888-599-5323
[NB Price converted to USD is approx $8800] 

Cruising the Great Bear Rainforest in June, over the summer solstice

Price includes all cruising and accommodations, all meals and snacks prepared by our chef, all beverages including quality wine and beer, all shore excursions and guiding, local flights between Vancouver and Bella Bella, BC, and use of all gear on board including kayaks.

About Maple Leaf Adventures
Selected for Canada’s “Signature Experiences Collection” by the Canadian Tourism Commission, Maple Leaf Adventures has provided conservation travel experiences aboard a classic sailing ship since 1986. With a reputation as one of Canada’s top sustainable tour operators, its multi-day excursions give guests one-of-a-kind experiences in some of the most beautiful and rare places in the world, often in areas that were once under threat of destruction or in dire need of protection. In 2012, Maple Leaf was awarded the Parks Canada Sustainable Tourism Award, for promoting the appreciation of Canada’s natural, cultural and aesthetic heritage, while also protecting them. National Geographic Adventure has rated Maple Leaf one of the “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth”. For more information, visit www.MapleLeafAdventures.com

Plenty of shore explorations in rainforest, wildflower meadows, coastal villages and on beaches

About Canadian Geographic
Canadian Geographic magazine is a Canadian magazine that is unapologetic about celebrating Canada. We’re dedicated to uncovering and communicating the stories about Canadian people, places, frontiers and issues (past and present) that Canadian magazine readers want. Owned by The Royal Canadian Geographical Society,Canadian Geographic magazine is more than a geography publication, each issue of Canadian Geographic is a voyage of discovery and exploration that features the latest science, environment, travel and human and cultural stories from across Canada. Info: www.canadiangeographic.ca

About Robert and Birgit Bateman
Robert Bateman is one of the world’s most celebrated wildlife artists and naturalists. His work is in many public and private collections and art museums and he was recently commissioned by the Government of Alberta to paint a gift for newlyweds Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. With a degree in geography from the University of Toronto, Bateman taught high school for 20 years, before becoming a fulltime artist. His work reflects his commitment to ecology and preservation. He has become a spokesman for many environmental and preservation issues and has used his artwork and limited edition prints in fund-raising efforts that have raised millions of dollars for worthy causes.

Trip Will Raise Funds for Geographical Society
Info: www.MapleLeafAdventures.com/CanGeo or call +1-250-386-7245

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