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Small boat whale watching tour
Shihar Says: I HIGHLY recommend a small boat whale watching tour. As I stated in the kayaking tip, there were very few tourists in Mid-May so my hubby and I were the only ones on the boat with the captian. Not within 10 minutes did we encounter Orca whales( J pod) and the alpha male...
world_traveler Says: make sure to check out all four of the islands, San Juan, Lopez, Orcas, and the fourth one I forgot what the name of it was. Lopez island is run completely by nuns. Orcas island, although it is small has lots of spots to sit and go whale watching.
maryellen50 Says: We used Maya's Whale Watching which is highly recommended on the internet. We saw 8 whales on our morning trip which was out of this world to see those giants(Orcas) performing in the ocean. Captain Jim is very knowledgeable and takes only 6 people on his boat unlike most...
maryellen50 Says: Roche Harbor is on the opposite end of Friday Harbor. This is a resort with hotel, condos and cottages. Accommodations tend to be somewhat pricey but the location is nice on a private harbor area and not far from Friday Harbor. We stayed at a condo ($130/night) which was...
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Being a vegetarian visiting the West Coast there is never a shortage of good restaurants (unlike Texas where I live). Do expect to pay a minimum of $10 for a dinner entree so the islands are not for the budget conscious.
Favorite Dish: Everyplace we ate was great from Italian to veggie burgers.
Written Sep 7, 2002
Washington State Ferries: How Most People Get Here
glabah Says: Connecting the four most populated of the San Juan Islands with Anacortes, Washington and Sidney, British Columbia, the Washington State Ferries is the primary mode of transport between the islands, and between the islands and the rest of the world.Summer weather causes a...
retiredenglishteache Says: Please be advised that the Orcas Island Shuttle is the only reliable transportation on the island. The cost is $5 one way. The shuttle uses the ferry arrival and departure as its basis for times around the island. It meets all ferry arrivals. I recommend it highly. The...
Getting Around San Juan Island
maryellen50 Says: We rented a car once we arrived from the short flight from Seattle. I would highly recommend renting a car ($40/day) otherwise you are limited to exploring the entire island and the taxis and shuttles are rather expensive. The short flight from Seattle was 45 minutes compred...
briantravelman Says: Due to their proximity to the Canadian border, it's really easy to enter Canadian waters without knowing it. If you accidently swim into Canadian waters and are stopped by the Coast Guard, without the propper documents, you could have some serrious problems. It is advised...
briantravelman Says: Be extremely careful where you go kayaking. If you don't have a lot of experience, it is advised that you take one of the kayak tours, or check with some local kayakers for the safest spots. Because of their location, there are several strong converging currents in several...
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I did a day kayak trip with Outdoor Odysseys and the scenery was just beautiful. We did see several bald eagles. Kayaking here is very different from the Gulf Coast as the water is rougher however not as exhausting in the Pacific Northwest compared to the Gulf Coast due to the weather.
Equipment: All equipment was provided by Outdoor Odysseys including a great vegetarian lunch.
Written Sep 7, 2002
Website: http://www.outdoorodysseys.com
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Favorite thing: The orcas (of course). There are 3 pods of orcas residing in this area - total of approx 100 whales. We saw several bald eagles, harbor seals, and bull kelp. My travel focuses mostly on the outdoors and wildlife so this is probably the best place in the U.S. for ecotourism as everyone is conscientious about the environment and surroundings. All restaurants were great .
Fondest memory: The morning we viewed the pod of 8 orcas playing in the ocean.
Written Feb 25, 2003
Breathtaking scenery and Orcas!
Just returned from staying 4 days on San Juan Island. It was just as beautiful and breathtaking as everyone describes. We stayed at Roche Harbor - not memorable for a $130 night 1 bedroom condo but......
San Juan Islands , WA..... Not in Caribbean!
IN PROGRESS.... I can't find my pictures!?! :( Many people get confused and think the San Juan Islands are located in the Caribbean. Probably because San Juan, Puerto Rico but these great islands...
Forget your Auto. Bring a Boat Instead!
Autos can be useful to get around on a few of the larger islands, but you won't get there without a boat! There are approximately 170 islands in the San Juan Islands chain, not including the "Channel...
Off of the West Coast of British Columbia and Washington state reside a long chain of islands. On the Canadian side they're called the Gulf Islands and on the American side they're called the San Juan...
Build your own San Juan Islands page
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