One thing Vancouver Island is famous for is the “great outdoors”, and if you are one of those travelers who loves the adventure of walking, climbing, pot-holing, mountain biking and generally carrying large weights on your back, then have I got a challenge for you!

Besides the outstanding, pristine scenery, the wildlife, both marine and land locked and the opportunity to experience the outdoors safely, Vancouver Island has some of the most challenging hiking trails in the world. But let’s work up to it slowly: I have seen first hand what it can do to the so-called amateur outdoors man.

On the south end of the island, starting in Saanich and winding its way around Victoria to the south-west coast, is the famous ‘Galloping Goose Trail’. Named after a rather strange looking railway carriage of earlier times, this former railway line right of way extends for fifty-five kilometers along wheelchair accessible terrain. Besides passing through a great variety of scenery it also has access to fishing, beaches, and areas for pot holing, kayaking and other water activities. To start us out on our fitness trails, take the Galloping Goose and try the fifty five kilometer walk: or maybe cycling would be easier for you to start out!

Read the rest of this entry »

There aren’t many pacific islands where you can surf in the morning and ski in the afternoon, especially ones that are ranked number one by more than one famous travel magazine, many years running!

But there is one!

An island with a history stretching back as far as the ice age, that perches on the western edge of a great continent and one that is growing very quickly as a “must see” destination.

Only about three hundred and fifty miles in length , Vancouver Island sits in the Straits of Georgia, north-west of Seattle and an hour and forty minutes by ferry from the mainland of British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada. Vancouver Island is home to the capital city of British Columbia, Victoria, and has been since 1850 at which time the interior gold rush brought prospectors and a supporting cast of many people to this pristine island.

Today, the temperate climate, stunning scenery and world class amenities make this island a travelers mecca, and for good reason: or to be precise, many good reasons. English speaking, well actually “Canadian” speaking, easy to drive and everything within fairly short distances helps make any vacation here very enjoyable and relatively stress free, especially as accommodations and food services are widespread, well located and of the highest standard: many rated the best on the continent and some, the best in the world.

But it’s the diversity that is the main attraction. Whale watching, body surfing, long cycling trails, wilderness camping, world class spa-resorts, museums, historical sites, famous gardens, ski-ing, sailing, salmon fishing, diving, real wild-life, or spa treatment with a Pacific ocean view. Home grown produce markets, fresh seafoods, local wineries, breweries and cideries, wilderness camping, bed and breakfast or famous five star hotels,

Vancouver Island supports it all and it’s there to be discovered. Jazz festivals, art festivals, opera, book fairs, antique fairs, garden tours, agricultural fairs, theaters and ghost walks. Marathons, cycling races, golf, lacrosse, soccer and ice hockey: and even the tall ships make an appearance!

Vancouver island is a celebration of agricultural, maritime and historical; of First Nations peoples and others from many nations. Of British and Spanish and Asian influences against a backdrop of stunning mountain scenery: a wilderness with all the amenities. Quality shopping, extensive tourist services, modern transportation and yet, the unusual. Float plane services, eagles on the lamp posts, art galleries on the walls, eight hundred year old trees, sea kayaking and afternoon tea with triangular sandwiches.

But more to the point, what shall we have for lunch!

How about some local oysters to start with, followed by a home grown emu burger on a home baked bun with garden grown tomatoes and locally grown herbs picked fresh for the table. Perhaps some locally made goat cheese and a pint of ale brewed on the premises. Actually I think I will have a small glass of the locally made blueberry port wine with my home grown strawberries, although the flambe’ pears look rather nice!

Hey, take some time to Discover Vancouver Island for yourself, you will be glad you did.

About the Author

Dave is a retired Canadian who has taken up building websites. For more, in-depth information for the traveler to Vancouver Island visit ‘Discover Vancouver Island.com’ and check out the FREE travel videos!

British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing tourism hotspots in North America. The reason, like so many other tourism Meccas, is landscape. In BC you will find high desert, mountains, long sandy beaches, lush rainforest, vast glaciers and everything in-between.

You’ve likely heard of BC, but there’s a good chance that you haven’t heard about the province’s fastest growing tourism destination: Tofino (www.tofino-longbeach.com). Located on the west coast of “Canada’s Big Island”, Tofino is home to long sandy beaches, world-class hotels, restaurants, and some pretty good surfing too.

Tofino gained fame in the early 90′s when logging in the region’s old-growth forests turned many of the locals into action-taking environmentalists. The logging continued and the locals grew more and more upset, and before anyone knew what happened, the Clayoquot Sound Blockade was the largest non-violent act of civil disobedience in Canadian history.

All of this media attention brought visitors to Tofino – lots of visitors. Today more than 1 million tourists pass through Tofino in a year. All of these people are crammed into a town with a year-round population of about 1700.

These people are all coming to Tofino to experience the region’s breathtaking scenery and the long, sandy beaches. Tofino’s visitors are usually the type of traveler that takes advantage of the amazing natural resources that abound in the Clayoquot Sound region. Sea kayaking is very popular, as is surfing, walking the long sandy beaches, and fishing for the huge salmon that abound in the near-shore waters.

Of all the places in BC to become a tourism Mecca, Tofino has to be one of the most unlikely. Situated at the end of a remote peninsula, it’s almost comical that some many folks flock here on a yearly basis. But once you’ve arrived in Tofino and experienced the landscape, oceanscape and the relaxed coastal way of life, you’ll probably be planning your next trip back before you leave.

About the author: Hector Fuente is a globetrotter who is currently planning his next trip back to Tofino BC (www.tofino-longbeach.com).

Boomtown Nanaimo, British Columbia, is currently one of the hottest housing markets in Canada. Baby boomers all across the country are casting their aging eyes west in their quest for a retirement haven, and the many advantages of Nanaimo, BC, are becoming known.

First off, there’s the mild climate moderated by warm Pacific currents arriving from Japan. Nanaimo only gets a couple of weeks of snow a year, quite a contrast to central and eastern Canada which can be snowed in from December to April. There’s enough rain to keep the city’s gardens and parks lush and green, but plenty of clear, dry days for outdoor enthusiasts throughout the year.

Nanaimo isn’t a big city – under 100,000 – so traffic jams are the exception, and there’s still free parking downtown. As the main service center for the upper two-thirds of Vancouver Island, the City of Nanaimo has all the services you could ask for, from the big box stores of North Nanaimo to intimate boutiques and cafes downtown.

Nanaimo is well connected. BC Ferries runs large car ferries from Nanaimo to Vancouver every couple of hours, and seaplanes are constantly coming and going on their way to/from downtown Vancouver or Vancouver International Airport. Nanaimo also has a regular airport south of town and you can get a free extension to Nanaimo on many Air Canada tickets to Vancouver.

Another great attraction for snowbird retirees is the fact that Nanaimo real estate is still affordable. Housing prices have increased 50 percent in recent years, but you can still purchase real estate here for about half which comparable properties would cost in Vancouver or Victoria. Nanaimo Realty, Remax Nanaimo, and Coast Realty Nanaimo can tell you more.

However Nanaimo’s greatest attraction is its friendly, outgoing people. Nanaimo still has a certain “small town” air lost in go-go places like Toronto, and it’s easy for newcomers to plug into the local scene. There’s always something happening in the Harbour City. It’s paradise found.

About the Author:

David Stanley’s travel series “Unknown Sights of Canada” is exclusively available on Go Nanaimo while his blog is at Go Nanaimo Blog.