Shared Adventures for Families in British Columbia

How shared adventures strengthen family bonds

There are family vacations - and there are shared adventures that will be remembered for years to come. Shared adventures aim to consciously experience exciting activities such as canyoning, climbing, rafting or a glacier lunch together, true to the motto "one for all, all for one".

This trend is also becoming increasingly important for families traveling with three generations. Given that our everyday lives are packed full, children are growing up faster than we would like and we spend far too little time together consciously over the years, shared adventures provide answers: Closeness. Time. Captivating stories that you will still be telling each other years later.

Intense experiences where the family laughs, marvels, perhaps freezes or has to overcome itself. Dad is afraid of heights when climbing? We can do it together! My brother paddles faster than me? I can't let that get to me! These kinds of emotional rollercoaster rides and the accompanying bickering between siblings are important elements of shared adventures that bring families closer together.

Adventure meets luxury: experience British Columbia

British Columbia, Canada, is one of those places that are made for shared adventures. Unspoiled nature, glaciers, rainforests, fjords and exquisite accommodations that offer all kinds of adventures for families. There is also the opportunity to observe Canadian wildlife including bears, moose, eagles and many other species.

The days are made for watching bears chasing salmon in the morning, flying up to a glacier by helicopter for lunch at lunchtime and sharing the best stories around the campfire in the evening.

By helicopter to a glacier lunch

A flight over jagged mountain ranges, deep green valleys and blue glacier tongues - the view takes your breath away. When the helicopter lands on a remote, deserted glacier and the guide unpacks the picnic basket, there is no doubt: this lunch will go down in family history. Children sit on blocks of ice, parents toast with champagne, everyone gazes into the vastness of this surreal place. Together in the here and now.

Not only helicopter flights with a glacier lunch are on the list of shared adventures, but also heli-hiking adventures. The helicopter lands for short hikes in areas that would be inaccessible without a flight.

Whether extraordinary heli-hiking or an exclusive glacier lunch in alpine surroundings: epic panoramic views of Canada's mountains are always included in these excursions.

Thrills of canyoning, climbing and rafting

Courage, team spirit and adrenaline are all part of the adventures around Nimmo Bay and the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort. When canyoning, families abseil down alpine mountain streams, jump and slide over rocks and cross impressive gorges.

When climbing, young and old surpass themselves by conquering chasms, hanging from a via ferrata and searching for the next safe hold. Once the tour is completed, the reward is a fantastic view without having to concentrate on climbing.

Rafting tours provide thrills and laughter as families conquer the rapids, steer around rocks and speed down the raging river. What a surprise when it's grandma who has the most fun on this adventure!

Families are not alone on the adventures, they are professionally accompanied and guided through all the challenges so that they are completely safe.

Ice bathing with a view

Ice bathing? Sounds crazy, and maybe it is. But it's definitely a bonding experience. Whether it's a test of courage for teenagers or a new experience for their mothers, anyone who dives into a crystal-clear glacial lake, feels the shock of the cold, tightens up and then sprints into the sauna will feel their own body particularly intensely.

Watch grizzly bears in the Great Bear Rainforest

At Tweedsmuir Park Lodge, bear watching is at the top of the agenda. Experienced guides take you on lonely trails through grizzly territory. Children and adults alike learn to read tracks and bear activity, for example by looking for campsites, droppings and tufts of fur stuck in the bark of trees.

From the end of August, thousands of salmon migrate to their spawning grounds, for example in the Atnarko River. They always swim upstream and have to overcome many obstacles. They are then easy prey for the grizzly bears. They gather in large numbers by the river to hunt. When a bear wades onto the bank with a salmon between its teeth, families witness an impressive natural spectacle that will remain in their memories for a long time.

Whale watching: gentle giants of the sea

A fountain of water rises on the horizon. Then the fluke rises majestically out of the water and everyone on board shouts "There, there" and "Ah" and "Oh". The collective excitement of whale watching off the coast of British Columbia is definitely infectious. In sheer amazement, the camera is put to one side when a curious humpback whale approaches to take a closer look at the boat. A deeply moving experience that makes you humble and - once again - reminds you of the beauty of our world.

What remains after the Shared Adventures

Shared Adventures create intimate moments. No chichi, no pretending, but real emotions. Perhaps the hike is exhausting, the water too cold and the fear of heights seemingly insurmountable. But the humpback whale triggered feelings of happiness, the picnic on the glacier gratitude. Families recount all these moments later with a smile, still proud or moved by a particular experience. Because they did it together. Because they helped each other, laughed, encouraged and marveled.

Families who embark on Shared Adventures return with stories, a sense of connection and appreciation for each other. And, in the best case, with the firm intention of starting the next adventure together soon.