Day One: Vancouver to Victoria

Our tour starts with a pickup service anywhere in the greater Vancouver area for a 40 minute drive through agricultural country south of the city to catch the British Columbia Ferry service to Vancouver Island. Priority boarding whisks us on board ship for a truly breathtaking 1.5 hour cruise through the Gulf Islands that stand between the mainland, and Vancouver island.

Arriving on Vancouver Island , we proceed right away with our first whale watching excursion specifically for Orca (Killer) Whales, then directly to the world famous Butchart Gardens. The gardens are one of the world's premier floral show gardens. Jennie Butchart began to shape this magnificent landscape in 1904. She established, in the style of the grand estates of the period, several distinct gardens to evoke a range of aesthetic experiences. An abandoned limestone quarry was transformed into the dramatic Sunken Garden, a reflection of the early 20th-century beautification movement, and an exceptional achievement in Canadian gardening history. Through successive generations of the Butchart family, the Gardens has retained much of its original design, and continues the Victorian tradition of seasonally changing the outstanding floral displays.

We depart the gardens late-afternoon for the brief drive to the city of Victoria, the picturesque provincial capital, often called the "garden city" because of its' many private and public gardens..

Once we arrive in Victoria we will do a city tour including: Legislature Buildings, the Inner harbour, James Bay, Chinatown, Antiques Row, Empress Hotel, Beacon Hill Park and more.

After checking into your hotel you will enjoy some free time to explore this fascinating city and all it has to offer. Overnight in Victoria.

Day Two: Victoria to Tofino/Ucluelet:

We depart Victoria for the drive north through farm lands, and then up the Malahat highway. Our first stop is....

Chemainus:
From just five murals and lots of spirit in the summer of 1982, Chemainus has struggled, grown and succeeded in literally putting itself on the map. In 1983, it won the prestigious New York Downtown Revitalization Award for redevelopment of the town core. It has since gained world wide acclaim for the integrity and superb artistry of its huge depiction of the town's history, earning the British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Award (the Americas) in 1994.

Thirty-six larger-than-life historic paintings in this open air gallery and many statues now greet the gaze of hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Chemainus thrives as a result, but it remains a small town, with just over 4,500 residents. These welcoming people still dish out island hospitality, along with ice cream and afternoon tea and scones just as they always have.

The Quw'utsun Cultural Centre brings the heritage of the Cowichan people to life through live demonstrations, hands-on activities and a moving multi-media presentation of their oral history. There are 2.4 ha ( 6 ac) of landscaped grounds and a number of traditional buildings to stroll through and enjoy - don't pass up this unique chance to lunch on freshly barbequed wild salmon on the banks of the historic Cowichan River.

Lunch: Native Dance and Salmon BBQ
Experience the sights and sounds of traditional dance and food along the Cowichan River. The Cowichan Tzinquaw Dancers will perform on the river bank the traditional songs and dances passed down from many generations. The Barbeque features fresh salmon cooked on cedar stakes over an open fire in traditional native style. Every table receives their food on a cedar plank by servers in traditional native regalia. Guests favor our freshly baked native scow bread and blackberry pie.

Coombs Market

The Market with the famous "goats on the roof" is located in Coombs, 37 kms. northwest of Nanaimo. Thousands of people each year travel through Coombs, stopping to visit with the goats.

Cathedral Grove;

Walking through the immense, ancient trees of Cathedral Grove is a singular, awe-inspiring experience. The dense canopy creates a magical, dappled green light, matched by a profound quiet broken only by the occasional birdcall. One giant Douglas-fir on the south side of the highway measures more than 9 m (29.5 ft) in circumference. On the north side, western red cedars dominate the landscape by nearby Cameron Lake. Cathedral Grove is one of the most accessible stands of old-growth Douglas-fir trees on Vancouver Island - and not to be missed.

By evening we arrive on the far west coast for Vancouver Island, and overnight in Tofino/Ucluelet.

Day Three: Tofino/Ucluelet

Tofino (population: 1,466) sits on a narrow peninsula bordered by Pacific Rim National Park Reserve to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the west, north and east. Tourism has replaced timber and fishing as the mainstay of the local economy. No wonder: Tofino lies in the centre of a United Nations World Biosphere Reserve, an ecologically significant area that supports many uncommon plant and animal species. Its scenery, which includes miles of sandy beaches, stands of massive old-growth cedars and a seascape dotted with verdant islands, is breathtaking by any standard.

This morning we embark on a Whale Watching trip. Most often viewed are the Pacific Gray Whales. The migration starts to show up along the coast of Vancouver Island in early February and continues through late April. From April on through November, we have our 'Resident' Gray whales feeding in Clayoquot Sound and Barkley Sound. Humpback whales are seen throughout our season, with the heaviest sightings in February, June, July, August and September. We see Orca whales (Killer whales) as well. There are 12 pods of 'Transient' Orcas that we see about once every two to three weeks throughout the year.

Gray Whales: Each year the Gray Whales make the longest annual migration of any mammal, traveling about 8,000 kilometers in each direction from their Breeding and Calving lagoons in Baja, Mexico to their summer feeding grounds in the Bering and Chukchi Seas off Siberia.   About 22,000 of these great whales parade past the shores of Tofino and Ucluelet from early February through late April. 

The Gray Whales hug the shoreline on this northern migration, making the West Coast of Vancouver Island one of the best viewing areas in the world!  From mid-April on, three to twenty or more of these magnificent creatures stay and feed on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, with a few in Barkley Sound just out of Ucluelet, and the rest in Clayoquot Sound near Tofino.  These 'Resident' whales, as we call them, remain feeding in our area right through mid November at which time they head out to sea to join with the main migration as it passes our coast on the southern journey.

The Humpback Whale usually ranges between 12–16 m long and weighs approximately 36 tonnes. It is well known for its breaching (leaping out of the water), its unusually long front fins, and its complex whale song. It is a migratory species, spending its summers in cooler, high-latitude waters found on the west coast of Vancouver Island while mating and calving in tropical and sub-tropical waters. We see Humpback Whales occasionally March through May and quite regularly June through October. Afternoon free to explore the village and enjoy the local beaches. Overnight in Tofino/Ucluelet.

Day Four: Tofino/Ucluelet to Vancouver

Early Morning departure for Vancouver using and slightly more direct route through Nanimo. We we will make stops along the way including...

The Bastion

The Bastion is the oldest freestanding Hudson's Bay Company fort in North America. A curious, octagonal building of three floors, it was constructed in 1852 without the use of nails, using 20-cm (8-in) squared cedar timbers that were notched and then fitted together with dowels. This French-Canadian construction method was called "poteau sur sole" ("post on sill"). The third floor, considerably larger than the first and second, was originally intended as a refuge for Hudson's Bay Company employees and their families in the event of an attack by the "natives" (no such one occurred). The building has since served many functions in the Nanaimo community, including jailhouse, meeting place and, currently, museum.

The Bastion

Afternoon free in Nanimo with a late afternoon cruise aboard the British Columbia ferry service from Nanimo, across the Straight of Georgia, to the mainland. Return to Vancouver. Drop off at Vancouver area hotels, or airport.

Nanimo, British Columbia