Anacortes Birding Cruise to Vendovi Island Preserve

This is a single-date tour offered once each summer, timed to align with peak birding activity in the Salish Sea and the San Juan Preservation Trust’s public access window for Vendovi Island, which generally runs spring through fall. Because it’s offered on just one date rather than a recurring schedule, booking early in the season is recommended if this specific combination of cruise and island stop matters to your trip. Check the current tour page for this year’s exact date.

Most birding cruises in this region — including those run out of Bellingham and Port Townsend — are boat-only, since access to most of the small islands they pass is restricted or impractical. This tour is the only one that combines open-water birding with an actual island landing, at Vendovi Island Preserve, where guests can walk the trails, visit the beaches, and picnic rather than viewing everything from the boat rail. That land component is a meaningful difference from a pure sightseeing cruise.

Yes. The activity level is rated easy, with most of the cruise portion spent seated and viewing wildlife from the boat. On Vendovi Island, guests explore at their own pace on well-maintained trails, so anyone who prefers a shorter walk or more time at the beach rather than the full 3-mile trail system can plan their own time accordingly.

The tour price includes the guide, boat transportation for both the cruise and the trip to Vendovi Island, and taxes and fees. Lunch and gratuity are not included, so bring a packed lunch to enjoy on the island.

Group size runs 12 to 20 guests. The cruise portion is naturally a shared, boat-based experience, so a larger group doesn’t change much there. Once you reach Vendovi Island, though, you’re free to explore the trails and beaches at your own pace rather than staying with the group the whole time.

No. It departs directly from Anacortes, so guests need to make their own way to the meeting location at the marina.

The cruise portion targets seabirds including pigeon guillemots, rhinoceros auklets, the endangered marbled murrelet, sea ducks, shorebirds, bald eagles, and other raptors, along with marine mammals such as harbor porpoises, harbor seals, river otters, and orcas when they’re present in the area. On Vendovi Island, birding continues through protected forest, shoreline, and lookout points.

Vendovi Island Preserve is a 217-acre nature preserve managed by the San Juan Preservation Trust, reachable only by private boat, since it isn’t served by public ferries. Guests get roughly 3 hours to explore its well-maintained trail system through forest and open grassy meadows with seasonal wildflowers, relax on peaceful beaches, and picnic at viewpoints overlooking the Salish Sea, while learning about the island’s history and conservation story along the way.

Yes. This cruise has been featured in the Seattle Times for its wildlife viewing and nature experience.

Bring a backpack with lunch and snacks, water, and comfortable tennis shoes for the trails on Vendovi Island. Weather-appropriate clothing is important since conditions on open water can be cooler than on land.