Bella Bella is a city in Coastal British Columbia.

Get in

There are no roads into Bella Bella as it is on an island.

Pacific Coastal Airlines operates flights from Port Hardy (with connections from Vancouver) once daily in the winter and twice daily in the summer. From Vancouver the total journey (with the stop in Porty Hardy) is about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

BC Ferries (bcferries.com) operates the "Discovery Coast Passage" route from Port Hardy. Different ferries leaving on different days stop at different communities up the coast. The full route stops at the following destinations: Port Hardy - Bella Bella - Shearwater - Klemtu - Ocean Falls - Bella Coola. Service is not constant and you should check the schedules to make sure the ferry stops at where your going. The vast majority of people fly in because of the time saved. However, a round trip from Vancouver is often as much as a trip to Europe at around $550. But if you want to take the ferry from Vancouver you must first go either to Victoria of Nanaimo and then drive up to Port Hardy and take the ferry across to Bella Bella.

The Shearwater resort also operates its own private plane; for bringing it's guests up.

Get around

Unless you bring your car on the ferry, you have to walk around town; which is not difficult: 10 minutes from one end to the other and 15 minutes to the airport.

To get to the Shearwater resort it is a 15 minute boat ride, the Shearwater operates a water taxi which runs every 1 to 2 hours; $5 one way for visitors.

There are also two taxis that meet all the planes coming in.

See

There are two separate islands; Campbell Island and Denny Island. Old Bella Bella is on Denny Island along with the Shearwater. New Bella Bella is on Campbell Island. The only way to get between the two is by boat (see above). They both have their own airstrips.

Do

Rent a boat from the Shearwater and just putt around, or enjoy some of the best fishing in the world.

The Shearwater also has packages available; which includes flight from Vancouver, meals and fishing. It is common to see groups of men (generally older) come up on a company holiday/business trip.

Buy

There is a band store in Bella Bella, and a grocery store in the Shearwater resort. Along with several small private shops/vendors.

Eat

The Shearwater has a full restaurant/pub. The other option for food is Brown's dinner in Bella Bella. There's one cafe in Bella Bella located right near the wharf with (sometimes shaky) internet access.

Drink

The Shearwater's pub.

Sleep

Your choices are very limited, as it is only a community of 1200. The Shearwater resort (shearwater.ca) has some nice clean rooms in its newly refurbished hotel by the water. They also have some older rooms up a little higher.

There is one hotel in Bella Bella.

On Denny Island there is the Denny island B&B (10-15 minute walk to the Shearwater) and the Whiskey cove B&B (20-25 minute walk to the Shearwater).

Connect

Bella Bella has its own police department and circuit court.

Go next

You have to get out the same way you got in; either by boat or by plane.

Pacific Coastal also operates flights up the coast to Klemtu and Oceanfalls. Pacific Coastal does not operate direct flights to Bella Coola; meaning you have to come down to Vancouver and up again. You can always take the ferry to Bella Coola.