Nanaimo to Ucluelet
Vancouver Island is studded with colorful, quirky communities, many founded on logging or fishing and featuring the word 'Port' in their names. Locals are a friendly bunch, proud of their region and its distinct differences. The island is the largest populated landmass between western North America and New Zealand – around 500km long and 100km wide – and hosts a broad range of attractions, experiences and activities that feel many miles from the bustle of mainland Vancouver. While the history-wrapped BC capital Victoria is the arrival point for many, it shouldn't be the only place you visit here. (And, to make a good impression, don't mistakenly refer to the place as 'Victoria Island.') Food and wine fans will love the Cowichan Valley farm region; outdoor-activity enthusiasts shouldn't miss the surf-loving, wild West Coast radiating from Tofino; and visitors venturing north will find an uncrowded region of independent communities fringed by rugged wilderness.
Pacific Coast Trail, Ucluelet
Both the cousin of Tofino and the antidote to it, Ucluelet ('Ukee' to its friends) is situated on a similarly spectacular slice of Pacific Coast 40km to the south. But while Tofino is trendy, tourist-focused and challenging on the credit card, Ukee is blue-collar, less manicured and more down-to-earth. Still largely undiscovered by the international set, 95% of whom head directly to Tofino, Ukee has plenty of fans, most of them loyal islanders who dig the sleepy rhythms, cheap motels and reliable snack shacks. And, lest we forget, those iconic surf beaches are still a short drive or bike ride away.
Tofino, BC - Bear Watching
Christened ‘Tuff City’ by its early inhabitants due to its isolation and heavy reliance on logging, 21st-century Tofino remains a diminutive end-of-the-road town bordered by rugged wilderness on one side and the raging Pacific on the other. Although less than 2000 Tofitians live here permanently, the population swells tenfold in the summer when visitors from far and wide arrive for whale-watching, bear watching kayaking, fishing and – best of all – surfing. Tofino is the undisputed surfing capital of Canada and the annual inundation of wave-riding surf bums gives the place a laid-back, modern-hippie flavor. Eschewing international chains and restaurant franchises, the town supports a burgeoning farm-to-table food movement and counts on a strong history of environmental activism.
Victoria, Capital of British Columbia
Double-decker buses, afternoon tea, homes that look like castles, and pubs with names like the Sticky Wicket and the Penny Farthing... Victoria has long traded on its British affiliations. But while the fish-and-chips remain first-class and summer cricket games still enliven Beacon Hill Park, the days when Victoria was more British than Britain are long gone. In Victoria 2.0, the food culture embraces fusion, the beer leans toward craft brews and the abundance of bicycles seems to have more in common with Holland than England. Compared to the glassy skyscrapers of Vancouver, Victoria is more laid-back and low-rise. On balmy summer days, a distinct holiday atmosphere takes over as people pile off the ferries to escape the mayhem of the mainland and forget work. Sure, Victoria might have become trendier and more sophisticated in recent years but, in pace and essence, it remains comfortingly old-fashioned.
