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Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is one of those "secret places" travellers can't wait to tell their friends about. It's an appealing mixture of rugged outdoors and genteel small town life, with a delightful 19th-century city at one end and cosy seaport towns at the other. As a result of this unique personality, the Island has attracted the attention of leading travel publications, who have rated it - among other things - as one of the best outdoor vacation sports around. The overall feeling on the Island is relaxed and friendly, and the climate is equally mild-mannered.

Favourite ocean views
The killer whale-watching expeditions at Robson Bight near Port McNeil come highly recommended; so do the grey whale-watching expeditions off the Island's west coast. While you're on the west coast, visit the towns of Tofino, Ucluelet and Bamfield; they're right near Pacific Rim National Park, home to thousands of species of marine life and wildlife. Another way to approach the park is aboard the M.V. Lady Rose or the M.V. Frances Barkley; these boats travel down the inlet from Port Alberni to Bamfield year round, and from Port Alberni to Ucluelet and park's famous Broken Group Islands seasonally. The east coast of Vancouver Island offers ideal family beaches, especially at Parksville and Qualicum Beach.

More of the main attractions.
The Island's history - in fact, its personality - is largely defined by its forests. One of the loveliest areas is Cathedral Grove, located in MacMillan Provincial Park, where massive, 600 year-old Douglas firs still stand. For an in-depth look at the Island's forest, see the B.C. Forest Museum in Duncan, which is also known as the "City of Totems". A quick look at some of our other favourite places: the historic Bastion in Nanaimo; Strathcona Provincial Park, the oldest park in the provincial park system; Chemainus, internationally known for its outdoor gallery of over 31 giant murals painted on walls throughout town; the scenic Malahat Highway, which takes you to the Cowichan Valley, namesake of the handsome hand-knit Native sweaters; Ladysmith's exotic Arboretum; Sproat lake, for its interesting petroglyphs; Newcastle Island off Nanaimo; and the

picturesque towns of Sooke and Jordan River on the Island's southwest coast.

The lure of Island fishing
The salmon fishing at Campbell River is world-famous, attracting the rich, the famous and the not-so-famous to the area's classic fishing lodges. (Campbell River also rivals Port Alberni as the "Salmon Fishing Capital of the World".) While you're in Campbell River, we suggest a visit to neighbouring Quadra Island to see the fascinating Kwagiulth Museum in Cape Mudge Village. When it comes to freshwater fishing, Island lakes and streams produce plenty of trout and bass in summer; the winter steelhead fishing renowned.

Go island-hopping
Just off the east coast of Vancouver Island lie the beautiful, pastoral Gulf Islands, home to some of British Columbia's most gifted artisans. The major islands include Salt Spring, North and South Pender, Saturna, Galiano, Mayne and Gabriola. You can get to them by ferry from Vancouver Island or the mainland; there are also inter-island ferries. While there are numerous camp-grounds, you may also want to try on e of the seaside resorts or bed & breakfast lodges. Bring your bicycle or rent one - cycling is on the most scenic ways to get around.

The call of the North Island
Paved highway only reached the northern part of the Island in the 1970s, so it still has a kind of wild, untouched charm. Follow Highway 19 north past seaside towns like Courtenay, Comox and Campbell River, then on to Sayward and Port McNeill. Explore the rich Native culture in Alert Bay at the U'Mista Cultural Centre, and the vestiges of a Finnish settlement at Sointula. Highway 19 ends in Port Hardy, the BC Ferry terminal for the Inside Passage. To see the Island's west coast, catch a converted minesweeper, the Uchuck III, which sails from Gold River to historic Friendly Cove (where Captain Cook anchored in 1778), as well as remote ports-of-call such as Tahsis, Esperanza and Port Eliza.