Guided Whale Boat Tours

Guided Kanaka Boat Tours

Fill your heart & soul with the richness of nature in Los Carneros. This one-of-a-kind guided, gunkholing expedition explores narrow waterways through protected wetlands in Napa Valley's champagne region. Sip fine wine with loved ones aboard beautifully crafted wooden kanaka boats modeled after those that carried early settlers to the Napa Valley from arriving ships in the San Francisco Bay.

Carneros Estuary, Round Trip – Wetlands

Glide through the delicate wetlands of Los Carneros, offering an excellent vantage point from Fagan Preserve, where Napa-Sonoma marshlands merge with the mouth of the Napa River Valley. As you paddle through the region, enjoy an exclusive glimpse of various wine appellations and ecological zones in the nearby hills of Mt. Veeder, Atlas Peak and Carneros. *Requires morning or evening high tide

Ask us about our surf & terroir package! Experience the region by water and then revisit that same terroir in your wine glass after the tour. Tasting is held on the patio of our private river cottage. Guests will enjoy a taste of 3 growing regions visible in the nearby mountains.

Ticket Fares

Fagan Slough Round Trip – Wetlands: $399/boat, seats 4 + BYOW

Add Wine On The River $65/person

Note: Harpooning a whale may cost extra!

ABOUT US

OUR WHALE BOAT

Napa Valley Paddle introduced the Kanaka Whale Boat Tour to the Los Carneros region in 2022 with great success. Our boats provide family, friends, romantics and eco-tourists the ability to experience the Napa River and surrounding wetlands together in one boat. These beautiful, handcrafted wooden boats are designed locally and built by NVP exhibiting the quality and craftsmanship of the wines that made Napa Valley famous.

The Kanaka Whale Boats are also historically significant to the region and will help introduce lesser known piece of history: Hawaiian surf riders contribution to the settlement of the Bay Area. Early pioneers such as George Yount, John Sutter and General Vallejo used kanaka boats and Hawaiian captains to hunt fish, game and move people, provisions and information throughout Napa, Sacramento and San Francisco.

MICROWINERY

The signature boutique wines served to the guests are produced or sourced from the Andrew Lane Winery, owned by the Dickson Family. The Dickson’s have over 40 years of winemaking history in the Napa Valley.

HISTORY

A Story Rooted in Tradition and Resilience

Named for Dave’s sons, Andrew and Lane, the winery officially launched in 2002. But its roots run deep—back to a “Best of Show” win at the 1983 Napa Town & County Fair and splash in the St. Helena Star "A Winning Home Winemaker".

After a devastating fire on Mare Island destroyed their first Cabernet vintage, Drew moved operations to a submarine factory in Emeryville. There, he helped found the East Bay Vintners Alliance and championed a new generation of urban winemakers. From 2005 to 2009, the winery rose from the ashes, making waves in Food & Wine’s “Hidden, Affordable Napa Valley,” Gourmet Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal with its breakout Boxing Girl Beaujolais.

Then came 2020. The Glass Fire tore through the original family winery in the foothills of Howell Mountain—a one-two punch as flames swept down from the ridgeline and surged up from tributaries below, reducing it all to ash once again.

Today, Drew blends wine from a riverfront cottage at the headwater of the Napa River, where floodwaters have deposited rich topsoil for millennia, giving rise to extraordinary wetlands. Up valley, vines cling to steep, nutrient-stripped slopes, forced to struggle—producing wines of rare intensity and concentration, especially where floodwaters once carved deep and ran wild.

Here in the estuary, we celebrate Napa’s diverse soils, shifting microclimates, and a family legacy built on resilience. And when the big one comes? We’ll ride it straight to the promised land, baby. Because Nature is Boss—a reminder to seize the finer moments in life. We hope to share a few with you.

Electric Duffy Boat Tours – Champagne Campaign

Step aboard our quiet all-electric Duffy boat, C's The Moment! and explore the headwaters of the Napa River Valley in comfort & style! This exclusive tour blends the tranquility of Los Carneros’ wetlands with the luxury of a private wine tasting on water - we call it the "Champagne Campaign". Glide effortlessly through the same scenic waterways as our Kanaka tours, but in a modern vessel designed for comfort, relaxation, and celebration.

Your journey allows for you to bring your own wine or source from us ($65/person), curated selections that reflect the terroir visible from the boat—Mt. Veeder, Atlas Peak, and Carneros. Relax with loved ones as you sip award-winning vintages, surrounded by the beauty of the marshlands and the gentle hum of nature.

Carneros Estuary

Glide through delicate wetlands in style and enjoy an unmatched vantage point from Fagan Preserve, where Napa-Sonoma marshlands merge with the Napa River Valley.
*Requires high tide

Ask us about our surf & terroir package! Experience the region by water and then revisit that same terroir in your wine glass after the tour. Tasting is held in the English Garden at Saintsbury Winery. Guests will enjoy a taste of 3 vineyards visible in the nearby mountains.