Vancouver Extended Seaplane Tour — Howe Sound & Islands
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Vancouver, Canada
- 45 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
While the Vancouver cityscape and the nearby mountains and seascapes are spectacular from land and water, nothing quite compares to seeing them from above. On this extended seaplane sightseeing tour from Vancouver, soar over the city, past the peaks of the Coast Mountains, take in the views of inlets, islands, and lush landscapes, including B.C. Place Stadium—the official 2026 Big Soccer game venue—and Science World, returning via the island-dotted Howe Sound.
- Enjoy an extended seaplane tour of Vancouver and its scenic surroundings
- Admire views you can’t get by road or on water
- See more of British Columbia in less time—ideal for time-tight travelers
- Take off and land at a convenient location in downtown Vancouver
What's Included
- The 45 minute experience covers boarding, take-off, your scenic flight, landing, and disembarking.
- 15 extra flight minutes compared to the standard Vancouver Panorama Tour
- Scenic flight over Stanley Park, English Bay, Howe Sound, Gambier Island and Bowen Island
- Seasonal route over the Coast Mountains and remote inlets unreachable by road or boat
- Complimentary Digital Tour Guide App available for download on iOS or Android
- Complimentary luggage storage at the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre during your flight
- All taxes and sustainability fees
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
- Travel insurance
- Headphones for the Digital Tour Guide App narration (please bring your own)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Harbour Air - VancouverBurrard Landing, 1055 Canada Pl Unit #1, Vancouver, BC V6C 0C3, Canada
Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre Unit #1 - 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC, V6C 0C3 The seaplane terminal is located at Burrard Landing in Coal Harbour. Paid parking is available at 1095 W Waterfront Rd, Vancouver, BC. Check-in for your flight 40 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Harbour Air (Pass By)
Stanley Park (Pass By)
Gambier Island (Pass By)
Bowen Island (Pass By)
Vancouver (Pass By)
B.C. Place Stadium (Pass By)
Science World (Pass By)
Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- All passengers 18 years and above must present either one piece of valid government issued photo identification, or two pieces of government-issued identification without a photograph
- Passengers must arrive at the terminal at least 40 minutes before the scheduled departure time, and be fully checked-in 20 minutes before the scheduled departure time.
- Passengers not checked-in before the check-in cutoff times will not be able to board their scheduled flight and will not be refunded their fare.
- If travelling with children, please be aware that the child fare applies to children aged 2-11 at the time of departure.
- Digital Tour Guide App. Download the app in advance on your iOS or Android device, or download it at check-in.
- Narration is optional. If you choose to use the narration feature, please bring and use your own headphones.
- A mobility assistance device, such as a wheelchair or cane, may be used by a passenger to get from the terminal to the aircraft, however, passengers must have the ability to walk on and off the aircraft with minimal or no assistance.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Great experience and well worth it! Amazing views of the city and surrounding areas. The pilot was excellent. Great take off and smooth landing!
Reviews
4.6
based on 166 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Don’t book with Viator- they don’t tell you that you need photo id. The flight itself was great, but about 10 minutes shorter than the advertised 45 minutes (even including embarkation and disembarkation)!
Possibly because we booked with Viator, Harbour Flight staff didn't seem to recognise our booking and gave us the wrong boarding passes. But we made the flight eventually and the pilot was great.
There is sadly no commentary or interaction with the pilot, so the views were amazing, but we knew nothing of what/ where we were looking at!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Jackie_W, thank you for your review and flying Harbour Air! We're glad you enjoyed the amazing views on your tour. We appreciate your feedback about onboard commentary. As our pilots focus on safely operating the aircraft and communicating with air traffic control, commentary may be limited. For guests interested in learning more about the sights, we also offer digital tour guides with audio and written information. We hope to welcome you aboard again soon!
The views are well worth the price. Space is a little crammed in the plane but you forget about it once you’re in the air .
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Cristina_S, thank you for your feedback! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the spectacular scenery from your flight and had a wonderful experience overall. We hope to welcome you back aboard again!
Unbelievable experience! Beyond our expectations and breathtaking! From beginning to end was top notch!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Douglas_H, thank you for your feedback! We're so delighted that your experience exceeded expectations. It's fantastic to know everything from start to finish was memorable and breathtaking. We appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you aboard again!
We paid for the extended 45 minute tour but only got a 30 minute trip. Also, the tour would benefit from some narration, explaining something about the sites and geography we saw. Still a good trip, overall.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
bobyachnin, thank you for your feedback. We're glad to hear you enjoyed the tour overall! We appreciate your comments on the flight duration and narration. The tour experience is 45 minutes in total, including takeoff and landing. As our pilots are focused on safely operating the aircraft and communicating with air traffic control while flying in one of the world's busiest harbours, we have the digital tour guide available and hope you'll have the opportunity to experience it on a future visit. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and we look forward to welcoming you aboard again.
Wonderful experience. You can bring a small bag on the plane and a water bottle. Bring earbuds if you want to listen to any commentary on the app. The sights were incredible - from the harbor, to the mountains - we went far enough to even see snow in August. Incredibly, we flew right through The Lions. Landing and takeoff were fantastic and the ride was very smooth.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Michelle_L, thank you for your five-star review. We're so pleased to hear you enjoyed the experience. You truly said it perfectly, the flight does provide some spectacular scenery! We hope to welcome you aboard again for another smooth flight soon!
We had a cloudy day, and our pilot did a great job taking us as high as he could to get us some amazing views!! The flight was such a cool way to experience Vancouver and see the city!!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Elizabeth_M, thank you for sharing your experience! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the flight and the incredible views of Vancouver. Even with the cloudy weather, we're glad our pilot helped create a memorable experience. We appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you aboard again in the future!
It was very pretty but not a narrated tour so just pretty county side. Very pretty.
They store your luggage if off ship. Nice snack place.
Very busy terminal.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
nancy_f, thank you for sharing your review. We're glad you enjoyed the beautiful scenery and appreciated the amenities at our terminal. We also appreciate your feedback regarding the lack of commentary. As we operate in one of the world's busiest harbours, our pilots must keep open communication with Air Traffic Control and are unable to provide commentary throughout the flight. We appreciate your feedback and hope you'll have the opportunity to try our digital travel guide in the future, to help enhance your experience. Thank you for travelling with us, and we hope to welcome you aboard again soon!
Amazing way to see the area - book the extended tour! Pilot and staff were amazing. Ten out of ten.!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Joseph, thank you for your five-star review. We're so pleased to hear you enjoyed the experience. We are proud of our teams and always pleased to hear such wonderful feedback. We appreciate the recommendation, and we look forward to seeing you on your next flight!
Great experience and well worth it! Amazing views of the city and surrounding areas. The pilot was excellent. Great take off and smooth landing!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Ellen_H, thank you for your feedback and kind words! We're pleased to hear that you enjoyed the views and had a memorable flight. We look forward to flying with you again!
Really organized, easy check-in and boarding the plane. We took the 45 min. Tour. It was wonderful going through the mountains and seeing the city from above!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
michele_h, thank you for your five-star review. We're so pleased to hear you enjoyed the experience through the mountains and a birds eye view of the city! We look forward to welcoming you again when you return.
Tour canceled due to rain. Understood, but no text or call received as promised when I called and asked.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Vallerie_S, thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We're sorry your tour could not proceed as planned and understand how disappointing that must have been. Challenging weather days means that our team works hard to assess each flight with safety and comfort always top of mind. We appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you aboard again in the future.
How noisy it was and the overpowering smell of fuel.
But, the experience was wonderful with the amazing scenery to look at.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Fiona_C, thank you for your feedback! We're glad you enjoyed the unique seaplane experience and incredible scenery. We apologize for the noise and fuel smell, which can occasionally occur depending on wind conditions. Our aircraft are equipped with fresh air scoops to help regulate cabin air flow for a safe and comfortable flight. If you’d like to share more details about your experience, please feel free to email us at customercare@harbourair.com. We hope to welcome you back aboard again in the future.
Well organised, great experience. Pilot was friendly, pointed out before we took off where we would be flying.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Sharon_C, thank you for your kind feedback! We're so delighted to hear you had a smooth and enjoyable experience. We appreciate you choosing Harbour Air and look forward to your next flight with us.
It was very good. Only issue is that on one side of the plane the seat row consisted of two seats next to each other. So one person was not against a window. It did not affect my wife and I. But had it I would not have been very happy. We both really enjoyed this flight.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
David_W, thank you so much for your review! We're delighted to hear that you and your wife really enjoyed the flight. We appreciate your feedback regarding seat configuration and understand the importance of a window seat on a scenic tour. While our aircraft features wide windows to provide excellent views throughout the cabin, your comments are valuable and help us better understand guest perspective. Thank you for choosing Harbour Air, and we look forward to your next flight with us!
Excellent smooth flight very good view with big windows. Very good overview of Vancouver and surrounding area.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Jane_T, thank you for your five-star review. We're so pleased to hear you enjoyed the experience. We look forward to your next flight with us!
Stunning views of the surrounding natural areas (not so much a city flyover). Shorter than advertised (35 minutes, not 45) but still worth it.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Don_W, thank you for your five-star review. We're so pleased to hear you enjoyed the experience! You truly said it perfectly, the flight does provide some stunning scenery. Thank you for choosing Harbour Air.
The sea plane tour is an amazing way to view the city and surrounding area. The ride was smooth. Earplugs provided. Overall a fun experience!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
David_B, thank you for your review! We're so glad to hear you enjoyed the experience and the amazing views. We hope to welcome you aboard again soon!
Flight was good but not what Viator advertised - an hour and 20 mins “experience” I have complained at this misleading statement. Flight was only 35mins. But the experience includes walking to terminal and then waiting for boarding!! I intended to book direct but changed my mind when Viator advertised a longer trip. They have not changed there wording for this trip but no apology or refund for misleading me. Be warned this company is not to be trusted.
This was such a nice experience.
Every staff member of harbour air was super friendly, the pilot allowed me to sit in the cockpit and the offered views were amazing.
It was worth every single dollar.
Our 45min tour was cancelled due to low cloud over mountains, however we were offered a 30min tour around Vancouver bay and islands which was still great. All the staff and pilot very helpful.
Check in was a little challenging and girl on the check wad not very helpful, but once checked in everything went extremely smoothly and we had a fantastic experience
Some commentary would have enhanced the experience. The pilot was fantastic
Thank you
Response from Host, Jun 2025
BeverleyD, thank you for your kind feedback! We're glad you had a fantastic experience. We're sorry to hear check-in was challenging and appreciate you letting us know. Regarding commentary, our pilots are in constant contact with Air Traffic Control with operating in busy harbours, which limits their ability to provide narration. We've noted your comments as an opportunity to improve guest experience. Thank you again for flying with us!
Really great experience, our pilot - Cameron - was welcoming and friendly, precautions were all clearly explained and once we had taken off it was just stunning, flying over snow-capped mountains, deep blue lakes and finally back over Vancouver itself before a perfect landing. Had booked the extended tour and decision was totally vindicated.
It's really only a 30 minute flight and the plane never gets above the mountains, so the view is OK, but not spectacular.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
paul_k, thank you for sharing your feedback! We're grateful you joined us for the experience and hope you had a pleasant journey. Thank you for choosing Harbour Air.
This flight is incredibly scenic. Takes off from the water in the middle of Vancouver and then brings you over and between snow-covered mountains then back over the water and the city, landing back on the water. We have flown in Hawaii, the South Seas, New Zealand and Alaska and this was the best scenic flight we have ever taken (and for a very affordable price).
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thomas, thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us and fellow travelers. You truly said it perfectly, the flight does provide some incredible scenery! We really appreciate the review, and welcome you back when you return.
Great experience, definitely worth doing. Amazing seeing the city's surrounding mountains, Islands, and flying over the city. Super smooth ride too!
Very nice pilot (missed her name)
Great flight, beautiful views
63 word minimum?! I don’t have that much to say
Great flight coastal and over Vancouver City. The check-in was easy and boarding quick. The crew were friendly.
Loved this trip we got saw some good sights and view, we all had a window seat so views unrestricted. A little bit of commentary would have been the only thing that would have made this a 5 star trip
Very enjoyable trip to get a great and different view of the city and surrounding mountains to the north.
Member Pricing
From
$216.75
per personWas $228.17(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Vancouver Extended Seaplane Tour — Howe Sound & Islands
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