Northern Expedition – Our Gateway to the Inside Passage

Having repacked and woken very early (4.30am), we caught the shuttle bus from the hotel to the ferry terminal where the very impressive Northern Expedition BC Ferry was waiting. German built (need I say more), it entered service in 2009 and follows the route from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert via the inside passage, winding through a network of islands and small settlements in its fifteen hour voyage. Although we left in morning mist, it soon burned off and once again we had a perfectly sunny day for the journey. Salmon and other larger fish jumped out of the water alongside the boat and we saw several whales, including an exciting tail splash from a whale north of Bella Bella – they are frequently seen from the boat and helpfully pointed out by the crew! Having reserved seats right above the bridge gave us a fantastic view as we cruised through the islands and although it is BC Day today (a national holiday) the ferry was barely half full and we enjoyed a very peaceful and relaxing trip to catch up on some reading and blogging which we had not been able to do for a few days.

We move into phase two of our trip now – Northern British Columbia is twice the size of the UK!

It was late when we arrived in Prince Rupert, so we headed to the hotel ready for a day of sightseeing in town tomorrow.