Itinerary

Day 1: Vancouver - Lund

Your guide will meet you at your hotel this morning then we’ll head over the Lions Gate Bridge to the Sea to Sky Highway and Horseshoe Bay. Today is ferry day, as we hop on and off a couple of daily ferries that ply the waters of the Inside Passage you might want to stay on deck to share the sites that greeted Captain Vancouver and his seamen as they charted the Inside Passage, undaunted by vertical mountain faces soaring out of these waters rich with sea life. Working our way North through the many small coastal towns and Saltry Provincial Park we will see what still remains of the majestic coastal forest that greeted the early fortune seekers from Europe. In our approach to Lund, where the main highway across Canada ends, we can enjoy the magnificence of the sun beginning to set beyond the Pacific Ocean. Accommodation: Hotel with private or ensuite bathroom Meals included: Breakfast

Day 2: Lund

Today we take a boat tour into the heart of wilderness, though Desolation Sound, up Hum- phray Channel, and into Toba Inlet. The farther you go, the more stunning the surroundings and wildlife become. A trip of a lifetime, for serious adventurers! Our aim is to get up to the Brem River in the Toba Inlet, and there are many wonderful stops along the way. Join the sailing fraternity, back in Lund, at the Laughing Oyster, for some very classy dining on the wharf and, possibly, live music. Accommodation: Hotel with private or ensuite bathroom Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 3: Lund - Quadra Island

Enjoy a seaside coffee before saying farewell to the friendly little sailing village of Lund and an hour's drive south to catch the ferry to Comox, on Vancouver Island. Originally called "Quadra and Vancouver" Island after Spanish navigator Juan de la Bodega y Quadra and British naval officer George Vancouver, the island was the subject of much economic dispute between the British and Spanish crowns during the 18th and 19th centuries. Throughout the late 19th century, many Royal Navy war ships anchored in Comox Bay, prompting the con- struction of the Comox Wharf in 1893. The Comox Valley today is an agricultural and culinary hot spot combining more than 445 farms and dozens of restaurants and food producers We continue on to Campbell River and the ferry out to Quadra Island. We will be on Quadra for two nights. Accommodation: Hotel with private or ensuite bathroom Meals included: Breakfast

Day 4: Quadra Island

Today we go on a Grizzly Bear Safari with our Indian Homalco Band guides, with a boat trip into the Inside Passage to the far coast; here we travel up the shoreline to various viewing locations to view the Grizzly Bears catching and feasting on the Fall salmon run. We will have ample time to get acquainted with these fascinating creatures who are quick enough to catch a salmon, robust enough to sit in the frigid cold sea, and totally absorbed by the feast not to worry about their human spectators! We have lunch and move on to another location. We end the day back at the Lodge for dinner. Accommodation: Hotel with private or ensuite bathroom Meals included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 5: Quadra Island - Tofino

Again, too soon, we have to leave and head West to Tofino. The West coast of Vancouver Is- land is beaten with wind, rain and high seas from the Pacific. However, in the summer it has glorious sunny days with long expansive beaches that betray the beating they took during the winter months! But the evidence is there, in the lush coastal rain forest and towering coastal fir. Note changes in the landscape as we cross over Vancouver Island from East to West. Enjoying the sun set over the Pacific horizon we will spend the night in Tofino. Accommodation: Hotel with private or ensuite bathroom Meals included: Breakfast, picnic lunch

Day 6: Tofino

Embark again on to a small boat to explore the coast line for our whale watching safari or a hot spring tour, to see not just the Orca Killer whales (if possible) but also the myriad of mar- ine life species along the Pacific coastline of |Vancouver Island. We will also take a walk in the famous Long Beach National Park – maybe catch a few surfers in our camera lenses. Accommodation: Hotel with private or ensuite bathroom Meals: on own

Day 7: Tofino - Victoria

If we leave reasonably early from Tofino we'll get in to Victoria early in the afternoon with plenty of time to explore the inner harbour, parliament buildings. Hadley Gardens, and if you still haven't had your fill of whale watching, take a whale watching tour. Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia, is steeped in the history of empire as well as of the original peoples that inhabited the coastal regions. It will surprise you to learn for how long this richly provident region has supported populations that were significant and extensive in size. Overnight Victor- ia. Accommodation: Hotel with private or ensuite bathroom Meals: on own

Day 8: Victoria - Vancouver

Explore Victoria freely this morning taking in some of the things you didn't have time for yes- terday afternoon. Get some of your questions answered at the Museum of British Columbia, take a whale watching tour, or just enjoy a coffee on the seafront. Before leaving Victoria we will visit the Famous Bouchard Gardens and then leave by ferry, for Vancouver, in the after- noon. Accommodation: Hotel with private or ensuite bathroom Meals included: Breakfast

Day 9: Vancouver and Beyond!

Today is the end of the tour. There are a few options from here, either continue onto the “Rocky Mountain Discovery Tour” with Wild Goose Tours, or we can get you a transfer to the airport for your flight home, or even book you onto a cruise up to Alaska! What will you choose?