If George Vanderbilt, founder of the Biltmore Estate, and John Muir, America’s leading naturalist who inspired the US national park system, collaborated to build the ultimate luxury/nature experience for their friends and family, it would be the Chilko Experience. A private seven home $10M luxury estate built in the pristine British Columbia wilderness for the use of friends & family. It has recently opened to the public for the first time. It is best of breed because of what it’s not, another lodge. They offer an estate experience. Their strengths are three. World class architecture. They have homes not cabins. A better than world class location in southern British Columbia on a 5M pristine wilderness tract. Lastly, great adventures in the middle of this setting that allows friends to connect with nature at the highest level possible. John Muir would approve.
Highlights
Relax in your wilderness hideaway with chef prepared meals and guided tours
Cruise the Chilko River by jet boat to view wildlife and sightsee
Explore 500 miles of backwoods trails by ATV
Horseback ride to find secret mountain top fossil beds
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Arrive Williams Lake, British Columbia, and make your way* to the Chilko Experience Wilderness Resort (approx. 3-hour drive), your home away from home. Once at the lodge meet your hosts and enjoy a beverage of your choice. Tour the 25 acres of grounds, visit all the homes, and learn about log and timber frame architecture unique to North America. Then it’s back to the main lodge for appetizers and drinks before a chef-prepared dinner. After dinner, enjoy a pleasant evening at the lodge, around the fire pit, or journey to your cabin for the evening.
*There are several options for arriving to the Chilko Experience Wilderness Lodge via commercial flights and car rental, direct charter flight, or a scenic drive from Vancouver, BC. Please inquire and we can help you figure out the best option!
After a hearty breakfast, choose from a variety of activity options based on time of year and weather conditions. There is 'no size fits all' doctrine at Chilko. Click here to see more details about the activities such as: Touring the 50 mile long Chilko Lake by cabin cruiser, stop for a picnic lunch and a bit of fishing; horseback ride to find a secret mountain top fossil bed; explore 500 miles of backwoods trails by ATV; cruise the Chilko river by jet boat to look for wildlife; explore the surrounding forest on miles of hiking trails; or enjoy various water sports on the lake like kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding and swimming; try your hand at Chilcotin Darts where Viking-style axes are hurled at wooden targets. In the fall, the river teems with Sockeye salmon where grizzly bears coming to dine. Everyday choose from as much or as little activity as you desire.
Day 5: Fly home
1 Breakfast
After a hearty breakfast or even a good lunch, depending on departure schedule, return to Williams Lake for your journey home.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$6,0092-3 travelers
Notes
Select a Date
Rate based on 5 day trip (3 full days at the lodge). Tour price from $2550- $6950 depending on length of trip and season.
Initial deposit is 10% (minimum $400), and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
The trip was terrific with great planning on your part. Most of the adventures were not mainstream and somewhat off the beaten path which made it especially enjoyable!! We felt taken care of and you all were readily available to respond to questions and issues. I would highly recommend your company and friends have already expressed interest based on our pictures and excitement.
Gale Cantor
TrustScore 4.8 | 254 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 254 reviews on
2 days ago
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.