Ferries from Klemtu

Klemtu is a Kitasoo/Xai'xais community of a few hundred people on Swindle Island, with no road to anywhere. Its 2 active sailings in our timetable are the whole of its scheduled connection, and they are part of a route measured in days rather than hours.

The crossing

Klemtu to Port Hardy (Bear Cove) takes about 8 hours 25 minutes. Operated by BC Ferries.

Klemtu is a call on the Inside Passage and Discovery Coast services rather than a terminus — the vessel is passing through on a much longer voyage.

⚠ Which service calls here depends on the season

Outside summer, the Inside Passage route between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert includes calls at Klemtu and Bella Bella. In summer, the separate Discovery Coast service covers the mid-coast ports while the Inside Passage sailing runs direct.

The practical effect is that the timetable changes shape twice a year. Confirm which service is running before planning a call here.

No parking

There is none. On an island community reached only by ferry or floatplane, that is unsurprising and rarely a problem — almost nobody arrives here with a car they intend to leave.

Spirit Bear

The Great Bear Rainforest around Klemtu is home to the Kermode or spirit bear, a white-coated subspecies of black bear, and the Kitasoo/Xai'xais Nation runs guided viewing from the village. It is the reason most visitors come.

The Big House, opened in 2001, is the community's traditional cedar longhouse and the first built in the territory in generations.

Getting here realistically

An eight-hour ferry leg on a service with one departure, or a floatplane from Bella Bella. Neither is a casual arrangement, and both need booking well ahead.