Vancouver Island is one of the Canadian West coast offshore island. It is a good 450 km long and around 100 km wide and with an area of 31,285 km² is somewhat smaller than North Rhine-Westphalia.
The island is worth visiting because of two national parks. One of them, the Pacific Rim National Park, has a famous and very challenging hiking trail. Other tourist highlights are the rainforest and whale watching, e.g. in Tofino. In addition to Victoria, you can stay overnight in the towns of Ucluelet, Nanaimo, Sooke and Tofino.
places
- 1 Victoria
- The capital of British Columbia, which markets itself as a piece of England.
- 2 Sidney
- A quiet town 20 minutes from downtown Victoria and 5 minutes from Victoria International Airport, quiet, on the waterfront with quaint little shops. A tourist resort and senior citizen's resort with walking and cycling paths on the promenade.
- 3 Port Renfrew - Port Renfrew is a small community on the west coast of Vancouver Island, two hours' drive from Victoria, made up of logging and fishing. It sits on 150 miles of rugged, uninhabited coastline.
- 4 Nanaimo - The second largest city and the largest port on Vancouver Island.
Victoria
Sidney
Nanaimo
- 5 Parksville-Qualicum Beach - Popular summer vacation spot with many sandy beaches and a wide range of accommodation. Away from the beach there are amusement parks for the children and some pleasant walking trails. There are a handful of provincial parks nearby where you can see waterfalls, go caving, or try putting your arms around an old tree.
- 6 Tofino - Ecotourism center on the beautiful (albeit humid) west coast of the island. The main attraction is Long Beach, which is part of the Pacific Rim National Park. There you can also surf, watch whales and watch storms (in winter).
- 7 Courtenay /Comox - The gateway to Mount Washington, Strathcona Provincial Park and some spectacular fishing spots. These two cities are wonderful places to visit in both summer and winter.
- 8 Port Hardy - Small lumberjack town on the northern tip of the island, gateway to Cape Scott Provincial Park, as a ferry port one of the two endpoints of the Inside passage
- 9 Telegraph Cove - Voted one of the ten best "cities" in Canada visited by travel writers (im Harrowsmith Magazine published).
Other goals
- 1 Cape Scott Provincial Park - Coastal walks, beautiful beaches and wildlife
- 2 Gulf Islands National Park Reserve - Established in 2003, the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve protects part of the beautiful archipelago of the Gulf Islands. The Gulf Islands National Park Reserve offers visitors incredible opportunities for boating, kayaking, hiking, wildlife viewing, and picnicking. The larger islands of Saturna, Mayne and Pender can be found across BC Ferries can be reached, with daily departures from Swartz Bay, Vancouver Island. Further information can be found on the Website of the park
- 3 Juan de Fuca Provincial Park - Park and hiking trail on the southwest coast
- 4 Washington Alpine Resort - Alpine skiing, often with the most snow in Canada, and mountain biking
- 5 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve - Scenic, multi-part park on the west coast, includes:
- West Coast Trail - A world-class coastal walk along picturesque beaches
- Broken Group Islands - over 100 small islands in Barkley Sound
- Long Beach - a series of long, white sandy beaches near Tofino
background
Vancouver Island is one Vancouver offshore island, in the south of which is the capital of the province, Victoria, is located. The economic activities on the island are mainly limited to tourism, fishing and the timber industry.
The begins in Victoria Trans Canada Highway (TCH) with the Mile 0. The route goes through Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Sydney on Nova Scotia and St. John's on Newfoundland. You completely, d. H. Across the entire continent, it requires 4 days of pure travel time. On Vancouver Island, however, you only cover the short distance from Victoria to Nanaimo (111 km or 1½ hours), where you have to get your car on the ferry to Horseshoe Bay Park to get further.
The best-known daughter of Vancouver Island is likely to be Pamela Anderson, who comes from Ladysmith. Ladysmith is a small town on the east coast of Vancouver Island through which the 49th parallel runs.
getting there
Although the sea is only 2.5 km wide at its narrowest point, Johnstone Strait, there is no bridge to the island from the mainland. Arrival is only possible by plane or ferry. However, the ferry also takes buses and cars with it.
By plane
If you come by plane from Europe or the USA, you usually travel via the Vancouver International Airport at. From there you can either take the ferry to Vancouver Island or take a smaller plane. The following airports on Vancouver Island are served by scheduled flights:
- 1 Victoria International Airport (YYJ), 1640 Electra Blvd, Sidney, BC V8L 5V4, Canada. Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, United Airlines, Horizon Air, Pacific Coastal Airlines, WestJet.
- 3 Nanaimo Airport (YCD), 3350 Spitfire Way, Cassidy, BC V0R 1H0, Canada. Air Canada Jazz, Island Express Air.
All three airports have connections to Vancouver and a few other cities in North America, but no direct connections to other continents.
With the ferry
If you want to go to Vancouver Island from mainland Canada, you usually travel with the BCFerries. The company operates four lines here:
- from Tsawwassen (= Vancouver) to Swartz Bay (= Victoria); Cost for 2 people with a car approx. CDN $ 100.
- from Tsawwassen (= Vancouver) to Duke Point (= Nanaimo)
- from Horseshoe Bay (= Vancouver) to Departure Bay (= Nanaimo)
- from Powell River (4½ hours by car northwest of Vancouver) to Comox (= Courtenay); If you want to continue from Powell River to Vancouver, you can hardly avoid taking another BC Ferries ferry from Saltery Bay to Earls Cove.
Vancouver Island can also be approached from the USA:
- With the Black Ball Ferry Line can be reached in 90 minutes drive from Port Angeles (USA; 2½ hours drive northwest of Seattle) translate to Victoria. The ferry takes pedestrians and cars. This option is particularly interesting for visitors to the Olympic National Park in Washington. Tickets (1 direction) per person US $ 16 (children 5-11 years US $ 8) and per car (including driver) US $ 58.50. Reservation is chargeable, but may be advisable; Online reservations can be made no earlier than 12 hours before the journey.
- Of Seattle can be crossed to Victoria with a passenger ferry (Seattle Tours). The journey takes 2-3 hours and costs just under US $ 100 with meals in the main season. No cars.
mobility
Due to the relatively large distances and the relatively weak public transport compared to Europe, the car and the plane are the main modes of transport on Vancouver Island. Traveling by car is quick and easy thanks to the well-developed road network.
By bus
There are several bus connections on Vancouver Island. Most bus routes start in Victoria and go via Nanaimo Tofino, or from Nanaimo to the north. The travel time from Victoria to Tofino is approx. 5-6 hours, costs approx. 30 to 60C $ (one way). Common providers are Tofino Bus [1] and greyhound [2].
You can ski a lot there
Tourist Attractions
National parks
- Gulf Islands National Park. National park on the southeast tip of Vancouver Island, which includes 15 islands and countless rocks and reefs. Three of the islands (Mayne Island, Pender Island and Saturna Island) can be ferried to the BC Ferries are approached. It can also be reached by seaplane from Vancouver and Victoria. Wikipedia.
- Pacific Rim National Park. National park on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The main attraction is the Long Beach region between the locations Tofino and Ucluelet, where you can find many attractive trails for hiking. The closes in the south West Coast Trail on, a 75 km long hiking trail that leads along the cliffs and through rainforests. The terrain is partly rocky, partly swampy. Because the weather is often bad, it is considered one of the toughest trails in Canada. Even experienced hikers need a week for the entire route. Twice a year (March and October) the passing gray whales can be spotted from the park. Wikipedia.
- The following Hiking trails in the Pacific Rim National Park lead through rainforest (from east to west):
- Willowbrae Trail, in the extreme southeast, towards Ucluelet. 2.8 km long circular route through partly very steep terrain.
- South Beach Trail. 1.5 km long circular route through partly steep terrain, which starts at Wickaninnish Beach & Interpretive Center. Primeval forest and pebble beach.
- Nuu-chah-nulth Trail. 2.5 km long path (one-way), which also starts at the Wickaninnish Center and leads to Florencia Bay beach via many steps.
- Rainforest Trail. 1 km long 8-shaped circular path in the center of the park, which has only a few steps and is easy to negotiate. No beach access.
- Combers Beach Trail. 1 km long, easy to walk circular path close to the beach, but without beach access.
- Schooner Beach Trail. 1 km long path in the west of the park, which leads from the rainforest over a number of steps down to the beach.
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View from Galiano Island (Gulf Islands National Park). Left Mayne Island, right Pender Island.
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Laughlin Lake on Galiano Island (Gulf Islands National Park)
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East Point on Saturna Island (Gulf Islands National Park)
Beach in the Long Beach Region of Pacific Rim National Park
Driftwood in the Long Beach region of Pacific Rim National Park
Sea lion colony in Pacific Rim National Park
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Rainforest
To see rainforest on Vancouver Island, you can do the Pacific Rim National Park visit. There are several hiking trails wholly or partially dedicated to this topic.[1]
An alternative is to book a guided hike. Here are some providers:
- Pacific Rainforest Adventure Tours, Parksville.
- Coastal Revelations, Qualicum Beach.
- Rainforest Guided Hiking Tours, Victoria, Sooke.
The destinations are approached by bus from the headquarters of the respective provider.
More Attractions
- Butchart Gardens. A 22-hectare garden that was laid out in an old quarry from 1904. Butchart Gardens is between Swartz Bay and Victoria.Price: Entry costs CAD 25 per person (as of June 2007).
- Butterfly Gardens. An indoor facility with tropical fish, orchids and of course butterflies. Butterfly Gardens is right on the way to Butchart Gardens.
- Cathedral Grove. The forest is in MacMillan Provincial Park and is a piece of pristine nature on Vancouver Island (ancient trees between 200 and 600 years old) directly on Highway 4 towards Port Alberni and Tofino.
- BC Forest Museum. An interesting museum about the virgin forests of Vancouver Island and the loggers. You can see, among other things, a historic lumberjack camp and a slice of a 1,300-year-old tree with an integrated time table.
A partial view of Butcharts Garden
Tree slice in the BC Forest Museum
museum
- Royal British Columbia Museum, 675 Belleville Street, Victoria, right on the harbor. The most important museum on Vancouver Island with numerous exhibits on the history of the province of B.C. and thus also to the history of the island.
shop
The regional supermarket chain is called Quality foods. There are also some Safeway chain markets on Vancouver Island.
kitchen
- The Nanaimo bar is a dessert of Canadian origin. It's a dessert that doesn't need to be baked and is named after the city of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. It consists of three layers: the bottom is made of ground nuts (walnuts, almonds or pecans) and coconut crumbs, buttercream in the middle and a layer of chocolate ganache (cream made from chocolate and cream) on top. The buttercream is traditionally made with Birds Custard powder. There are many variants that consist of different types of crumbs, different flavors of the glaze (e.g. mint, peanut butter, coconut, mocha) and different types of chocolate.
Nanaimo Bar
nightlife
accommodation
Most of the hotels can be found in the island's capital Victoria.
medium
- Quality Resort Bayside, 240 Dogwood St, Parksville. Good independently run hotel with indoor pool and tennis court.Price: 2 double-size beds without breakfast from US $ 116.
security
climate
The climate on the island is very uneven. The west coast has a balanced climate with mild but rainy winters and cool summers. It is much drier and warmer on the east coast. In general, the climate is very mild compared to the rest of Canada. In Victoria and Nanaimo, for example, even palm trees.
literature
Web links
- Tourist information about the island
- Tourist information about B.C.
- Website of the Royal British Columbia Museum
