7 of the best things to do on Vancouver Island 

Sometimes thought of as sleepy and remote, Vancouver Island is anything but. Its near 12,400 sq miles encompass a mountain range, vast unspoilt ancient forests, wild wind and wave-hewn coastline, and plentiful wildlife. In short, it’s an adventure lover’s dream.

Getting from Vancouver to Vancouver Island is simple too, via ferry, float plane, or commercial flight.

So, whether you want to base yourself in town and day trip to experience Vancouver Island’s wildlife – from orca to brown bear – or you’re planning to immerse yourself in unspoilt wilderness with a longer stay, here are the some of the best things to do on Vancouver Island.

A quirk of nature keeps the hot springs flowing across British Columbia. The province lies atop the Pacific Plate, which is constantly being subducted under the North America Plate.

Walk through the rainforest following the boardwalk through Maquinna Provincial Park to Hot Springs Cove. There’s no tiled or manicured pools here; you’ll be bathing in steaming waters in rock pools below a thermal waterfall. To add to the adventure, access is via a 20-minute float plane or 90-minute boat from Tofino.

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Humans aren’t the only regular visitors to the island’s shores: each February to April, over 20,000 Pacific Grey whales pass by on their northern migratory route. There’s even a festival each March – the Pacific Rim Whale Festival – to mark their arrival. Many come close to the shore to feed. But to see humpbacks (April to October) and orca (year round), you’ll need to head to sea. Viewing vessels depart from Victoria, Campbell River, Telegraph Cove, Tofino town and more.

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Genteel and peaceful, and sandwiched between the Salish Sea and the rainforest, Victoria can sometimes feel frozen in time. All manicured lawns, neat docks and turreted colonial architecture, the city moves at a slower pace. Though many use it as a base to explore the island, there’s still plenty to do in town, like wander around Canada’s oldest Chinatown, visit Craigdarroch Castle for a glimpse of the 1890s highlife, and kayak the Salish Sea, spotting bald eagles as you paddle.

Claire’s insider tip: Don’t miss the Royal BC Museum. Vancouver Island sits on the traditional, unceded territories of the Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth and Coast Salish peoples, and the museum houses thousands of Indigenous pieces from photographs and recordings to poles and ceremonial items, with a focus on disrupted languages. The institution has been working to repatriate items to First Nations.

Essentially, apart from a few towns and cities, Vancouver Island is still one large temperate rainforest in the Pacific Ocean, home to everything from elk and bald eagles to seals and salmon. And did we mention cougars? But, of course, most often it’s the bears that visitors are looking to see. It’s estimated that there are between 7,000 and 12,000 black bears on the island, making it one of the densest populations in the world. Hibernation ends around March with Ucluelet, Tofino, Telegraph Cove, Campbell River and Port McNeill among some of the key spots for viewing with a responsible guide. Indigenous-owned Sea Wolf Adventures operates out of Port McNeill.

Claire’s insider tip: To see grizzlies, board a boat to the mainland’s Great Bear Rainforest or fjords such as Knight Inlet, best in September and October when the salmon are running. Sightings on Vancouver Island itself from bears believed to have swam from the mainland are very, very rare.

To truly appreciate and immerse yourself in the beauty of its tumbling waterfalls, ancient forests and jaw-dropping viewpoints, you should hike Vancouver Island. From the whiff of salt on a sea gale to the sweet zing of fresh pine, finding yourself alone on a hiking trail is a multi-sensory experience.

Short hikes include the Wild Pacific Trail, a 9km route that hugs the rugged Ucluelet shore. Numerous trails also span the otherworldly Cape Scott Provincial Park, where rocky crags emerge from white sands. Or you can climb Mount Finlayson, the island’s 419m peak.

Claire’s insider tip: For a particularly challenging multi-day hike, the famed West Coast Trail is a 75km bucket list route for hardcore adventurers that spans rivers, ladders and particularly rough, remote terrain in the Pacific Rim National Park; reservations are required. Alternatively, the North Coast Trail is a 58km route across the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island.

Thanks to its location on its own fragmented peninsula on the wild west coast, isolated Tofino feels uniquely cut off from the world. Plus, it’s easy to deliberately isolate yourself in nature. Plentiful quiet bays amongst old growth forests beckon: Tofino is surrounded by the vast UNESCO Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Region, home to a 2,000-year-old cedar. It’s a great spot to view migrating grey whales from February to October.

Famed for surf, you’ll also find plenty of rental and lesson services. Perhaps it’s the extreme location that helped forge its distinctly free-spirited bohemian vibe. Start the day with yoga, kayak the sound, then enjoy a spot of people watching while grabbing a fish taco.

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Clink, clink – raise a glass to Vancouver Island’s best tipples. There’s been a winemaking industry on the island since the 1920s, and today around 30 wineries are in full production using grapes that thrive in coastal climes. There’s a few spots to head to: Comox Valley on the northeast coast is home to 40 Knots, one of the largest vineyards, and Beaufort, the island’s first certified vineyard, among others. The Cowichan Valley near Victoria is home to over 14 producers, earning it the nickname, the ‘Napa of the North’.