7 Day Guided Small Group Tour On Vancouver Island’s West Coast

ChIJyUxdNoV0j1QRArnx133T2B4

Begin your Vancouver Island walking tour as we pick you up in Victoria and whisk you and your new group of travel friends out of the city and across Vancouver Island’s vast stretch of scenery. You’ll leave Victoria behind as we head north and west, cutting right through the heart of the Island.

ChIJQzgJsMyQiVQRNRp0WmmVEDM

We wind along the shores of scenic lakes and through the bottom of towering coastal forest on our journey, until we reach the west coast and our base in Tofino or Ucluelet 4 hours later. Along the ride we stop for breaks to stretch our legs and enjoy a few views, likely even stopping for a stroll among the gigantic trees in Cathedral Grove, where you will wander beneath a forest grove that has stood the test of time, surviving fires, logging, wars and countless storms. We settle into our hotel for the next three nights and head out for our first dinner as a group. In the evening we may head to a nearby beach to soak in the glorious pacific coast sunset and breathe in the fresh salty air. At night, listen closely, as you may hear the sea lions barking all around your hotel.

Duration: 4 hours

Hot Springs Cove

Jump straight in on your walking holiday on Vancouver island, heading out on one of the most iconic and highly sought after experiences on the whole West Coast! Today we go for an ocean excursion riding a high speed boat across miles of wild ocean inlet to Hot Springs Cove. Along the way we’ll pass through vast expanses of remote, unspoiled area with very good chances of seeing sea otters, sea lions, seals- even bears and whales! Once we arrive, we check in to the tribal park, and walk 40 minutes along a scenic board walk that winds through lush old growth forest until we reach the springs. You’ll see a stream of hot water, steaming in the forest floor, and plunging over a rock wall into a heavenly set of mineral pools on the edge of the ocean. Here you can soak in the water, relaxing and enjoying the views, letting the hot waterfall rain down on you and going for a cold plunge in the ocean. This is paradise!

Duration: 8 hours

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Today is your day to choose your own adventure, heading out on the ocean to try sea kayaking, or go for a whale watching excursion. Of course, you can hang with your guide and go for a hike along a rain forest trail, or possibly to a secret beach. This is your day! Either way, you will have some time to explore the town of Tofino, and kick back to enjoy some “island time”. Try an award winning local beer at the brewery, or go food tasting at some of the most locally inspired restaurants, many with very local ingredients like kelp and wild mushrooms in their dishes!

Duration: 8 hours

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Explore the heart of Vancouver Island on your walking tour, starting off with a guided hike through the rain forest loops of Pacific Rim National Park. Here you will wander through an ancient and unspoiled rain forest, that is the perfect example of the thriving coastal ecosystem. Salmon swim in the streams, with bald eagles calling from the tops of the trees. Moss hangs from every branch, and we wind around each massive tree trunk, with the trees reaching far above into the mist.

Duration: 2 hours

Sproat Lake Provincial Park

We continue east, into the center of the Island, stopping at Sproat Lake to check out some ancient petroglyphs, left on a rock formation , likely telling stories from 3000 years ago of early whalers and nomads.

Duration: 30 minutes

Coombs

Next up, we hit the “Valley of Waterfalls” to visit some of the most picturesque waterfalls in Canada, as they cascade through narrow canyons in the forest floor. Depending on the month you visit, we may stop to see salmon as they swim up the river, jumping into the smaller waterfalls in a valiant effort to reach their spawning grounds.

Duration: 1 hour

Parksville

We arrive at our new base in Parksville, with views over the Strait of Georgia, and a pleasant seaside town to go for an evening stroll. Walking: Several short walks (5-6 km, 2-3 hours)

Duration: 1 hour

Juan de Fuca Provincial Park

We venture further south on your active tour on Vancouver Island, heading for the often overlooked piece of paradise between Port Renfrew and Sooke. This is home to Juan De Fuca Provincial Park, and a favorite destination for locals, with a lifetime’s worth of secret waterfalls, empty beaches and mysterious sea caves and caverns. Depending on tides and weather, we’ll stop to check out some of the highlights along the way.

Duration: 30 minutes

Botanical Beach Provincial Park

You may visit Botanical Beach, known for it’s limestone cliffs and tidal pools made in the limestone potholes. These are like a window into the world of the little ocean creatures, with unreal displays for us to admire.

Duration: 30 minutes

Sombrio Beach

We may also stop at Sombrio Beach, walking down the beach to find a hidden waterfall, tucked in the far back of a secret canyon. Seeing the water plunge through the canyon, spraying the mossy walls is a surreal sight!

Duration: 30 minutes

Mystic Beach

We may also stop at Mystic Beach, where you’ll hike through a lush forest to arrive at a hidden beach, framed in by steep cliffs and a sea cave. This beach sometimes has whales coming in close to feed, so keep your eyes out, looking for blow spouts and tails!

Duration: 2 hours

Sooke

We arrive in the quaint little oceanside town of Sooke, which is slowly transforming from a swashbuckling logger town to an artsy tourism destination with delicious food and several great breweries. This is where we will stay for the next two nights. Short Trails (5-6 km, 3 hours)

Duration: 1 hour

East Sooke Regional Park

Discover some of the best hiking on the West Coast of Vancouver Island as we head to East Sooke Park to hike the Coastal Trail. The trail we will be walking today has been used for centuries, if not millennia by First Nations as a seafood gathering trail. It was protected in 1970 and stands as one of the best coastal wilderness areas around Victoria. You’ll have sweeping views of the Strait of Juan De Fuca, where you stand a good chance of seeing whales, and an almost certain chance of seeing seals, porpoises and sea lions. Across the strait, you can see the mountains in Washington, and the forest is adorned in rich layers of moss and lichen, hanging from the branches. You can also see another ancient petroglyph on one of the rocky points, in an attempt to pass stories of adventure and peril down through the ages.

Duration: 5 hours

Victoria

Today we pack up and head back into Victoria, driving the scenic route from Sooke into town, following the historic logging trail. Here the roadhouses and bars are best known by the mile they are located at on the highway, like 17 Mile, 6 Mile and 4 Mile pubs. As we arrive into Victoria, your guide will do a loop through town in the van on a brief city tour.

Duration: 2 hours

Fisherman's Wharf

You will visit Fisherman’s Wharf and walk through the downtown Harbor Area, for a brief overview of the history and layout of the city.

Duration: 30 minutes