Itinerary

Arrive at Vancouver Airport where you will be met and taken to your hotel by private transfer.

Vancouver is a fascinating, multicultural city and one of its highlights is Capilano Suspension Bridge, an excursion included in your tour. Take the shuttle to north of the city where the bridge stretches over 130 metres across a canyon, some 70 metres above the river and park of the same name. Take a vertigo-inducing walk across the bridge, see the First Nation totem poles, tackle the Cliffwalk and Treetops Adventure, then hike in the rainforest of the surrounding 27-acre park.

Explore the restaurants and nightlife of Vancouver in the afternoon and evening. Gastown is the city’s oldest district with cobbled streets and the famous Steam Clock. Along with adjacent Chinatown and Japantown districts, you’ll find some of the best cuisine in the city here, especially Can-Asian specialties.

Spend another day exploring Vancouver. A highlight is the urban rainforest of 1000-acre Stanley Park. Explore the gardens, see the totem poles at Brockton Point, walk along the famous Sea Wall or take a bike tour to cover more of the park.

After working up an appetite, another great option is to head for Granville Island Market to browse a huge variety of local produce cooked up by expert chefs.

Explore more of Vancouver’s restaurants and nightlife in the evening.

Pick up your hire car in downtown Vancouver and drive half an hour south to the Tsawwassen terminal to take the ferry to Swartz Bay. It’s a half-hour drive from the terminal to Victoria.

British Columbia’s capital is one of Canada’s most charming cities with a pedestrianised downtown, elegant waterfront, abundant gardens and historic architecture.
Take some time to explore the city, including the Parliament buildings, Butchart Gardens, Royal BC Museum, and Craigdarroch Castle.

Spend another day exploring beautiful Victoria. Explore the harbour by kayak, or take a whale-watching tour to spot orcas, grey whales, dolphins and seals in the rich surrounding waters.

Enjoy a traditional afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress and in the evening check out Victoria’s amazing range of eateries – the city has more restaurants per capita than any other Canadian city.

This morning, you explore more of Vancouver Island. Drive north through the Cowichan region and along the island’s eastern coast before crossing to the west coast to reach Tofino.

It’s a four-hour drive direct so along the way you could stop at Lake Cowichan, one of the island’s biggest freshwater lakes and a haven for fishing and boating. The surrounding Cowichan River Provincial Park has paths for hiking through dense forest.

Another attractive stop is the town of Chemainus, which has one of the world’s biggest outdoor art galleries with over 40 colourful murals and a dozen sculptures.

Arrive in Tofino, a town famous for its surfing, beaches and inlets, surrounded by some of the most dramatic scenery on Vancouver Island. Explore the surrounding rainforest and protected waters of Clayoquot Sound on a kayaking and hiking trip on Meares Island along the Big Tree Trail to see huge 1,000-year-old cedar trees.

Explore more of the wildlife-rich region of the Pacific Coast near Tofino.

The waters of Clayoquot Sound are among the world’s best whale-watching locations so a half-day tour is highly recommended. Species include grey whales, humpbacks and orcas (killer whales). Other wildlife commonly seen include sea lions, porpoise, seals, sea otters, bald eagles and puffins. You can also sometimes see black bears on the shoreline.

Today you cross to the east coast of Vancouver Island to Campbell River.

Your three-hour drive takes you through Parksville and it’s worth stopping here to enjoy some of the best beaches on Vancouver Island. The nearby Comox Valley is famous for its food and wineries so makes a good stop for lunch.

Campbell River is known as the ‘salmon capital of the world’ due to the huge shoals of salmon between May and October. Relax on the docks and try your hand at fishing in this pleasant, laidback port. A good hike on the edge of town is Elk Falls Provincial Park with its 25-metre waterfall and Suspension Bridge.

Today you begin the most exciting part of your trip – a journey into the world-famous Great Bear Rainforest.

Travel by float plane for about an hour from Campbell River to remote Knight Inlet Lodge. This indigenous-owned lodge, which floats in splendid isolation on Knight Inlet far from any other human inhabitation, has one of highest resident populations of grizzlies in British Columbia and is the oldest bear viewing facility in Canada. As well as peak season in autumn, the lodge has especially good bear viewing in spring and summer compared with other lodges with food sources nearby throughout the season.

Enjoy watching bears and their cubs from the lodge and spend the next three days embarking on unforgettable excursions before enjoying home-cooked locally sourced food at the lodge.

Take some incredible excursions from your haven at Knight Inlet Bear Lodge.

Boat bear viewing takes place from May to August and platform viewing from August to October, coinciding with salmon runs.

Optional tours include a two-hour cruise through Knight Inlet to waterfalls and a walking tour through old-growth rainforest in the nearby Kwalate Valley.

Enjoy another day taking incredible excursions from Knight Inlet Bear Lodge.

You could opt to go bear tracking and watch these amazing creatures in their habitat, following an old forestry road looking for bear beds and trails.

Other excursions include a walk above the forest canopy on a raised boardwalk for panoramic views over the inlet, a hike to cedar forest to learn the ecological significance of these ancient trees, and sea kayaking through quiet coves to watch bears foraging on the shoreline.

You might choose to extend your stay to four or five nights, and enjoy a whale-watching tour in the Johnson Strait which has large populations of orcas.

Fly back this morning from Knight Inlet by float plane to Campbell River.

Pick up your hire car and take the ferry from Nanaimo to either Horseshoe Bay or Tsawwassen (both ferry terminals are both half an hour’s drive from Vancouver).

Drive back to Vancouver as your tour comes to an end.
Drop off your hire car at Vancouver Airport and take your flight home.