My holiday to British Columbia - Part 2

Following on from last month, I continue with Part 2 of my own incredible holiday to stunning British Columbia. It really was absolutely amazing & I count it among my best holidays ever! In a little over 2 weeks, we packed such a lot in as we spent time in Vancouver, Victoria (briefly), staying with family near Nanaimo & in Comox, Tofino & Whistler. In this article, I'm sharing the rest of our itinerary, our highlights & my top tips. 

Day 8: Tofino 

With a forest fire underway along our route, there was a bit of uncertainty as to whether we'd get through. Protecting peoples' homes & keeping the highway open were the key priorities for the authorities.  We could see smoke on the ridge as we drove past but no delays. We were relieved to hear that everyone was back in their homes a few days later.

We arrived in gorgeous Tofino in the late afternoon. We were staying at the Best Western Plus Tin Wis resort for the next 3 nights, our longest stop yet. Our room with a balcony overlooking the spectacular Mackenzie beach was perfect.

Day 9 - 10: Tofino

The forecast on our first full day was not great & sure enough by the time we'd finished breakfast the heavens had opened. This was the only rain we saw all holiday, but it did not stop all day. Lunch in a cafe, First Nations Art Galleries & a wander around the shops of Tofino was in order. 

Our second day in Tofino was a bit rainy but nothing like the previous day. After another delicious breakfast, we ventured along the Tonquin Trail to Tofino town on foot. It was such a great walk through ancient rainforest, along shady boardwalks, across sandy beaches & out to viewpoints, the rainy weather just added to the atmospheric feel.

The sun came out making our return walk feel like a totally different experience as the sun reflected off the water. We loved the Tonquin Trail, & were glad that we weren't put off by the warnings of cougars & bears. We didn't see either! 

The sunset over Mackenzie beach on our last evening was nothing short of spectacular. We didn't want to miss the sunset & had read that our beach was one of the best places to see it. It was such a lovely spot to watch the sun come down. 

Our dining recommendations: 

• Browns SocialHouse: With a relaxed ambience, great service & delicious food, we really enjoyed our meals (we ate here twice!). I loved the asian inspired bowls like the delicious teriyaki salmon - such a lovely blend of flavours!
• Big Daddy's Fish Fry: A great lunchtime spot with it's mainly fish menu. I had a lingcod burger which was huge but very tasty. 
• Book ahead especially if you want to eat at Shelter - we didn't eat here but it's waterfront location & amazing food wins it great reviews. We hadn't booked anywhere on our second night & it was challenging to find anywhere to eat. 

Place an enquiry to start your adventure in British Columbia. 

Day 11: Whistler 

Early in the morning, we left misty but sunny Tofino behind with some sadness as we felt we'd only just discovered its charm. Another visit is definitely on the cards as there is so much to see & do there. 

The forest fires were still burning on our return & the smoke felt much closer than on our outbound journey. No issue for the road though & we made it back to Nanaimo for our ferry in good time. 

Top Tip: Book your ferry in advance, they get very busy in the summer months. I know I said this last month but if you are on a schedule, this is important. 

Next, we drove the stunning Sea to Sky Highway which did not disappoint from the gorgeous coastal views to the first glimpses of the snow topped mountains. It did get a bit busy coming into Whistler, there was a 10 day mountain bike festival on during our visit so was probably busier than usual. 

A wander around the village & a bite to eat at the Garibaldi Lift Co. (GLC) at the base of the Whistler gondola. The people watching from the balcony was great, mountain bikers coming down the mountain & then hanging out in the square. The atmosphere was so fun - buzzy & lively.

Day 12 - 13: Whistler

After breakfast & a casual morning stroll, we drove to the Canadian Outback Rafting base near Squamish for our white water rafting adventure*. This was a family friendly adventure suitable for over 5's on the beautiful Cheakamus river. We kitted up in our wetsuits, lifejackets & headed out by aging school bus to the river with our group. A quick briefing where we were assigned our boats & guides. We had the lovely Jayda who made it lots of fun as we navigated the river. We even had a dip in the very cold river - for the record, it was intentional. 

Next day, we took the Peak to Peak gondola* from Blackcomb to Whistler but first you have to get up Whistler or Blackcomb mountains. We got our tickets from the ticket desk at the Whistler gondola. The queue was huge to get on the gondola here though so we walked the 10 mins or so to Blackcomb instead. This meant we didn't have to share the gondola up Blackcomb & that the queues were also shorter for the Peak to Peak as most people were going the opposite way. 

From there, we took the chair lift up to the Cloudraker Skybridge, a suspension bridge which spans 130m at the top of the mountain. Despite my fear of heights, I managed to cross it & even posed for some photos on the Raven's Eye - the lookout which extends 12.5m over the ridge.The spectacular 360 degree views were incredible & if you can manage the heights, I highly recommend the experience. 

Top tip: Avoid long queues at Whistler gondola by walking to Blackcomb instead

Top tip: Book ahead for restaurants, they get booked up fast. 

Day 14: Back to Vancouver

With more than a little sadness, we packed up & made our way back to Vancouver. On the way, we stopped at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics site for a biathlon experience. Having watched the biathlon over the winter months, we were thrilled to have a go at the shooting (the skiing part isn't possible in the summer). 

During our briefing, we were told to stop shooting if a bear appeared behind the targets. It seemed unlikely but it actually does happen quite frequently. Not on the day of our visit though.

Next, we stopped at the beautiful but very busy Shannon Falls. It appears we weren't the only ones who decided to break their journey to / from Vancouver here. Unfortunately, by the time we left it was looking increasingly likely that we wouldn't make it back to downtown Vancouver to drop our hire car in time. A very stressful car journey followed but we did make it - just! 

Top tip: Leave plenty of time to get back to Vancouver particularly if you need to drop your car or get to the airport 

Day 15 - 16: Vancouver

We spent our last 2 nights at the stunning Pan Pacific hotel right on Canada Place. We loved our room with its view over the water. I'd booked us Club Level rooms which meant we had access to the exclusive 23rd floor waterfront lounge. We had drinks, snacks & breakfast (not all at once!) whilst we watched the seaplanes taking off & landing, the comings & goings of the boats, kayakers, paddle boarders & more. 

The Flyover* was so close, we had to give it a go. It's like a cross between a fairground ride & a 3D cinema experience. We 'took off' & flew over Canadian vistas - the Rockies, the ocean, the plains, the glaciers of the icy North & the charming Maritimes ending in beautiful Vancouver. Definitely recommended - where else can you experience the diverse landscapes of Canada in just a few minutes? 

Day 17: Last day  

After breakfast, we finished our trip quite literally on a high with a seaplane round trip. The views over the harbour, the island, the ocean, the mountains & the city were incredible. Taking off from & landing on the water was such a smooth experience. It was such a fabulous end to one of the best holidays ever! 

We really did have the most incredible time & I cannot recommend it highly enough. My only regret is that I didn't see a bear. Whilst we didn't make any special effort to see one, I was still hoping we would. Oh well, next time!  

*Thanks to Destination Vancouver & Tourism Whistler for arranging my destination passes. A huge thanks to Canadian Outback Rafting, Whistler Peak 2 Peak Gondola & FlyOver Canada for the amazing complimentary experiences - we loved them all & I will definitely be recommending them to my customers. 

As a Canada Specialist, I have plenty of recommendations & tips to help you make the most of your holiday in Canada wherever you choose to go.

Enquire to plan your holiday to beautiful Western Canada