What You See: Lifting off from the water, the flight skirts the edge of Vancouver’s massive Stanley Park and clears the Lion’s Gate suspension bridge, providing birds-eye views of West Vancouver, Canada’s highest-income neighborhood. The flight climbs above 5,000 feet clearing the Coast Mountains, circling the iconic Lion Peaks, soaring over glaciers, and eventually landing on pristine Widgeon Lake where gutsy visitors can take a quick swim or fish for lake trout. The flight returns by a different route, flying over Fraser Valley farmland and smaller regional cities, then provides great views of the Vancouver skyline upon landing.
The Floatplane: This tour generally uses a DeHavilland Beaver, which can carry 5-6 passengers. All the seats have good views, but the co-pilot seat is superior. That seat is assigned by the pilot prior to takeoff.
Picnic Lunch Option: Afternoon flights offer a lunch option for an additional $50. The lunchbox is from Vancouver gourmet grocery store Urban Fare, and generally includes a sandwich (vegetarian option available), potato or bean salad, an apple, a cookie, and a bottle of water. You picnic on a small beach at Widgeon Lake, and beach blankets are provided. This option generally provides a bit of extra time at the lake.
Where: You board a floatplane at downtown Vancouver’s Coal Harbour floatplane terminal, within easy walking distance of most downtown Vancouver hotels. The tour returns to the same place approximately two hours later.
Is it Good Value? The $275 price tag keeps many Vancouver visitors away from this flying tour. You should not be one of them. This tour will show you Vancouver scenery in a way even locals seldom see. The floatplane flies just a few hundred feet above many glaciers and mountain peaks, which is far different and more dramatic than seeing the region from a commercial jet.
How to Arrange This Vancouver Floatplane Tour:
- Harbour Air Alpine Lakes & Glaciers Floatplane Tour
- Address: Coal Harbour Floatplane Terminal, 1075 West Waterfront Rd.
- Tel: 604-274-1277
- Fare: $275 per person (afternoon tour additional $50 for picnic lunch)
- Visit the website