Vancouver Island tours and things to do

Vancouver Island is in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of British Columbia, about 97 km (60 miles) west of Vancouver, and Tourism Vancouver Island describes it as a 460 km (285 mile) island. This page covers the tours Voyzo lists on the west coast around Tofino and Ucluelet, around Nanaimo, Parksville and Qualicum Beach, and at Campbell River. Victoria and the south have their own page: Victoria tours.

BC Ferries sails from Horseshoe Bay and Tsawwassen to Nanaimo and from Tsawwassen to Victoria. Its fare guide effective 16 June 2026 lists a one-way adult fare of CAD 21.00 and a standard vehicle up to 20 feet at CAD 89.00 prepaid, plus a 5% fuel surcharge (checked 26 October 2026). Since 15 October 2025 a vehicle travelling from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay must be booked and paid in advance. Tourism Vancouver Island lists daily flights from Calgary and Edmonton to Victoria and Comox and from Calgary to Nanaimo, and notes that many flights to the island stop or transfer at Vancouver.

Tourism Tofino gives approximate drive times to Tofino of just under 3 hours from Nanaimo's Departure Bay ferry terminal (3 hours from Duke Point), 4 hours 20 minutes from downtown Victoria (4 hours 40 minutes from the Swartz Bay terminal) and 2 hours from Port Alberni; Ucluelet is on the same Highway 4. Tourism Tofino says that between 1 October and 31 March you must have winter tires or carry chains, and the BC government says winter-tire and chain signs apply from 1 October to 30 April, ending 31 March on some highways, so follow the roadside signs and check DriveBC before you go.

Voyzo does not offer it as a day trip. The Vancouver to Tofino 2-day private tour is two days and one night with a private vehicle and driver from your Vancouver-area hotel, because its tour page describes the drive as roughly 5 to 6 hours each way from Vancouver. The journey needs a BC Ferries crossing and then Highway 4, which Tourism Tofino puts at about 3 hours from Nanaimo to Tofino. Ask for a quote with your dates.

It depends on what you want. On the west coast, July and August are the driest months in Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1991–2020 normals for Cape Beale Light on Barkley Sound (52.1 mm and 84.9 mm of precipitation, average highs of 16.8 °C and 17.0 °C), while November is the wettest at 431.3 mm and Parks Canada lists storm watching among the Long Beach Unit's activities. Parks Canada lists the Broken Group Islands unit as open 1 May to 30 September. Cape Beale stands in for Tofino because the normals page returned no data for the Tofino A station when checked on 26 October 2026.

Parks Canada's fee page, read on 26 October 2026, lists daily admission at CAD 12.25 for an adult (18 to 64), CAD 10.75 for a senior (65 and over) and CAD 24.50 for a family or group of up to seven people in one vehicle; youth aged 17 and under are free. A separate Beach Walk rate of CAD 7.75 for an adult, valid for up to four hours, applies at the Long Beach, Kwisitis, Incinerator and Wickaninnish parking lots only. The page shows 3 December 2025 as its date modified and names no year, so confirm the rate before you go.

At Chesterman Beach the District of Tofino says on-leash dogs are welcome at all its beaches. At Long Beach, in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Parks Canada's bulletins list a dog prohibition from Green Point to the southern boundary of the Long Beach Unit (listed with the date 10 February 2026) and a warning for wolves in the unit, and its guidance says dogs that cannot be left at home must be on a leash. Check Parks Canada's bulletins on the day of your visit.

BC Parks says Nism̓aakqin Park, where the hot springs are, is accessible by boat and float plane from Tofino, Ucluelet, Hot Springs Cove, Tahsis and Gold River, and that a 2 km boardwalk leads from the dock to the springs. The former Maquinna Marine Park was renamed Nism̓aakqin Park in 2025. Anyone offering guiding or vessel drop-offs must hold a park-use permit, and BC Parks names the approved transport operators on its park page. At winter high tides the pools fill with cold sea water. Voyzo lists no Hot Springs Cove tour on this page.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada says all recreational fishers need a B.C. Tidal Waters Sport Fishing licence to harvest fish or shellfish in salt water, plus a salmon conservation stamp if salmon are kept. Its 2026/27 fees, excluding GST and read on 26 October 2026, include CAD 6.46 for a one-day licence at age 16 and over (resident; CAD 8.62 non-resident). Ask Voyzo whether the licence is arranged for your Campbell River or French Creek fishing charter.

Canada's Marine Mammal Regulations (Justice Laws, regulations current to 30 September 2026) set an approach distance of 100 m for whales, dolphins and porpoises in Canadian fisheries waters, 200 m for killer whales in Pacific waters, and 200 m for any whale, dolphin or porpoise that is resting or with a calf. No sighting is promised on a whale-watching tour; Destination Campbell River says what you may see depends on the season.

The festival's own website lists the 2027 dates as 13 to 20 March. It takes place in Tofino, Ucluelet and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and celebrates the return of Pacific grey whales on their northern migration along the west coast of Vancouver Island. The festival's calendar page showed only the 2026 programme when checked on 26 October 2026 and says the 2027 calendar will be available in January.

Parks Canada says the Broken Group Islands are only accessible by boat, and that paddling to them from Ucluelet or Bamfield is not recommended because of the exposed Imperial Eagle and Loudon Channels. It lists the unit as open 1 May to 30 September and warns of cold water (7 to 15 °C), fog and tidal currents. Voyzo's private kayak day tour is a guided trip of 6 to 8 hours that meets at the operator's dock in Ucluelet; its tour page does not say how the group crosses to the islands, so ask for the route in your quote.

Mostly not. BC Parks says the caves are only accessible by guided tour, with tours leaving every hour from 9 am to 5 pm in summer months and at various times through the rest of the year; the same page also mentions two small caves visitors can explore on their own, so check the park page first. A helmet and light are provided on guided tours, and the trails and caves are not wheelchair-accessible. The park is 60 km north of Nanaimo, and Voyzo lists no Horne Lake Caves tour on this page.

Yes. Cathedral Grove is the old-growth Douglas fir stand in MacMillan Park, 25 km west of Qualicum Beach and 16 km east of Port Alberni on Highway 4, the road to Tofino and Ucluelet, which runs through the park. BC Parks says some trees are more than 800 years old and asks visitors to stay off the trails on windy days. Voyzo's Vancouver to Tofino 2-day tour makes a short stop there on Highway 4.

The Nanaimo tour is a 4-hour charter on which the boat and crew are reserved for your group. The Parksville tour is 3.5 hours with a marine-wildlife photography specialist. The Campbell River tour is 4 to 6 hours in a small boat in the Discovery Islands, limited to 6 guests, from Quadra Island or Campbell River. All three are private and none can promise a sighting.

Only people entering Canada from another country need to check. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says visa-exempt foreign nationals need an eTA to fly to or transit through a Canadian airport but not when arriving by car, bus, train or boat, and that US citizens are exempt from the eTA and must carry proper identification such as a valid US passport. Its page shows the date 23 April 2024, so check the current rules.

All 12 tours on this page are private, booked for your group alone, and Voyzo lists no shared Vancouver Island tours today. If you would prefer a shared tour, say so in the quote form and the team tells you what is available. Voyzo takes your booking and stays your point of contact; the tours are arranged with independent local operators, as section 10 of the Terms and Conditions describes.

Voyzo shows no price online: each tour is quoted by email for your group, and the cards say Price on request. Send your date, group size and the tour you want and the Voyzo team replies with the price. Whether ferry fares, park admission or a fishing licence are included is confirmed in your quote. Sending a request books nothing and takes no payment.