Located at Canada’s southwestern border, the city of Vancouver boasts majestic mountains, sparkling ocean, rainforests and beautiful foliage in all four seasons. A vast multicultural population, endless activities, and excellent infrastructure ensure Vancouver is welcoming to all. While the city has excellent public transportation, it is a great walking city - easily accessible, clean, green and safe. Vancouver caters to almost any interest throughout the year; visitors can enjoy world-class shopping, gourmet meals, outstanding live entertainment, sporting events, theatre, outdoor adventure, a huge array of watersports, and spectacular sights and attractions. The city is also known for its easy access to Whistler, the Canadian Rockies, Victoria, and Vancouver Island. Don’t miss the opportunity to traverse the thrilling, famous Capilano Suspension Bridge and its new related activities, including palpitation-inducing cliff walks and historical tribal sites.
Situated on Vancouver Island, Parksville is a destination city with enough to keep the whole family entertained. Best known for the sandy beaches of Parksville and Craig bays, it hosts an annual sand-castle building competition in the summer – the Parksville Beachfest has been going on since 1982 and is a World Championship Sand Sculpting qualifying event! Sites to see in the city include Craig Heritage Park and Rathtrevor Beach Community Park; or alternatively, enjoy bowling and mini-golf, and Pacific rainforest and river estuary tours. Near the city, browse the Coombs country market, visit the World Parrot Refuge or explore the Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park.
Extending across thousands of square kilometres of land and coast, Great Bear Rainforest makes up a vast section of the world’s biggest surviving coastal temperate rainforest. The park is situated on the Pacific coast of British Columbia, and is a natural wonderland of glacier-carved gorges, snow-capped mountains, ancient cedar groves and sparkling rivers that teem with salmon. Named for the bears that inhabit it, the park is the only place on earth that you have a chance of viewing the Kermode or ‘spirit’ bear – a subspecies of the black bear of which roughly one in 10 are pure white. Other species that inhabit the park include grizzly bears, wolves, cougars, and eagles, as well as whales, sea otters, dolphins and sea lions that frequent its coastal waters.
Tofino is a picturesque holiday town, set on a peninsula of the Clayoquot Sound of Vancouver Island. Being famous for surfing and storm-watching may appear to be an odd mix of attractions, but they are the reasons why thousands of visitors descend here each year. Affectionately known as the Tree Loving Capital of the World (by its own residents), Tofino also offers exceptional whale watching opportunities, and if your timing is right you can join the locals for the Pacific Rim Whale Festival when thousands of grey whales pass by on their migration. Visitors can look forward to excellent opportunities for camping and fishing, and can even take a bear watching tour. Make sure to visit the nearby Maquinna Marine Provincial Park, which boasts some incredibly idyllic hot springs.
Situated on the southern end of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, the charming town of Victoria serves as the provincial capital. It is known for its numerous outdoor activities, heritage architecture, and its colourful gardens. The surroundings feature ancient rainforests, majestic mountains and a wild Pacific coastline. Visitors can look forward to partaking in the tradition of afternoon tea, discovering the city’s world-class culinary delights, and enjoying a variety of adventure options with everything from kayaking to whale-watching and more. Other attractions include: the stately Craigdarroch Castle, a historic Victorian-era Scottish Baronial mansion; Butchart Garden, with its immaculately kept grounds; and the extensive network of cycle paths; Victoria has more cycle routes than any other Canadian city.
