The snow is falling in soft, giant, sleepy flakes, muffling almost all sound. All I can hear is the gentle splashing of our oars and the gurgle of the stream below. The scenery is stunning, with Sunwolf’s yellow rafts bobbing on crystal-clear glacial water, and dreamy mist-cloaked mountains in the distance.

But I came for the eagles, and they don’t disappoint.

Soon, the silence is broken by the swoosh of a bald eagles’ wings as it settles to rest in the trees along the bank. The enormous eagle’s beak rips apart a half-eaten salmon that’s clutched in the raptor’s razor-sharp talons.

It’s the spawning salmon that bring thousands of bald eagles here. They return every winter to this spot just outside of Squamish, in the small community of Brackendale, British Columbia to gorge on salmon from the glacial-fed Squamish and Cheakamus rivers.

Today, Brackendale is rapidly becoming known as one of the best places in the world to spot bald eagles.

My first eagle is soon joined by another, and another, and within 20 minutes I’m starting to lose count. Along this stretch of the river, it’s not uncommon to see 80 or more eagles during a one-hour float tour.

Seeing this many eagles in their natural environment is a privilege that was almost denied to all of us. In the late 1950s, bald eagles were on the brink of extinction in the continental United States, with only 412 nesting pairs in the 48 contiguous states of the USA.

Today, thanks in large part to the reduction of the use of pesticides like DDT and controls on hunting, the bald eagle population has rebounded, with an estimated 110,000–115,000 birds in Canada and the USA.

After an hour on the water, my feet are starting to tingle from the cold.

Luckily, hot chocolate and warm chili by the fire in Sunwolf’s cozy riverside lodge are a welcoming treat. The treats, plus some impossibly thick homemade brownies, are from the on-site Fergie’s Cafe.

Here’s a note from Fergie’s website, 2019! Fergie’s is currently closed due to a fire in our kitchen in April 2018. The long-awaited rebuild began on October 15, 2018 and we are hoping to reopen in the spring of 2019.

Fergie’s, best known for its tasty Eggs Benny, is fast becoming the go-to breakfast place for anyone driving the Sea to Sky highway between Whistler and Vancouver.

After stuffing myself with a few brownies, I’m off to my welcoming little cabin, which is also part of the resort operated by Sunwolf. My cabin is rustic but cozy, and kitted out with a gas fireplace and a comfy queen size bed.

Ever-present at the resort, and on the float, are Jake and Jess, Sunwolf’s energetic and personable owners. They’re a young British expat family who left behind thriving careers in the UK for the welcoming climate and outdoor adventures in nearby Whistler. After a stint working hospitality jobs in Whistler, the couple bought the rustic Sunwolf lodge.

With the decision to buy Sunwolf, Jake and Jess became part of a close-knit community in Squamish, which works together to promote eagle conservation.

The heart of that conservation effort is a few miles away at the Brackendale Art Gallery in the town of Brackendale, a small community just north of the Squamish town center.

If you’re lucky, you’ll run into Thor Froslev, the Gallery’s owner. Thor’s an 83 year old who’s been an outspoken advocate for the eagle population in Squamish probably since before you were born.

We’re in luck when we visit, and pretty soon Thor’s telling us a winding tale that’s liberally peppered with good-humored expletives. To hear Thor tell it, his involvement with the eagles started on a typical day with the “West Coast pissin’ down rain”, and continues to this day.

As he regales us with the tale of his journey from longeshoreman to Brackendale’s most outspoken eagle advocate, you can see that even though he’s 83, he has no plans of slowing down.

Brackendale Winter Eagle Festival & Count

Every year in January, the small community of Brackendale hosts the Winter Eagle Festival. Most events are arranged through the Brackendale Art Gallery, and include music, dance, and even a lecture series.

What you need to know: the Eagle Float

You can book the Eagle Float Tour directly through Sunwolf. Tours take about an hour, and depart at around 10:30am directly from Sunwolf. Tours start at $110 CDN, and include tea, coffee, muffins and a lunch afterward. Rain boots, pants & jackets are provided if you need them, as is a personal flotation device (PFD). Dress warmly!

Where to stay

Sunwolf offers rustic riverside cabins, each outfitted with a gas fireplace and cozy queen bed. Some come with a full kitchen, or small kitchenette, and many have a double day bed. Larger groups can be accommodated in the fully renovated Fisherman’s Cottage (sleeps eight) or the Logger’s Shack (sleeps four).

Where to Eat

Fergie’s Cafe is part of Sunwolf lodge, and the goodies we ate after the eagle float were all handmade at Fergie’s. It’s a small place that serves up a hearty and homemade breakfast and lunch, with picnic tables outside for the summer months.

How to get there

Brackendale, located in northern part of the town of Squamish, is a short 40 mile (63 km) drive from Vancouver, BC. You can rent a car, or Sunwolf can arrange a shuttle for the eagle float that can pick you up from Whistler or Vancouver.

The closest international airport is Vancouver (YVR), which has flights arriving from most international destinations everyday. 

Adventure the easy way – tours in Squamish

Don’t forget to check out the stunning Sea to Sky Gondola when you’re in Squamish. The views are stunning, and you can grab a bite to eat at the restaurant, wander along hiking trails, go tubing, or walk across the suspension bridge onsite.

Need more info?

Be sure to check out the official Explore Squamish website, and the Destination BC website.

In the mood for a little more beautiful scenery? Check out this video from Destination BC that shows how truly wild and beautiful this province really is.

*Note: I visited Squamish courtesy Destination BC. As always, though, all opinions are our own — We would never recommend something to you that we haven’t tried and loved!

Going to Churchill, Manitoba, in northern Canada, has been on our travel list for a while now. Seeing polar bears in the arctic and learning about polar bear conservation firsthand sounds like a great trip. The problem is that it’s a long hike to far Northern Manitoba, and a fairly expensive touch at that, so we were thrilled to get a chance to check out the new International Polar Bear Conservation Centre at Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo.

Journey to Churchill

Opened in summer 2014, the new 10 acre Journey to Churchill exhibit showcases animals from all across the northern tundra. The species you can see include wolf, caribou, muskox, snowy owl, bison, Arctic fox and the always entertaining seals.

Of course, the main attraction at Journey to Churchill is the four polar bears, their sprawling enclosures and (our favorite) an underwater viewing tunnel. The tunnel lets you watch polar bears navigating the water edges and swimming through the water. The coolest part about it (pun intended) is that the tunnel will remain open all winter so visitors will get a chance to see bears navigating over and under the ice during the colder winter months as well.

Unfortunately we didn’t see bears swimming when we visited however we did see two walking the edge and dipping their paws in the water. Luckily, the bears were more cooperative on Journey to Churchill’s opening day, and put on a great show for visitors. You can check out their cool video below.

The International Polar Bear Conservation Centre focuses on housing and transitioning orphaned and at-risk polar bears from northern Manitoba, research that contributes to the survival of polar bears in the wild, and an interactive visitor interpretive centre. Polar bears are listed as a vulnerable species, meaning that they’re likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve.

Where do the polar bears come from?

The Assiniboine Park Zoo currently has four polar bears housed in 3 enormous all season polar bear enclosures: Hudson, Storm, Aurora and Kaska. All four bears were transitioned to the Assiniboine Park Zoo under the direction of Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship in compliance with provincial legislation. Only 2 of the enclosures are currently being used for the bears while the 3rd is being used to house a large pack of timber wolves. When the zoo acquires another pair of polar bears, the plan is to move the wolves into another enclosure.

Each bear’s story is as unique as it is. Hudson, a large male, was born into captivity at the Toronto Zoo and rejected by his mother before coming to Winnipeg. Storm, another male, was taken in by the Winnipeg Zoo after he attacked a man in Churchill. Aurora and Kaska, both females, were orphaned in Churchill and had little chance of survival on their own without a mother to help them learn to hunt and fend for themselves.

More than Polar Bears

Of course, the Assiniboine Park Zoo has more than just polar bears. While the zoo has all kinds of animals, from lions and tigers to monkeys and camels (and even a mob of kangaroos), the kids loved the polar bears, the huge climate controlled indoor playground and walking around the shady and colorful butterfly enclosure the most. Of course that might have something to do with the fact that the temperature hit 32 Celsius (90°F) the day we went. Luckily, the Tundra Grill restaurant, overlooking one of the polar bear enclosures and next to the indoor playground, had decent ice cream.

Find out more

You can find info on current admission prices, specials, and new exhibits on the Assiniboine Park Zoo’s website. You can also follow the Assiniboine Park Zoo on Facebook and Twitter.

National parks like the Everglades National Park in Florida are doing an outstanding job of introducing many people to those wild places and wild animals that are in so much danger. We had a chance to explore the Everglades a couple of years ago, and came out of our experience with a deeper understanding of the diversity and importance of wetlands around the world.

Spanning an astonishing 1.5 million acres, the Everglades National Park is an International Biosphere Reserve and a must-visit attraction for tourists in Florida. It was formally established in 1947 to conserve the land and wildlife habitat after decades of drainage and degradation by farmers and settlers.

Access to the Everglades by one of the many land or waterway entrances is simple. Private vehicles can access the park for a one-off fee of just 10 dollars for seven days unlimited access. The park, a World Heritage site, is open 24 hours, seven days a week, every day throughout the year (though some entrances close seasonally). If you’re visiting Florida you’ll find car hire in Miami is easy to arrange and collect allowing you to enjoy the park at your own leisure.

The park’s main attraction for most visitors is its diverse wildlife, with alligators especially high on the must see list. The American alligator can reach up to 15 feet in length, and the Everglades is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles co-exist.

The Everglades walking trails give you a chance to get up close to some of these giant reptiles. We were often within 20 feet of alligators lounging in the sun, but they seemed far more interested in napping than catching us for a late lunch.

The Everglades is also home to a wide array of bird life, particularly wading birds. Hundreds of bird species, both endangered and not, make the Everglades their home. The warm, shallow waters make for a perfect nesting and hunting habitat for many birds, and sightings of blue herons are common.

Hiking and camping are also extremely popular within the Everglades, with a huge range of trails and tracks to explore. There are even wheelchair accessible walkways at Anhinga Trail, Gumbo Limbo Trail, Pahayokee Overlook, Mahogany Hammock and West Lake Trail.

As Southern Florida can be very hot and humid mosquito nets and repellent, and plenty of water are essentials. If you want to avoid the worst of the heat and humidity, the relatively dry winter months from December to April are considered an especially good time to see the wildlife. During winter, water levels are fairly low, ensuring that animals congregate at watering holes and meeting places.

There are thousands of miles of waterways throughout the Everglades, making it a popular place for boating, fishing and other water-based activities. The Ten Thousand Islands region, accessed via the Gulf Coast Visitor Centre, is only accessible by boat or canoe.

There are also plenty of opportunities for ecotourism within the Everglades. Licensed guides provide boat tours exploring the natural habitat, while there are accompanying tours available for bird watchers. You can sign up for boat tours at the Gulf Coast or Flamingo visitor centers.

Visitor centers dot the Park borders, providing a wealth of information, maps, guides and exhibits.

Today, the Everglades National Park is only a fraction of the size it was before human settlement, and it continues to be in peril. UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee lists the Everglades as one of the World Heritage Sites in danger. Decreasing water inflows, nutrient pollution, loss of marine habitat and decline in marine species played a role in UNESCO’s decision to list the Everglades as in danger.

As a visitor, you can support conservation efforts in simple ways, including clearing up any litter and by ensuring you respect the wildlife and flora of the park.

One thing that we’ve discovered since getting into Tamarindo is that wildlife can sometimes surround you without actually having to search for it. We’ve also found that some monkeys can be a little intimidating. I’m not talking about their body size (though some of those male dangly bits look downright painful to have while hanging onto a 30 foot branch) but rather their sound. The male howler monkey is known for two things out here. One is those afore mentioned dangly bits and the other is for the loud howling it does. It’s a bit of a unique sound and the closest I can approximate would be a cross between a Tarzan howl and a loud, deep guttural growl. They say that the howlers cry can reach almost 5 km’s and is one of the loudest land animals. After hearing it firsthand, I can believe it.

Now imagine this scenario. It’s five am the second morning after getting into Tamarindo. You’re feeling quite comfortable and secure in your 3rd story condo knowing that thieves or any “bad” people would need to jump the 10 foot high razor blade covered outer wall then perform a spiderman feat of climbing nearly 30 vertical feet to get to your balcony. Now imagine being woken up with superhuman loud guttural screams only feet from where you’re sleeping with the balcony doors wide open. You’re first impression is “Why am I being awoken at this time of the morning?”. The second is “Did I just hear what I thought I heard or was it just some crazy dream?”. With your groggy head slowly clearing you realize the howling is quite real. It’s also sounds like it’s coming from your balcony. “Honey, can you go check that?” is obviously not something you want to hear.

As Micki and I slowly made our way to the balcony together we quickly realized that, thankfully, it wasn’t something on our deck. It was a little black ball of fur on the tree a stone’s throw away. That, in a nutshell, was our introduction to the howler monkey. Considering their diminutive size, I applaud them for packing quite the vocalizations into such a small space. Mother nature definitely did her job there!

Since that early morning we’ve seen groups of them quite regularly. This morning they were behind our condo again but usually we see them across the street hanging out close to the beach. They’re actually quite cute to look at and there’s at least 3 or 4 babies in this particular group. They’re often just lounging on the branches but every once in a while they jump around the tree trying to find some better leafy greens to munch on.

One of the first times we encountered them on our way down to the beach, they had just finished “anointing” a few fellow curious travelers. We missed the waterworks show but the woman who had seen it said it was quite comical. Since then we no longer walk under them if we can help it and if we do we make sure to keep our heads down and our mouths tightly shut. Some of the locals seem to find that funny but they’re obviously smart enough to know not to walk under them.

As with anything, we’ve learned to coexist and in truth, enjoy their playful antics. They’re just another regularity here and that, in of itself, is something worth noting. To us however, they’re just another hairy loud mouth neighbor with cute kids and an oversized extended family.

Happy Travels Everyone!