CNN || Best affordable fall adventures

The changing leaves are just one lure for outdoor adventurers during the fall season. The tourist crowds of July and August have dissipated, and in many spots, the blistering summer heat has passed. And happily, an abundance of premier tour operators offer ready-made autumn adventures that are relatively easy on the wallet. They bring expert guides and top-quality gear and arrange all meals and accommodations -- you just bring your thirst for adventure.

Sea kayaking amid killer whales in British Columbia

Operator: Pacific Northwest Expeditions

British Columbia's Johnstone Strait, a glacier-carved channel between the mainland and Vancouver Island, offers intrepid sea kayakers a chance to get up close and personal with killer whales. Surrounded by the glaciated peaks of the Coastal Range, you'll witness pods of orcas feeding on the annual salmon runs, which go only through October. Other likely animal sightings: humpback whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, Dall's porpoises, minke whales, even black bears and grizzlies. You'll also take short hikes in the mountainous Pacific rainforest from your beach camp at Spyhop Point, a quiet spot with roomy tents under towering hemlock and Sitka spruce trees. Travel + Leisure: The world's scariest train rides