Getting to Spatsizi Wilderness Provincial Park
British Columbia • Canada

Getting to British Columbia is easy and safe.

In most cases you will fly from home to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) where you will clear immigrations and customs. From Vacnouver you will take a relatively short domestic flight to Smithers your end destination before flying to the lodge.

You must claim your luggage on your first point of entry into Canada and clear immigrations and customs. Failure to claim your luggage will result in your luggage not showing up at your end destination.

Specific flight details for Spatsizi Wilderness Lodge

Travel from home to Smithers: Anglers are to arrive in Smithers, B.C. the day before flying into the lodge. We strongly suggest using Hawk Air for your Vancouver-Smithers flights, as they offer a special rate for guests of Spatsizi Wilderness Lodge.

Most anglers stay at the Hudson Bay Lodge in Smithers. Spatsizi Wilderness Lodge blocks out rooms, as space fills quickly during peak summer months.

You will be met at the airport by the Spatsizi Hostess and brought downtown to pick-up essentials, i.e., fishing license, sundry goods, liquor, etc and transferred to the Hudson Bay Lodge.
If you like small, quaint inns, the Bulkley Valley Guesthouse B & B is a wonderful alternative. Also the Storks Nest Inn is a nice small-venue inn to consider.

Day of Arrival to Lodge: Departure from Smithers to Spatsizi Wilderness Lodge is scheduled between 8:30 am and 9:30 am, weather dependent. You will make this 200 air mile journey to the lodge (2 hours, 30 minutes) in a DeHavilland Otter fitted with floats.

Two or three anglers will have the option of camping overnight at the Firesteel River (Tatlatui Park) to enjoy two days of the finest dry fly fishing.

Full Fishing Days: Every day, each fisherman will have the opportunity to experience a different fishery, or return to their favorite spot. Fly-outs to our trophy rainbow lakes commence on the 2nd and 3rd day with your partner or group.

Day of Departure from the Lodge: Spend your last morning fishing at Laslui. Departure from Spatsizi is scheduled for 12:00 p.m., arriving into Smithers at approximately 3:00 p.m. or later. If you would like to continue on to Vancouver that afternoon (when available) we suggest you make no flight arrangements before 5:00 p.m. You have the option to overnight in Smithers and catch a morning flight to Vancouver the following day.

Canada Travel Notes:

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: Entry into Canada is solely determined by Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials in accordance with Canadian law. Canadian law requires that all persons entering Canada carry both proof of citizenship and proof of identity. A valid U.S. passport, passport card or NEXUS card (see below) satisfies these requirements for U.S. citizens. If U.S. citizen travelers to Canada do not have a passport, passport card or approved alternate document such as a NEXUS card, they must show a government-issued photo ID (e.g. Driver’s License) and proof of U.S. citizenship such as a U.S. birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or expired U.S. passport. Children under sixteen need only present proof of U.S. citizenship.

All Americans traveling by air outside of the United States are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter the United States. This requirement will be extended to sea travel (except closed-loop cruises), including ferry service, on June 1, 2009. Until then, U.S. citizens traveling by sea may present government-issued photo identification and a document showing their U.S. citizenship (for example, a birth certificate or certificate of nationalization). Starting June 1, 2009, all travelers must present a Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant document such as a passport or a passport card for entry to the United States. While passport cards and enhanced driver’s licenses are sufficient for entry into the United States, they may not be accepted by the particular country you plan to visit; please be sure to check with your cruise line and countries of destination for any foreign entry requirements.

LIQUOR: Canadian Liquor Laws are different than ours here in the States. Beer and wine must be purchased in special stores. These stores usually stay open well into the evening and are open on weekends. However, "spirits" or hard liquor must be purchased at a Government store. These stores do not stay open past 6:00 p.m. and are closed on Sundays. If you like your cocktail at the end of the day, plan on bringing your own from the states. You are able to bring 1.5 liters of wine, 1.14 liters of liquor or 24 x 355 ml cans or bottles (8.5 liters) of beer or ale. The lodge has wine, but no beer or spirits on hand.

WEIGHT ALLOWANCE: Due to safety measures, a maximum weight allowance of 70 pounds per person is very strictly enforced. If your baggage weighs more than the allotted amount, you will be asked to leave some articles behind in Smithers.

INNOCULLATIONS AND HEALTH CONCERNS: There are no formal requirements, or recommendations for immunizations and very little risk of infectious disease in Canada. The risk would be about equivalent to what it would be for a trip to Colorado. You should check with your personal physician if you are concerned. We recommend that anglers be up-to-date on their Tetanus, Hepatitis-A and Hepatitis-B vaccinations.

Make it easy on yourself.

Alicia Regueiro and here expert staff at Holdy Tours (800) 446- 1111 or alicia@holdytours.com are a full service travel agency. They’ve been our first choice for ticketing for years because Holdy professionals are intimately familiar with the intricacies of travel to Chile, Argentina and all South America.

Holdy gets rave reviews from us for arranging reasonably priced flights as well as city tours, hotels, transfers, and optional add-on travel packages to our fly fishing trips. They know the best routes and connections for even the most complicated Patagonia angling destinations and they’ve teamed up with LA to offer the best airfares and service to South America. Make it easy on yourself and contact Holdy Tours for your flight accommodations to, from and within Argentina. www.holdytours.com