Nature in superlatives

Manuel Sulzer

Green, grand and rugged

Vancouver Island

To properly describe Vancouver Island is an exercise in superlatives, and even then it's not easy. Is it fantastic? Definitely. Breathtaking? Absolutely. Practically everything about it is spectacular. From roaring waterfalls to rugged rocks, from misty rainforests to gigantic firs. We will show you some of the highlights.

Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park

Lush waterfalls

Get ready for a spectacle in Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park. The park is an uninterrupted string of waterfalls, cliffs and natural pools. A six-kilometre hiking trail network winds its way through the forest and offers magnificent views of the lower and higher falls. Further downstream, you can swim in deeper and calmer water.

Cathedral Grove

Majestic Douglas firs

MacMillan Provincial Park is not a big park, but the trees certainly top everything. This is where a stand of enormous Douglas firs grows, also known as Cathedral Grove. The oldest trees are around 800 years old, are 75 metres high and have a diameter of nine meters. Because of the wet climate, many of the trees are overgrown with moss and the forest floor is covered with ferns that give it a unique character.

Sandcut Falls

Hidden beaches

At Sandcut Beach, the river Jordan flows into the ocean like a waterfall. It spills from a rock plateau onto the beach. Sandcut Beach is part of Jordan River Regional Park and is not far from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. A short walk through the forest brings you to this hidden gem.

Tofino

Surf paradise

The road to surf town Tofino wasn't paved until 1959 to connect it to the outside world. Today there is a highway (H4) that leads to this popular surfing destination and the gateway to Pacific Rim National Park, yet it remains remote.

Pradeep

Tofino is perched on the edge of the North-American continent. This small town is known as the surfing capital of Canada, and every year thousands of surfers flock here to test their skills in the cold waters.

Pacific Rim National Park

British Columbia in a nutshell

Endless crashing waves, rock plateaus with tide pools and a green cathedral of temperate rainforest: all of this in only 510 km2. Pacific Rim National Park is perhaps the perfect reflection of British Columbia.

The park is divided into three areas. Long Beach Unit stretches between the fishing communities, Ucluelet and Tofino. Here you can take incredible walks. The Broken Group Islands is an archipelago of more than a hundred islands that offers excellent sea kayaking. Finally, you will find the West Coast Trail in the south of the park. It is a 75 km long hiking trail that takes five to seven days to trek.

Steven Rose

You are almost guaranteed to spot at least one. Also a multitude of sea lions, whales and sea otters can be spotted here.

Telegraph Cove

Kayaking among orcas

The photogenic Telegraph Cove with its colourful houses is a popular starting point for kayakers and whale watchers. Every summer, the Johnstone Strait, the narrow strait between the mainland and Vancouver Island, is home to numerous pods of orca whales.