1 Clayoquot, Tofino, BC V0R 2Z0, Canada
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort offers remote Canadian wilderness vacations,but behind the five-star cuisine,the spa and the great white tents with their fluffy duvets and antiques,there is a deep and meaningful commitment to restoring the land.
Offering holidays the live in memory banks,while enabling quests to be part of important salmon and wildlife restoration work through the Environmental Legacy Program,takes a special team.
From the moment the quests step off the floatplane,to the first glass of sparkling wine,to that hike through old growth forest,the resort staff( and their dogs) are there to offer a quest experience tht is resoring rhe soul and this beautiful land.
Luxury Safari Style Tent Camp and adventure Resort located in the Clayoquot Sound World Biosphere. Rates are all inclusive including seaplane transfers to/from the Resort and Vancouver BC, accommodations in luxury tents, gourmet meals, all beverages including bar, and all personally guided adventure activities including Bear and Whale Watching, deep sea fishing, horseback riding, kayaking and much more.
Our Tents: Unexpected Comforts in a Remote Wilderness Setting
Intimate in Nature
With only 20 luxury guest tents the Resort offers an exclusive and personal environment for all of our visitors.
The Founders
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is owned by the Genovese Family Trust.It all started with Richard Genovese who had a vision for a new concept five-star wildness resort.His dream was to gently hew an intimate resort out of the untamed landscape of Clayoquot Sound,with thoughtfulness and honour for the land people and wildlife,a vision that continues to this day.
Managing Directors
Married over 40 years,the Catons left a busy life in Ontario for a simpler one in the wilds of Vancouver Island.After years in business and a high-flying stint as a talent scout and recording artist manager for A&M and Warner Brothers that ended with a major coronary attack.John returned to his family and their farm and started dreaming up his next act,this time in the hospitality business.
Following business school for Adele and an internship at a private game preserve in Ontario,they headed west with their boys.Twelve years later they continue to offer wilderness vacation of a lifetime,while conserving the land and helping British Columbia’s tourism industry become a world leader in sustainability.
Gary Bedell,General Manager
Gary joins out team as the new General Manager.A long-time hotelier and quest service consultant to luxury properties around the world,he brings a wealth of experience to his new position.As a cerfified butler,chef,photographer,published author,journalist and sommelier he is the master of all trades.
Ched Orr,Executive Chef
Ryan Orr was born and raised in Victoria on the southern end of Vancouver Island.Growing up,Ryan spent his summers on the local beaches with his friends,wading into the lagoons picking up Dungeness Crabs with fishing nets.Ryan has fond memories of his grandfather coming by the house before the sun came up to take his out fishing always coming home,,a little green around the gills,, and with stories of the ,,big one,,that got away.Vacouver Island is ,and always will be home for Ryan.
Katherine MacRae ,Director of Marketing
From Ontario ,Kathy has been a camper from a young age and the resort industry is nothing new to her either.Starting at Deerhurst resort in Haliburton Ontario at the age of 18,it is no wonder she loves the outdoors and life at CWR.Kathy joined the team in 2008 and can be found in the office as our Director of Marketing.Kathy can be found around camp ensuring thet everyone is having a great time as well as helping you organize your daily activities during stay with us at Clayoquot Wilderness Resort.
Donna Carlsen,Accounts Supervisor
Donna joined the CWR team is the spring of 2013 as our onsite Accounts Supervisor.While you can see Dona in the office,her nose buried deep in numbers,she is also found around camp talking to guests and often times on an evening horse back ride.
Our Tents: Unexpected Comforts in a Remote Wilderness Setting
Intimate in Nature
With only 20 luxury guest tents the Resort offers an exclusive and personal environment for all of our visitors.
Coastal Cascadian Cuisine
As executive chef at Clayoquot Wilderness Resort and a Vancouver Island native,Chef Ryan Orr honors the respect that the Cascadian region and its wealth of locally raised and grown products rightfully deserve.
.With its lush farmland and coastal waters,Cascadia provides Chef Orr the opportunity to source an abundance of locally grown and raised product from the region and showcase them on his menus.Whether it is locally raised meat from the farms of Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley,wine and produce from the Okanagan,or seafood from our own front yard shores,Chef’s commitment to eating locally and sustainable can be seen on every menu.
When dining with us at Clayoquot Wilderness Resort our quests never have to look far to trace the source of the items that comprise the magnificent meals they are enjoying ,nor will they miss the presence of Chef’s passion and commitment to our unique region.
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Ched Orr,Executive Chef
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Ryan Orr was born and raised in Victoria on the southern end of Vancouver Island.Growing up,Ryan spent his summers on the local beaches with his friends,wading into the lagoons picking up Dungeness Crabs with fishing nets.Ryan has fond memories of his grandfather coming by the house before the sun came up to take his out fishing always coming home,,a little green around the gills,, and with stories of the ,,big one,,that got away.Vacouver Island is ,and always will be home for Ryan.For more on Chef Orr.
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Dining at Clayoquot
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The resort takes care to ensure that locally grown and raised products are used as much as possible, to preserve and honour the Cascadia region.Locally raised meat from the farms of Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley, wine and produce from the Okanagan, and seafood from the waters of the resort itself all ensure that the resort continues to sustain and maintain the local area, with clean natural dishes and wholesome flavours. |
Daily wilderness activities are highly personalized and customized based on each guest’s experience level, willingness and desires. This means no “signing up” for particular activities in advance and the ability to choose what you want to do each day. Every evening our Activities Directors will sit with you personally and design your adventures for the next day depending on weather, tidal charts, animal sightings and your willingness to go wild! As Clayoquot specializes in remote experiences, guests may choose to be taken to a pristine and secluded beach to learn how to surf, have a First Nations guide escort them on a day long hike to the “Wild Side” interpretive trail and Flores Island, take on a mountain fed rushing river in a kayak,
Horsemanship and riding are signatures of the resort, with a range of talented horses for the beginner to the expert rider. Wildlife viewing is also part of daily life, whether guests go in search of black bears and whales or see the wildlife on the outskirts of camp, kept there by a team of well trained and well loved dogs.
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Water Adventures
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The Bedwell River estuary is a marine playground for beginner and expert kayakers. Intertidal play makes for ever-changing landscapes and prolific wildlife viewingFavourite ocean kayak excursions include whale, porpoise and bear watching in nearby Warren Bay, and the day trek to Flores Island’s Wild Side First Nations Interpretive Trail, where hiking and kayaking mix along marked trails of between 5 and 12 kilometres in length. Paddle Bedwell Sound at ‘seal level’, watching for foraging bears, otters, spawning salmon, and eagle nests along the way. Ride the tide in and out of the river estuary. Guests ride up alder alley and through lush forest to where the Bedwell and Urses rivers meet. Then, they kayak the gentle emerald shallows back down to the Outpost, starting all over again, if they wish. Experienced guides lead the way. Instruction and safety gear provided. No experience necessary. |
Safari Adventures
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The Outpost is located in one of the most densely wildlife-populated natural environments in the world, where species of plants and animals unique to the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere, present Outpost guests and visiting researchers an opportunity to observe the web of life – in balance. Guests need not venture far to experience the Biosphere’s virtual zoo. The resorts’ $3 million, five-year Environmental Legacy Program operates year-round, and during Outpost season, everyone chips in to help
Bear Watching
Hot Springs This eight-hour marine adventure begins aboard a 25-foot open-air console vessel or our dual merc-powered zodiac and includes whale watching (for humpbacks, grey and killer whales) and a gourmet picnic lunch. The gentle two-kilometre boardwalk trek to the seven natural geo-thermal pools of Hot Springs Cove traverses stands of ancient cedars, fern gardens and moss-carpeted thickets. The smell of sulphur grows as you near the falls but quickly fades as you venture closer to the first of the pools that descend to a final lukewarm bath near the sea . |
Wedding
Here, engagements, weddings, anniversaries and romantic rekindlings take on a spiritual quality found nowhere else in the world. The resort lends itself to intimate small and medium size weddings with two to 50 guests. We can coordinate services: planning, marriage commissioner, photographer, flowers, music, entertainment, full-service food and beverage, luxury accommodation, wilderness adventures, air transportation and ground and water transfers are all options. We have hosted some truly spectacular weddings: one on a deserted white sandy beach, several in our lush fern gardens, and others inside or on the decks and lookouts surrounding the Timber Cookhouse. More than one intensely romantic renewal of vows has happened in a great white canvas tent at the Resort. The greatest successes come at the hands of those inclined to work with our natural surroundings. Mixing old and new traditions, and combining contemporary elements with those found in nature is our specialty.
Honeymoons
What better place to begin a new life together than in the land that time forgot? Where balmy summer days and wild nights inspire romance and relaxation, and the heady rainforest air is as pure and intoxicating as new love.
The intimate scale of the resort prescribes privacy and a level of service and pampering unlike anything offered by large, all-inclusive resorts. The memories you make here are yours alone, as unique and original as your dreams, and unfolding at a pace set by you. Slip seamlessly into resort culture (visit camp culture page for details) or invite resort staff to delight and surprise you with little extras conceived for newlyweds and newly-in-loves. Consider a candlelit dinner just for two in the games tent, or a tandem massage overlooking Bedwell River. Or maybe wild strawberries and champagne arriving unannounced, or a horse drawn wagon whisking the pair of you off to a secluded beach or river valley meadow.
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Based on 179 reviews
5
Location
5.0
Sleep Quality
4.8
Rooms
4.8
Service
4.9
Value
4.7
Cleanliness
4.9
Published Wed, Apr 30, 2026
Bespoke highly curated experiences that allow you to connect with nature with luxurious rustic touches. This was an incredible life changing trip for us and I want to thank all the staff for an...
Published Mon, Sep 30, 2024
CWL is a very special place. I had been wanting to visit for several years and was concerned I would be let down once I actually got there. I was wrong- CWL exceeded my expectations in every way...
Published Sat, Sep 30, 2024
What a magical place. If you enjoy beautiful nature and five star service and food, this place is for you. The wildlife was all around you, from the bears, to the bald eagles and sea otters. The...
