Vancouver Island British Coloumbia
To sum up this island in few words: ‘Trees, trees and more trees’. Trees here grow everywhere, even on roof tops! oh and the Seafood, friendly people and breathtaking scenery.
For me, returning to this beautiful place after 22 years and getting out of the house after 18 months, due to COVID restrictions, was a god’s send.
Being sea food lovers, this was heaven for us. Seafood chowder for lunch everyday! Hiking, bears, whales, jelly-fish were a bonus, not to mention the ocean breeze.
This is a chronical of our 10 days on the island. Visited: September 2021.
Getting to the island...
There are 2 ways to get to Vancouver island, either you take the ferry from Vancouver or fly to one of the small airports on the island.
We flew into Long Beach airport and took the ferry back to the mainland from Victoria. Both were unforgettable. Flying into Tofino from Vancouver was specially memorable. One hour flight with Pacific Costal was a dreamy flight on a 19 seater aircraft. It flew us over the mountains at a relatively low altitude, we could clearly see the snow capped mountains below us, it was breathtaking. Flight took off from Vancouver south terminal, a small airport right next to the Vancouver International, and landed in Long Beach 50 minutes later. Flying right into Long beach saved us a whole day and cost us a bit more, since we were time starved, it was a win for us.
From the LB airport we took a Whistle (Uber on the island) to Ucluelet a small costal fishing village that is full of surprises.
Ucluelet (day 1)
Ucluelet (pronounced yew-kloo-let or just “Ukee” as locals call it), is a picturesque and tranquil harbour village just 10 minute drive south from the famous Long Beach. It attracts nature lovers from all over the world and is considered to be the best spot for surfing on the island.
For visitors to Vancouver Island, Tofino is often the top go-to spot. But most miss to make the 30-minute drive south and spend a day or two touring Ukee, we decided not to make that mistake.
Once in Ukee, we settled in to the Ukee Peninsula Motel for the next 3 days.
Things to do in Ukee
The Beach: 10 minute drive towards Tofino is the dream of every surfer: Long Beach, 16 kilometres of sandy shoreline.
The Food Trucks: From dedicated sea food to Mexican, you will find them all over this town. Some with covered outdoor eating areas. This was our source of lunches for 3 days.
The Trails: The Wild Pacific Trail is all around Ukee, most trails are walking distance (20-40 minute) from the town. There are few loops that you can hike that will bring you back to where you started.
The Shops: Lots of Artisan and gift shops, with indigenous arts and crafts and other nick-nacks if you had brought a large suitcase.
The Bars and Food: One of the reasons for my visit to Ukee was to have a big Dungeness Crab and I achieved that goal :). There are plenty of bars and restaurants here with top-notch food and cocktails. One thing is, if you go here in the season (July – Oct) there will be long lineups to get in to most restaurants, sometimes 2+ hours.
Dinning options in Ukee
Just 3 words: whole Dungeness crab.
Tofino (day 3)
Literally at the end of the road (Highway 4), Tofino is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Driving time from Victoria is approximately 4 to 5 hours.
Tofino is situated within one of the most dramatic and pristine landscapes on the southern coast. It is part of the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, an internationally recognized area that includes terrestrial and marine environments and extends from the southern boundary of the Long Beach Unit of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve to just north of Estevan Point.
Tofino is considered the best surf town in North America it is also popular for fishing, kayaking, whale-watching, bird-watching and bear-watching. The community is accessed by road on Highway 4 and by air via a small landing strip and airport at Long Beach.
The town itself is a movie set. Little shops, restaurants, coffee shops, hippies and surfers in groups… But what’s make Tofino so special is the serenity of it all. There’s a quiet lull about this town. If you keep your eyes peeled on the horizon, you may notice sealions popping their shiny little heads up every so often as if to say hello.
Tofino is our favorite town next to Victoria on this island, It can get little pricy and crowded in the season (May – October), you will find several hour wait for dinner at restaurants. Next time we will avoid the high season and visit in March or April.
Things to do in Tofino…
Long Beach
Sandwiched between Tofino and Ucluelet, stretching for 16KM, Long Beach is the largest and longest beach in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on the west coast of Vancouver Island. This is a surfers paradise with massive waves crashing the shoreline. If you are lucky, you might see a Black Bear strolling along the beach at dawn or dusk.
Pacific Rim National Park
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is a 511 km² park which comprises three separate regions: Long Beach, the Broken Group Islands, and the West Coast Trail. It borders the Pacific Coast Mountains, characterized by rugged coasts and temperate rainforests. Wikipedi.
If you love hiking and nature, this is a must do. There are many trails to suite your abilities and time. We hiked the little forest path to the Tonquin Beach through the ancient trees, Light House Loop, heard the pretty little bird songs, immersed into the serenity of wild life!
‘Bear Watching’ tour
We got up at 6am headed to the tour office that we had booked the day before, they take you on a boat along the shoreline where bears come to feed on crab that are trapped under rocks during the low tide (am), they turn rocs over to see if any crabs under them and slowly move along the shore. It was still dark when we first got on the boat, misty and beautiful, we got to see a spectacular sunrise from the boat.
Although this is called a ‘Bear Watching tour’, you will see many other wildlife, we saw whales (pod of 2 killer whales), jellyfish, Eagles, seals and sea lions etc. The tour takes about 2.5 hours and cost about 80$ pp, money well spent.
Victoria (day 7)
We took the bus from Tofino to Victoria. Its a scenic 5 hour bus ride over several mountain ranges.
Once in Victoria, we settled in.
Being the capital city of British Colombia Victoria offers tranquil living amongst west coast nature. It has everything: history, culture, parks, great food / drink and temperate climate and most of all friendly people. There’s plenty to see and do here or do nothing at all.
The ferry back to the mainland (day 11).
