- Vancouver Island
- (7)
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Canada
The west coast of the island is amazing. Buy a park permit which is a bargain - about $19 dollars for two days - and allows you access to all the car parks, trails and centres. Every trail between Uclulet and Torfino is worth doing for diversity. If you have a chance to join a trail walk with ranger Carl you must do so. His knowledge, enthusiasm and charm was a highlight of our holiday and changed the way I think about Banana slugs. This is genuinely a paradise park.
www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/natcul/natcul9.aspx
+1 250 726 3500
Google map: bit.ly/oEe27g
Uclulet is a very small town on the west coast. It was everything I hoped the Pacific coast would be. Stunning, quiet, rain forested, long beaches and amazing views and trails.
All the trails between Ucluelet and Torfino are worth exploring for sheer diversity. Must do Wickaninish beach, Schooner cove and the wild Pacific rim.
The Cabins at Terrace Beach are amazing, eat at Ukee Dogs or the Driftwood Patio.
Trips at Jamie's Whaling station are awesome. Get on a Zodiac with Narla. Her enthusiastic commentary is wonderful as we tracked a humpback whale and her calves. What a great place!
www.ucluelet.travel/
jamies.com/
168 Fraser Lane, Ucluelet, B.C.
+1 877 726 7444
Google map: bit.ly/rsh8by
The Cabins
thecabins.ca/
1090 Peninsula Road, Ucluelet, BC V0R 3A0
+1(250) 726-2101
Google map: bit.ly/p9TpKm
Ukee Dogs
1576 Imperial Lane, Ucluelet, BC, Canada
+1(250) 726-2103
Google map: bit.ly/nVtQnN
Driftwood Patio
www.driftwoodpatiorestaurant.com/
1672 Cedar Ave, Ucluelet, B.C, V0R 3A0
Google map: bit.ly/nRwhjI
+1 (250) 726-2739
If you are near Courtenay or heading northwards along the east coast of Vancouver Island and you like small, simple rural hostels, then this is a must. Run by the delightful Bonnie, the atmosphere is so warm and welcoming.You can sit around a camp fire in the evening and if you are lucky like us, a large barred owl might watch you from a neighbouring tree. Black bears come into the garden looking for apples and blackberries,but the five lovely dogs scare them away and will take you for walks along the Comox river, if you are too nervous to head out alone.
www3.telus.net/hostel/
4787 Lake Trail Road
Courtenay, British Columbia
Canada, V9N 9N2
+1-250-338-1914
Google map: bit.ly/a2ITLx
A fly drive holiday in British Columbia and Vancouver Island is a really wonderful vacation and it’s very safe for families.
I had a few days in Vancouver then I picked up my campervan from Landcruise and drove to British Columbia Ferries for the beautiful journey over to Vancouver Island, where I saw all sorts of wildlife and whale watching (awesome).
Highway 19 is good and petrol is cheaper by half, than what it costs here in the UK, but not as cheap as it is in the southeastern part of America.
The campgrounds are all great and well maintained by the Province & National Parks www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/ - www.pc.gc.ca/eng/index.aspx
At Port Hardy we got back on the ship and went up the inside passage to Prince Rupert and then drove back to Vancouver through the interior of this gigantic province.
My tour was put together by Landcruiser Canada which was a real help.
I love Canada and will be going again.
www.bcferries.com
www.rv-rental-vancouver.com
www.env.gov.bc.ca www.pc.gc.ca
www.landcruisecanada.com
Tofino is on the Pacific coast of Vancouver Island. The area is formed of temperate rainforest and white sandy beaches which stretch for miles. Beyond its unbelievable natural beauty, it offers a rare thing in North America: harmony. The indigenous First Nations people, aided by eco-warriors, made a stand against the loggers in the 1980s and since then it has been given UN status as a natural wilderness.
The high-priced resorts dotted along the beaches are best avoided, especially in summer. To see the real Tofino go there in May (shoulder season) and stay in the town. The Tofino Motel offers great views at around $85 (£40) a night per room. If you like seafood Shelter and Schooner restaurants are a must, but for something more funky try Raincoast.
There are three impressive beaches nearby. Tonquin is but a short walk from the town and is good for a post-prandial stroll. Chesterman beach is a short drive away and is full of spirits and driftwood and as the site of First Nations resistance has great historical resonance. Long Beach is, well, just long. The caveats to all this are that because this is the raincoast it rains a lot. However, much natural beauty comes from this rain.
The First Nations people run several businesses in town offering whale watching, bear watching (you park near a beach and watch the bears forage for food) as well as trips to hot springs. The botanical garden are like nothing else, blending sculpture and nature. Getting to Tofino is easy. You can fly from downtown Vancouver from around $250 (£120) return by sea-plane, but the best way to travel is to take the Harbour Lynx from downtown Vancouver and then the Tofino bus across the island. Even though this journey takes around six hours, don't fall asleep. Remember you're going to paradise.
This vacation rental perched on the edge of the wild Pacific states it is 'luxury at the edge of the earth' - and it is! We spent a week here in July 2006 and didn't want to leave. Our days were spent surfing, kayaking, and hiking and evenings spent relaxing our tired bodies in the hot tub watching the whales go by - it was truly an unbelievable once in a lifetime experience. The house is located on a private beach, so beachcombing with coffee became our morning ritual. The area is one of unspoiled rugged wilderness, and one of our best meals was the salmon we caught that morning, barbequed on the beachfront porch and served on the 12 foot handmade cedar dining table - we created some wonderful family memories here. This is the wild west coast of Canada at its very best!
If you’re really lucky, you’ll get to see grizzly bears, black bears, seals, orcas, woodpeckers and bald eagles, and maybe even cougars, on tours of the Knight Inlet wilderness organised by the lodge.
On an early morning estuary tour in a kayak, for instance, we watched a grizzly wandering along the shoreline, flipping over large rocks looking for molluscs. Then on a motor boat tour of the fjord, a pod of Pacific dolphins surfed the wake of the boat.
Is this your business?Search Been there
