The BC Adventure Company
The Best of BC, Naturally™
The BC Adventure Company
Established by the owners of Rockwood Adventures, Alasdair Douglas and Nancy Celetti, BC Adventure Company (BCAC) provides intimate private luxury events and adventures with exquisite culinary experiences for local residents to explore the best of their province and for all Canadians to discover and explore Vancouver, the Okanagan, Whistler, Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. Supported by an unprecedented group of travel partners, professional guides and backcountry experts, BCAC is focused on the Canadian retail travel trade.
Since 1995, BC Adventure Company’s sister brand Rockwood Adventures has been the pioneer of storied west coast urban and wilderness excursions, with a culinary twist and a designated Destination Canada, Canadian Signature Experiences award-winning tour operator since 2010.
Offering a diverse range of COVID-19 safe and approved excursions, BCAC delivers a myriad of adventure experiences and has partnered with industry-leading specialists to offer intimate small group weddings, engagements, and celebration of life gatherings.
Charitable Affiliations
With a strong belief in, and continued commitment toward, giving-back, the ownership team have made BC Adventure Company a socially purposed enterprise, promoting education and preservation of our ecosystems. BC Adventure Company also supports and advocates for the Take a Hike Foundation, providing in-kind services and donating a total of 2.5 percent of its revenues to this worthy not-for-profit.
The Take a Hike Foundation uses the outdoors and adventure to engage vulnerable youth in school and their community. Delivering a successful mental health and wellbeing program, in partnership with BC High Schools, the program has had a proven and lasting impact in the lives of vulnerable youth—evidenced by a 97 percent High School graduation rate versus the BC average of less than 86 percent.
The Take A Hike Foundation works to enable vulnerable youth to build the skills and resilience they need to graduate high school, build healthy relationships, and achieve success – however they define it. For more information please visit takeahikefoundation.org.
A Pandemic Success Story
BC Adventure Company was conceived by Alasdair Douglas and Nancy Celetti, owners of successful culinary and eco-tour company Rockwood Adventures. When the global pandemic hit, the company – whose clientele is comprised solely of international visitors – experienced a zero-revenue year. Alasdair and Nancy decided they needed to pivot to meet the needs of the new tourism and travel environment by developing new products and targeting the Canadian domestic market without repositioning Rockwood’s already established brand.
As a result, BC Adventure Company was born, focusing on outdoor adventures and special occasion events, including culinary and Indigenous-based experiences targeted to locals and the Canadian domestic market. Since the new company’s launch, Alasdair and Nancy have forged ties with fellow BC tourism businesses like Harbour Air and SKY Helicopters, global brands like Fairmont and Hyatt, and notable individuals such as Wade Davis, Suzanne Simard and Chief Clarence Louie to build responsible, cultural, culinary-focused and nature-inspired experiences for domestic visitors seeking an everyday escape.
Bio-tourism in Action: The Ultimate Okanagan Foodie Tour Reimagined
Going far beyond a simple wine tour, rediscover the Okanagan through Indigenous culture, gastronomy and sustainable bio-tourism. Centred on the premise of travellers engaging with the environment and culture of a destination in a way that’s constructive (not destructive), bio-tourism is hallmarked by cultural diversity, tradition, history and sustainability. BC Adventure Company strives to incorporate bio-tourism into every part of company operations, such as sourcing sustainably harvested ingredients for culinary experiences and facilitating connections between guests and notable locals who are championing cultural and environmental preservation.
A prime example of bio-tourism in action is Meet the Insiders Outside: Okanagan Savouring Sustainability Adventure, an enlightening and culinary-driven tour of the famed Okanagan Valley. Guests meet with Chief Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Indian Band – one of the most successful bands in North America – as well as celebrity chefs who are redefining farm-to-table gourmet dining, and one of Canada’s seven Masters of Wine.
The exclusive and customizable tour also visits District Wine Village, an innovative wine, culinary and entertainment centre; Covert Farms Family Estate, a third-generation organic farm and winery; and a sacred Indigenous lake revered for centuries as a place of healing. Allowing visitors to gain an entirely new perspective of the Okanagan, this private tour takes guests off the beaten path and onto both a culinary, sustainable and enlightening journey.
Pandemic-Era Luxury Experiences
Indulge in Your Perfect Trip with BC Adventure Company
Whether luxury gourmand or rugged all-inclusive backcountry adventure BC Adventure Company has an experience for you, providing a myriad of authentic adventures and events!
If you prefer to journey in style, try the Backcountry Helicopter and Fraser Valley Wine and Culinary Adventure – an incredible way to take your adventuring to new heights. After boarding a private helicopter, you and your “bubble” will fly over dramatic peaks and backcountry waterfalls; upon landing, you’ll enjoy a leisurely scenic drive to the Fraser Valley’s best wineries for a celebratory wine and culinary experience. Tip: don’t forget your camera!
Prefer an active excursion? The North Shore Canyoning Adventure challenges you to channel your inner Indiana Jones as you explore world-class canyons and waterfalls just 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver (no prior experience required). Exploring Cypress Mountain and wandering the area’s temperate rainforest, industry experts will enable you to don top-quality safety gear and clamber through lush canyons, venture right up to rushing waterfalls and jump into crystal clear pools.
Seeking an even more rugged escape? Sign up for the all-inclusive Garibaldi Lake Backpacking where you’ll learn and love the experience of backcountry camping. On an intermediate hike near Whistler, you and your crew will march through old-growth forests, wildflower meadows and scenic mountainscapes abundant in wildlife. Accompanied by two professional hiking and backpacking guides, you’ll assist in the set up of camp near one of North America’s last remaining southern glaciers, then choose your own adventure to determine which of the many nearby trails you’ll hike in the morning.
Seeking Solace from COVID-19
Rainforest Bathing Enhanced
Forest bathing is all the rage – but what exactly is it? Originating in Japan, the concept – traditionally known as shinrin-yoku – involves mindfully experiencing nature through our senses. By bridging the gap between ourselves and the natural world, we can reduce stress, restore energy and vitality, and emerge feeling rejuvenated and ready to tackle the world, now more important than ever following the collective stress enduring from the pandemic.
Leveraging the numerous benefits of spending time in nature – and with restrictions on indoor gathering motivating people to increase their time outdoors – BC Adventure Company built on the principles of shinrin-yoku to design the immersive Rainforest Bathing Tour. Guided by a professional trained in forest bathing, guests plunge into uncut rainforest, learning how thousand-year-old cedars and Douglas firs collaborate to survive.
While listening to ocean waves crashing against granite cliffs, you’ll learn and experience the biochemistry and health benefits of coniferous forests. You’ll also view incredible vistas of downtown Vancouver, Burrard Inlet and Bowen Island, and a national historic lighthouse, before wandering the Capilano River Canyon and Cleveland Dam, which supplies some of the cleanest drinking water in the world. End your zen-inducing excursion with an al fresco culinary experience along the river as you take in the sounds of the flowing water. Learn the art and science of Shinrin Yoku on this excursion, and allow that knowledge to guide your wellness journey for decades to come.