Here Are The best Things To Do On Vancouver Island

Our guide to the best activities on vancouver island from a local adventure guiding company!

Vancouver Island is one of the best places to visit during your summer vacation to Canada and there are almost unlimited things to do on Vancouver Island for virtually every kind of visitor! With so many possible activities and places to see on the Island, it can be hard to narrow down and choose the right ones for your trip. We’ve written this guide to the top things to do on Vancouver Island to help you plan your trip and find the best activities and attractions.

Most of the activities that we have listed below are available year round, though we would recommend a summer visit to the Island, as the weather is far nicer between the months of May to October. The summer months have the best weather, but also are more crowded as most people plan their vacations there.

Best Things To Do Near Tofino & Ucluelet

One of the most popular places to visit on Vancouver Island is Tofino and Ucluelet on the West Coast of the island. Visitors come here to watch the waves crashing on the rugged, rocky shores, or walk on the endless sandy beaches in the glow of the Pacific Sunset. The West Coast features some amazing wildlife viewing opportunities, as well as many unique places to explore that are only accessible by boat. Below are some of the best things to do in Tofino and the surrounding area.

Go Beach Hopping

Tofino is famous for beaches, if nothing else. Long Beach stretches for over 18 km so you could literally spend the entire day taking that cliche walk on the beach. Cox Bay offers a short hike to an overlook, as well as some of the best surfing on Vancouver Island. Mackenzie Beach is a fantastic place for sunset viewing, or having a beach fire or to go paddle boarding with it’s protected water. Tonquin Beach is a scenic little hideaway with a nice walking trail that heads South along the shoreline to some smaller, pocket beaches.

You can access some more difficult to reach beaches too, if escaping the crowds is your thing. Try taking the water taxi to Vargas Island and hiking the Wild Side Trail to fins some remote beaches, or hike to Radars Beach on the unmarked bush trail.

Go Surfing

Tofino is the surf capital of Canada, so naturally surfing is one of the top activities in Tofino! Summer months bring some gentle swell that is perfect for learning on. Advanced surfers prefer the fall and winter months, where swell comes in from storms further North, bringing some bigger waves to the beaches.

For a summer surf session in Tofino, head to Cox Bay or Long Beach to surf the knee high waves that come in. Each beach is typically best as the tide transitions from low to high.

Go Whale Watching

With tons of humpbacks and grey whales passing by and spending time around the Island, as well as a healthy population of orcas, whale watching is on of the best things to do on Vancouver Island. Whale watching tours in Tofino are available everyday with two or three departure times. You can choose from several companies, and also choose between a covered boat or an open zodiac style boat. We suggest the open zodiac boats, as the open air offers more excitement!

Local Tip: Go for an early morning departure, so you are out before the wind affects the water. This makes for a more comfortable ride and better chances of spotting whales!

Soak In Hot Springs

Another one of the best things to do in Tofino is to book a boat tour to Hot Springs Cove. This is a full day adventure with a 1.5 hour boat trip to the cove and back. When you are at Hot Springs Cove, you land and hike 40 minutes along a beautiful rainforest boardwalk to the tip of the point, where you are greeted with some idyllic hot springs flowing off a waterfall and through some small rock pools. This is one of the coolest west coast experiences!

Go Kayaking

Nothing beats a trip into the west coast wilderness than a guided sea kayaking tour through some serene coastal beauty. From Tofino or Ucluelet, you can book a range of guided sea kayak experiences, ranging from short beginner tours to full day tours for advanced paddlers. There are great chances of seeing wildlife on your paddle, and the scenery is guaranteed!

Zipline Down A Canyon

Roughly an hour from Tofino and on the road between Tofino and the rest of the Island, lies a picture perfect canyon, complete with guided zipline tours from Westcoast Wild. With certified guides, you can explore the rim and bottom of the canyon, climbing along ladders, bridges and flying along a zipline. This is a fantastic way to experience the beautiful and unique landscape of the Kennedy River.

Go Fishing

Tofino, being a coastal town, is a natural choice for keen fishermen. But you don’t need to be an avid fisherman to enjoy a guided fishing charter! The boat ride offers opportunity to see marine life, like whales and sea lions, and the chance of catching some massive fish always adds an element of excitement! Fishing is one of the best activities on Vancouver Island!

Things to Do Around Victoria

Go Orca Spotting

Victoria is the perfect jump off spot for whale watching tours, as the waters of the Juan De Fuca and Georgia Straits are filled with whales of many types! Even better, the San Juan Islands are within range of some fast boats and this is where you have an excellent chance of spotting orcas as they cruise through the water in search of prey. Orcas are one of the most coveted animals to spot on the west coast!

Visit A Winery

Not far from Victoria is Lake Cowichan, which has become one of BC’s fastest growing wine regions! You can drive from Victoria and take your pick of several wineries, each with their own distinct flavors and some world class wines. While winery hopping may not be what you imagined as one of the best things to do on Vancouver Island, the wine will soon change your mind!

Try Some Local Beer At A Brewery

Victoria is home to several amazing breweries! Some of them are right on the coast, while others closer to downtown. Their tap rooms beckon to thirsty visitors after a big day of exploration on Vancouver Island. Try Vancouver Island Brewery, Phillips, or Spinnakers for some delicious local beer inspired by the natural elements of the west coast!

Hike Mount Doug

One of the best things to do on Vancouver Island is hike, and Mount Doug in Victoria offers the perfect place to get up high and enjoy some views! Mount Doug is near the downtown area in Victoria and can be hiked up in roughly 40 minutes. From the top, you have 360 degree views and can enjoy the sunrise or the sunset- or both!

Explore Goldstream park

Goldstream Provincial Park is just on the North edge of Victoria and offers some amazing nature based activities. During the late summer and early autumn, you can see salmon swimming up the riverbed, right through the park! There is an incredible waterfall a few minutes from the parking lot, plus some old growth cedar groves and Mount Finlayson offers an excellent day hike.

See Cool Trees At Beacon hill Park

Beacon Hill Park offers several amazing experiences in one visit near the core of downtown Victoria. There is a petting zoo, one of the tallest totem poles in BC, as well as a park filled with a wide variety of beautiful trees. Right across the road is Dallas Point, and Mile Zero of the Alaska Highway! No wonder Beacon Hill Park is one of the top attractions in Victoria.

Hike The Coast In East Sooke park

It’s hard to beat a good hike along the coast in Victoria, and East Sooke Park is surely the best place to go hiking around Victoria. The 10 kilometer long shoreline trail passes rugged bluffs, petroglyphs and sandy beaches, complete with a rope swing! You can hike the full trail, or park at either end and walk halfway. East Sooke Park is one of the best parks on Vancouver Island! Sooke is not far away, so you can pop in for a visit and refresh at the Sooke Brewery after your hike in the park!

Go Swimming In Sooke Potholes

Also near Sooke are the Sooke Pothole, which are basically some crystal clear, warm waters passing through some natural pools in the river. This is a local favorite bathing spot, and a great place to cool off on a hot day! This pair nicely with a hike in East Sooke Park, or a trip of the West Coast to Port Renfrew.

Things To Do On The North island

Visit Quadra Island

Quadra Island, while not exactly on Vancouver Island, is just a short ferry ride from Campbell River and a visit to Quadra Island can be on of the most relaxing experiences during your Vancouver Island vacation. Quadra Island is one of the Discovery Islands, and is home to Rebecca Spit Provincial Park. This park features a sheltered bay, usually baking hot in the summer months, with a gorgeous point and campground to relax at. The views of Desolation Sound and the surrounding Coast Mountains in the distance are incredible and the paddling opportunities from here are endless.

Visit Strathcona Park

Strathcona Park is one of the best parks on Vancouver Island and should be on your radar if you are visiting the North half of the Island. You can access Strathcona Park from Courtenay, or from Campbell River to enter the heart of the park. Strathcona Park offers a lifetime of hiking and exploration, crammed into the oldest park in BC! There are hikes that take you to thundering waterfalls, hikes that take you through strands of massive old growth trees and hikes that take you way up high into the Alpine. There is absolutely no doubt that visiting Strathcona Park is one of the best things to do on Vancouver island!

Soak Up The Sun At Saratoga and Miracle Beaches

One of the top attractions on Vancouver Island are the beaches! There are beaches around every corner and in every region. Some of the best beaches on the North Island are Saratgoa Beach and Miracle beach. Both are located right between Campbell River and Comox, and face east so you have uninterrupted views of the coast mountains and the Strait of Georgia. The water is relatively warm in the summer months and there is no current, makin this an ideal place to swim or lay out a beach towel and relax!

Go Caving At Horne Lake Caves

For those that prefer something a little more adventurous, you can visit the Horne Lake Caves, where you can enter a few caves on your own, or take a guided tour to enter the deeper and darker caves. A light is essential, which is included in the guided tours of the caves. Bring a warm layer, because the air inside the caves is typically a lot cooler than the air outside. You could easily spend half a day exploring the caves.

Bike The Trails In Cumberland

One of the activities Cumberland is known for is the mountain biking, which is said to be some of the best in BC. You can ride your bike up the hills, or walk it up and bike down. There are hundreds of kilometers of trails here, stretching far in the Island backcountry. Mountain biking in general is one of the best things to do on Vancouver Island, and this is the number one destination!

Walk The Oyster River Trail

The Oyster River Trail is a short hike between the old island highway and the coast, just north of Courtenay, BC. You can park your car along the highway and walk along the beautiful river trail, emerging out at the coast. Luckily there is a pub right where the trail emerges, so you can pop in for a pint before heading back to your car!

Go Bear Watching In Knight Inlet

Vancouver Island is known for it’s wildlife and the bears re one of the most exciting animals to see on the Island. The black bears on the island are nothing compared to the Grizzlies you can see on the mainland, very close to the Island. We’d recommend taking a boat tour into Knight Inlet to see the grizzly bears at work, as they come out to eat at low tide, or catch salmon that swim up the rivers! Seeing the grizzlies eating salmon is one of the most amazing experiences on Vancouver Island.

What Will You Do During Your Vancouver Island Visit?

We hope that you find this guide on Vancouver Island’s best things to do very helpful in planning your trip to the West Coast! Whether you are visiting with family, yourself or a romantic trip, in the summer or winter, these activities will keep you busy!

While this is a large list of things to do, there are so many adventures on Vancouver Island that we couldn’t include here. You can visit our Vancouver Island Tours Packages page to see if any of our Island tours are right for you!

The Best Things To Do On Vancouver island