Bear Tracking and Conservation Adventure
The South Chilcotin Mountains are a unique cross section of various habitats causing it to be a healthy home to various, thriving species of Canadian wildlife. Two of Canada’s most famous and fearsome animals are the grizzly and black bears. Wilderness Trails’ Bear Tracking and Conservation Trip gives you the opportunity to experience a thrilling encounter with these majestic creatures and contribute to their conservation by recording population numbers. Canadian grizzly bears can be found in abundant numbers in the South Chilcotin Mountains while Canadian black bears populate all of British Columbia. More knowledge on the bears’ diets, anatomies, similarities and differences, behaviour, and much more will be discussed by highly skilled guides who will lead you on your adventure. Learn about the bear’s role in the ecosystem. You will visit serene meadows where bears and their cubs frequently graze. You will not only observe the bears, but our guides will ensure that you will gain a physical understanding of bears and their interaction with nature.
On day one you will arrive at the ranch just in time for lunch. You will then have a map orientation with your guides to learn the highlights of the places you will be exploring on this expedition. Then you will head out in our wildlife viewing truck and look for grizzlies and black bears. During dinner you will go over the plan with your guides for the trip. After dinner you may relax around the fireplace or head out to the deck for stargazing. Spend the night in ranch accommodations.
Days two and three have the same itinerary. After breakfast at the ranch, you will head out riding in the wildlife viewing truck with your guides along the mountain trails and scout for signs of bear activities and tracks. Follow any bear trails and you may also get the chance to enter an abandoned bear cave. After a lunch break, you will continue to hone your observation skills as you look for more bear tracks further from the ranch. You will learn all about the grizzly and black bears of Canada. Drive back to the ranch to enjoy dinner and retire to ranch accommodations.
On day four after breakfast, you will head out one last time for a final adventure and return to the ranch to talk about the bear activities, tracks, and trails that your group has observed in the past two days. After a farewell lunch you will board the Chilcotin Shuttle back to Vancouver and arrive in the evening.
Wilderness Trails also offers a unique trip where you can track bears on horseback. The Grizzly and Black Bear Tracking and Conservation Horse Pack Trip is a different and thrilling experience for those who wish to track bears. The horses are Cayuse horses which are descendants of North American wild horses.
by Melissa G., Switzerland
