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. 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.

Meals: None
Driving: 4 Hours
Pick Up : 11 am - 12 pm, Victoria Ferry, Airport, Downtown
Stay: Canadian Princess Resort, Ucluelet (3 Nights)

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!

Once we return to Tofino, we explore town for a bit and then head out for dinner, and then back to our hotel, possibly stopping by a beach for another incredible sunset view.

Activity: Hot Springs Cove Excursion
Walking: 1.5 Hours
Driving: 1 Hour

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!

Typical Hike: Pacific Crest Trail or Tonquin Trail (4-6 km, 2-3 hours)
Optional Activity: Sea Kayaking, Whale Watching
Driving: 1 Hour

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.

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.

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.

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)
Driving: 2 Hours
Stay: Tides Inn Hotel, Parksville (1 Night)

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 favourite destination for locals, with a lifetime’s worth of secret waterfalls, empty beaches and mysterious sea caves and caverns. Dpending on tides and weather, we’ll stop to check out some of the highlights along the way. 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.

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!

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!

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.

Walking: Short Trails (5-6 km, 3 hours)
Driving: 2 Hours
Stay: Prestige Oceanfront Resort, Sooke (2 Nights)

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.

Optional Activity: Rafting ($165)
Walking: East Sooke Park, Coastal Trail (10 km, 3-4 hours)
Driving: 1 hour

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. 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. We will drop you off at the downtown Victoria hotel or Airport/ Ferry around 2 pm.

Driving: 1 Hour
Drop Off: 2 pm, Victoria Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel, Airport, Ferry

Level 2- Moderate

Hiking: Shorter hikes on established trails with a light day pack. Hikes cover 4-10 km (2-6 miles) with elevation gain up to 300 meters (1500 feet). Typically walking for 2-3 hours per day.

Vancouver Island is the ultimate trickster, because you would expect the weather to be wet and kind of nasty year round. This may deter some people from visiting Vancouver Island, but jokes on them!

The island actually goes through a drought through the summer months, making it a perfectly dry and sunny place to explore! You can expect 25-30 degrees Celsius (80-90 Fahrenheit) during the day and 15 degrees Celsius at night. It very rarely rains during the summer months.

Tofino and the West Coast of the Island are definitely wetter and cooler during the summer months, but even there it is rare for rain to come during the summer. Expect more fog and temperatures 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the Island. This makes for the perfect experience on our Vancouver Island tours!

You won’t have to carry your luggage while hiking, so you can pack however you like. A suitcase is fine, and there is lots of room in the trailer.

We recommend a small day pack during the hiking excursions to carry a few personal items like a water bottle and jacket.

Your Vancouver Island walking tour starts when we pick you up from Victoria on day 1. To make it easy for you, we can pick you up from the Ferry Terminal from Vancouver, Victoria Airport and a Hotel in Downtown Victoria.

Pick Up:
- Swartz Bay Ferry: 11 am
- Victoria Airport: 11:15 am
- Victoria Downtown Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel: 12 pm

Drop Off:
- Drop off at 2 pm downtown @ Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel

• 2 complete warm layering systems that are not cotton (think fleece, polyester, merino wool etc, for top and bottom) It is best to dress in layers so you can adapt to changing weather. A light base layer, with a warmer layer on top and rain jacket will help you stay warm.

• Rain jacket (anything wind and waterproof will work) Rain pants are helpful too.

• Comfortable hiking boots (Anything comfy, stable & blister free & don't mind getting dirty/ wet)

• Bathing suit and towel (for swimming, hot springs)

• Socks and underwear (you knew that though I hope)

• Small day pack to carry your personal items on hikes

• Any medications you need (like epi pens, asthma or heart meds, insulin) Very important!

• Suitcase/ duffel bag or back pack for your luggage (we have lots of room, bring whatever works- you won't have to carry it)

• Hiking poles if you feel you might need them to protect your knees on rocky paths

• Sunscreen, bug spray, sun glasses, lip chap all help

• At least one 1 liter water bottle

• Camera for the epic views

Our Vancouver Island wilderness tour is suitable for anyone who wants to experience the real Vancouver Island, and not be on an out of the box bus tour in a crowd.

We have worked for over a decade to perfect our Island tour itineraries, with expert guides to ensure you have a smooth experience.

If you don’t mind being active and outdoors each day, and have a zest for adventure and discovering new places, and love making memories with new friends, this tour is for you!

Unlike most Vancouver Island tour companies, we don’t like to cater to a specific demographic and instead we find in common a sense of adventure and passion for life, rather than just a common age.

Typically our guests are between 30 and 75, with an average age of 50.

There are roughly an even split between travelers aged 30-50 and 50-75.

Our groups are usually 40% male and 60% female and typically 50-70% of our guests are traveling solo.