This Nicola Valley Safari passes through some of the most distinctive ranchland in Canada.

The Douglas Lake Cattle company is Canada's largest working cattle ranch. Nicola Ranch hosts an historic restored townsite that dates back to it's pioneer roots of the 1860's. And Quilchena Ranch nestles into the hills near Nicola Lake.

The grasslands provide a backdrop reminiscent of the American Old West…without the gunplay. A critical corridor in prospectors and ranchers travel into the interior this region was some of the first areas settled and turned into productive cattle grazing and agricultural land. These grasslands are some of the best bunchgrass in Canada and was the catalyst that attracted pioneers to the Nicola Valley over 150 years ago. Some of the first stagecoach lines traversed this valley, transporting supplies and miners to interior gold fields and ranchers and their supplies to the growing cattle industry. Today, Douglas Lake Cattle Company, Quilchena Ranch and Nicola Ranch are some of the most productive cattle and agriculture operations in Canada.

Our journey passes through bear, deer and moose habitat as we find our way through a deep canyon lined with spectacular western Cedars. In our climb into the highlands we pass sites of natural and enhanced reforestation. The temperate ecosystem grades to a drier climate at the summit of the road as we enter the rich grasslands of the Douglas Lake Cattle Company.

This world class cattle operation supports upward of 20,000 head of cattle on over 500,000 acres and is the largest working ranch in Canada. The ranch property was largely deeded in the 1870 and 1880's. The ranch has grown to it's current size through acquisition of neighboring ranches during it's early years and is comprised of 6 ranches: Minnie Lake, Chapperon, Portland, Norfolk, Home Ranch and Hatheume.

Dignitaries such as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have visited the Ranch with Prince Philip returning in 1962. The Prince later invited the Canadian Cutting Horse Association to attend the Royal Windsor Horse Show where ranch owner Chunky Woodward presented the Prince with a Douglas Lake bred Quarter Horse. This horse became Prince Charle's personal mount. The livestock of the Ranch have won numerous championships and awards with the most notable in the 1967 World Champion Cutting Horse competition by the Ranch stallion, Peppy San. Peppy San went on to become a world famous Quarter Horse Stud. The ranch has also been used as a setting for movie and television crews loking for a distinctly western feel.

You'll see the Quilchena Hotel, originally a stage coach stop on the original stage route to Kamloops. The elegant hotel at the turn of the century hosted polo matches, fishing derbies dinners and dances until forced to close during Prohibition. In 1958, the hotel was re-opened and it is still family-owned and operated today.

We drive into the townsite of Nicola, a once thriving community of 40 families. A number of heritage buildings have been restored to their original grandeur. The headquarters of the Nicola Ranch remains in Nicola. The 300,000 acres make the Nicola Ranch one of the largest in British Columbia.

From world class fishing lakes to world famous bunchgrass, this safari will take you into the wild west unlike any other tour in Canada!