Vancouver Island is surely one of the best places in the world for whale watching enthusiasts? This vast island (over 450km long) is a wildlife-lover's paradise, with orca, black bear and coastal wolves among the highlights. Explore the rich coastline or island's interior for unrivalled wildlife viewing, either on your own or as part of an organised tour. There is a noticeable difference to the mainland and it certainly has an island charm to it, despite its size.
When to Go
Vancouver Island is spectacular to visit throughout the year, but if wildlife is your main focus then you need to visit as follows.
Summer is our favourite time of year to search for the wildlife of Vancouver Island. June in particular is the perfect time to see the rich marine life as they are reaching their peak in terms of numbers and activity, while the tourism numbers have not reached their peak. The birdlife is busy raising their young, while humpback whales arrive with their calves from their winter breeding grounds. Orca can be seen all around the island and it is probably the best place in the world to see them.
Autumn/Fall - as the summer comes to an end the bears are attracted to the river for the annual summer run. Vancouver Island is best known for watching its population for black bear, but there are grizzlies around too for the lucky few to catch a glimpse.
Summer is our favourite time of year to search for the wildlife of Vancouver Island. June in particular is the perfect time to see the rich marine life as they are reaching their peak in terms of numbers and activity, while the tourism numbers have not reached their peak. The birdlife is busy raising their young, while humpback whales arrive with their calves from their winter breeding grounds. Orca can be seen all around the island and it is probably the best place in the world to see them.
Autumn/Fall - as the summer comes to an end the bears are attracted to the river for the annual summer run. Vancouver Island is best known for watching its population for black bear, but there are grizzlies around too for the lucky few to catch a glimpse.
Getting there
Vancouver Island has excellent transport links and easily accessible from the mainland.
By Boat
For those of you who want to take the scenic route across to the island we suggest you hop aboard one of the numerous ferries from the mainland across to Vancouver Island. You can either join as a foot passenger or take a hire car, or RV across and explore the island on a self-drive adventure.
By Air
There are daily flights from Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver to the city of Victoria - from here you can hire a car, RV or join a dedicated tour.
By Boat
For those of you who want to take the scenic route across to the island we suggest you hop aboard one of the numerous ferries from the mainland across to Vancouver Island. You can either join as a foot passenger or take a hire car, or RV across and explore the island on a self-drive adventure.
By Air
There are daily flights from Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver to the city of Victoria - from here you can hire a car, RV or join a dedicated tour.
Where to Stay
Vancouver Island is the largest island of the west coast of the Americas, but we have a few suggestions for you.
Why not combine with
We recommend you combine Vancouver Island with the following destinations in Canada: