The Okanagan Valley

Known widely for its world-class orchards and wineries, Canada’s fabled Okanagan Valley also has a distinct natural character, owing to many converging factors. At its core, the Okanagan is a valley surrounded by two mountain ranges. From its bottom to its peaks, we find an impressive and rare mix of habitats starting with lowland lakes, rivers, and prairie fragments and moving up through pine-dominated tablelands and then into boreal forests and highland meadows. In addition, the South Okanagan bears the distinction of lying in the rain shadow of the towering Cascade Mountains, creating desert-like conditions. Here we find the Okanagan shrub-steppe, commonly known as Canada’s “pocket desert.” Not only is this habitat found nowhere else in Canada, but so too are many of its animals and plants, many of which exist here at the northern limit of their range.

On this week-long exploration, join us to observe differences in landscapes from the lowlands to the highlands and from the central valley to the south. The Okanagan is at once home to prickly pear cacti, sagebrush, rattlesnakes, and up to four species of hummingbirds in lowlands, as well as Mountain Goats, California Bighorn Sheep, Yellow-bellied Marmots, and White-throated Swifts in rocky highlands. Upland forests support Moose, western songbirds, and several specialty woodpeckers. Iconic prairie species like Western Meadowlarks and Mountain Bluebirds breed in grasslands.

We have timed this tour to coincide with long June days, clear skies, peak breeding season for most birds, and the blooming of early-summer flowers — and you can expect a wine tasting or two sprinkled among our explorations.

Tour leader Andrea Kingsley has travelled extensively in Western Canada, including the Okanagan. Join her as she returns to this incomparable cradle of Canadian nature.