Five Amazing Experiences on Vancouver Island
A trip to Canada’s Vancouver Island provides the opportunity to see experience some amazing wildlife, beaches and scenery. Here’s a list of five amazing experiences split between two of Vancouver Island’s most popular bases: it’s capitol, Victoria, and Tofino, on the pacific coast.
1. Whale watching to see orcas
I’ve visited Victoria on Vancouver Island twice and both times I just had to go on a whale watching trip. It’s one of the best places in the world to view Orcas and there’s lots of different companies to choose from. Both trips, one in April and the other in September, resulted in lots of sightings of these beautiful whales. So, although nothing is guaranteed, Victoria is a really good place to try your luck at watching orcas in the wild. You’ll also likely see other wildlife such as seals, and might even spot a sea otter.
2. Long walks along beautiful beaches in Tofino
On my trip to Canada last year, one of my favourite things to do was take long walks along the beautiful beaches that surround Tofino. With the powerful waves of the pacific ocean, the beautiful golden sands of the beaches and the towering backdrop of trees, these must be some of the most scenic beaches in the world. Popular beaches to explore include Chesterman Beach, Cox Bay Beach, Mackenzie Beach, Long Beach and, my favourite Wickanninish Beach. It’s a long, long drive on twisty roads to reach Tofino but a few minutes on one of this gorgeous, quiet beaches and you will think it was worth it.
3. Explore Canadian history at Royal BC Museum
A museum might seem a strange highlight amidst the stunning scenery of Vancouver Island but the Royal British Columbia Museum near Victoria’s Inner Harbour is also a great experience. It’s a really well done museum with a focus on both history and wildlife. The human history section is particularly interesting and tells the story of the first peoples of British Columbia as well as the story of the growing town of Victoria, complete with a wonderful walk through Victorian street. Outside the main building, there is a great collection of totem poles and a couple of historic buildings. (I love this museum so much it makes my top three – the other two are the Met in NYC and the Rock ‘n’ Soul in Memphis).
After visiting the museum, make sure to spend a few hours exploring Victoria, from the beautiful Inner Harbour area to the quaint Fisherman’s Wharf, Beacon Hill Park and the Dallas Road.
4. Boat trip to see black bears
From Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island, it’s possible to take a boat trip to watch black bears feeding on the rocky shores of the Clayoquot Sound Inlets. I took this trip last year with Adventure Tofino and it was great. We went out in a small zodiac craft and spent a couple of hours sailing through the beautiful scenery and watching lots of bears. Being in a boat means you can get a close up view from relative safety. You’ll be able to spend time seeing the bears turning over rocks with their paws and feeding on the crabs and other shellfish hidden beneath. It’s also likely on the trip that you will see other wildlife, such as sea lions, seals and bald eagles.
5. Hike the trails in Pacific Rim NP
The Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is located between Tofino and Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It contains lots of lovely walking trails through temperate rainforest and along sandy beaches. The best of the trails start in the rainforest amongst towering trees and end on secluded, deserted beaches. You can see the highlights in a day and don’t miss out on a visit to Ucluelet as well. In Ucluelet, you can walk part of the Wild Pacific Trail – the short ‘lighthouse loop’ is an easy choice.
All five of these amazing experiences can easily fit into a week long trip to Vancouver Island and you could pair this with a few days in Vancouver and/or Seattle. For a fun way of travelling between the island and these cities, consider the bus-ferry combo from Vancouver to Victoria through the stunningly beautiful Active Pass between the Gulf Islands, and a seaplane from Victoria’s Inner Harbour to Seattle’s Lake Union.
