South East Travel

Report & Photos by S. Bestvater
See complete Itinerary Here.


When we decided to tour Vancouver Island, we never imagined how much there was to see and do, without even visiting the Victoria area! If you want adventure and serenity, this might be the tour for you!

	We flew into Nanaimo and stayed at the Painted Turtle Guest House - a European style hostel that is very clean and comfortable. It is situated only 2 blocks from the harbour and is convenient if you don't have transportation.

The first full day of our Discovery Tour we traveled across Vancouver Island to the western part of the island of Tofino/Ucluelet. The drive across the island should not be missed! Just outside of Nanaimo you will pass through Cathedral Grove, a rain forest that has wonderful trails for you to experience the sights, sounds and smells of lush vegetation. As you travel west from Cathedral Grove, you will begin the climb into the mountains that are in the central part of the island. There are many places to stop and absorb the scenery. As this was a photography tour for us, we made many stops and captured 100's of photos.

In Ucluelet, we stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast, The Moon and Sixpence. This was the first B&B that I had stayed at, and it was a wonderful experience. I would highly recommend this place to all my clients. Being the furthest west that you can go, the sunsets are probably the most beautiful and dramatic that I have ever seen. We walked through a park for about a mile to the edge of a cliff where we experienced the end of the day, as the sun dropped beyond the edge of the earth.

	We spent 2 days in the Long Beach and Tofino area. There are many trails and a diverse type of vegetation including rain forests and stretches of beach with all sorts of life to watch, from people to starfish. This is also a popular area for surfing. We decided on a kayak tour and spent 1/2 a day on the ocean, exploring several inlets and an ancient rain forest island.

After a couple days on the western part of the island, we headed back to the east and then up north to Port Hardy where we had booked the BC Ferries Discovery Passage tour up to Bella Coola, and then Bella Bella (about 1/2 way north to Alaska). The morning we left Port Hardy the weatther was a little gray, but provided some fantastic cloud formations on the ocean. The ship was very comfortable (100 meters) with wonderful food and staff. There was plenty of areas and seating, both inside and out, and the scenery that we witnessed far exceeded my expectations! The mountains that lined the passage way were awesome, and we were enlightened by eagles, various sea birds, dolphins, seals, and humpback whales. We also saw many lighthouses and a few smaller villages along the way.

	In Bella Bella, we stayed at a B & B on Denny Island, Whiskey Cove B & B. The hosts were again wonderful here. We had an ocean side hot tub, with exclusive views of the bay. Although we didn't see any, Denny Island is home to many wolves. We hiked for about 8 miles, but never saw any. The seclusion of this area (the island only has a handful of year-round residents) was a little erie, yet comforting all at once. We hiked around a good part of the island, and enjoyed the lack of the busy lifestyle. Heading back, we stopped in Bella Coola. The rock formations from glaciers were stunning and the weather was gorgeous for the entire BC Ferry tour.

If you want a little adventure, some awesome scenery, combined with relaxation, you might like us to help you create your own Vancouver Island Discovery Tour. Contact us for more information or to answer any questions you might have about this or other tours available. scottb@southeasttravel.net