The Best Tours and Guided Trips On Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is one of the best summer destinations for adventure travelers in Canada and for good reason! The lifetime supply of beaches, rainforest, lakes and mountains offer endless adventures, making Vancouver Island one of the most popular travel destinations in Canada.
With so much to do and such a vast playground to explore, booking a guided tour package, or a series of day tours can be the best way to experience the abundant gems that Vancouver Island has to offer! With a guided Vancouver Island tour you can take advantage of the local knowledge of your guide and the experience of the tour companies who have worked out the best way to do things! Sure beats having to learn the hard way on your own!
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island stretches 700 kilometers in length and lies just to the West of Vancouver. The Island is home to a huge variety of terrain and landscapes, making it a year round destination. Most people don’t realize how big the mountains on the Island really are! Another defining feature of Vancouver Island are the old growth forests and coastal rain forest that cover the Island in a thick, lush oasis. While the mountains and vibrant forests may have a strong allure, the main attraction above all is the rugged, rocky coast, wrapping all the way around the Island. The west coast is notably rugged and wild, while the east coast is more approachable, with many beaches along the Strait of Georgia.
Vancouver Island Destinations
Here are some of the most popular destinations to visit on Vancouver Island, offering a variety of experiences and landscapes. These are some of the must see places on Vancouver Island.
Victoria
The main city on Vancouver Island, Victoria is where you will most likely fly in and out of. Victoria is a lovely city with a lot of great dining and some really nice coastal walks.
Tofino & Ucluelet
Canada’s favorite surf town and the most popular holiday destination on Vancouver Island. Tofino and Ucluelet are the best west coast destinations, offering surf, fishing, wildlife tours and incredible beaches.
Campbell River & Courtenay/ Comox
Campbell River is the gateway to the north section of Vancouver Island and to Strathcona Park as well as the launching point for the Discovery Islands and Desolation Sound. Come here for ocean adventures, hiking, lakes and kayaking.
The Best Tours Of Vancouver Island
Below is our collection of the best things to do on Vancouver Island for the adventure traveler. Some of these are Vancouver Island day tours, and some are the best Vancouver Island tour packages, which cover multiple days and curate a number of incredible experiences. We always suggest a full tour package, as this takes care of so much planning for you, and encompasses such a wide range of experiences, but if you prefer to put your own trip together, the day tours on this page are a great way to spice up your trip!
The Best Multiday Tours and Vacation Packages on Vancouver Island
Fresh Adventures- Surf & Cedars Wellness Retreat
We admit, this is our tour, but we just redesigned it and honestly believe this is one of the best tours on Vancouver Island. This is our take on yoga retreats, bringing a fresh, adventurous element to wellness retreats! Spend 5 days in Tofino, enjoying the wild west coast of Vancouver Island with several incredible activities available to try each day. Ride a boat through the ocean wilderness of Clayoquot Sound to soak in a remote set of natural hot springs right on the edge of the ocean. Embark on an educational foraging tour to learn the art of living off the bountiful west coast with delicacies like mushrooms, seaweeds, berries and much more! Spend a day beach hopping by e-bike along the famous beaches between Tofino and Ucluelet with your group and guide! Mornings and evenings are filled with relaxing beach yoga sessions, group activities or soaking up the pacific sunset from your ocean view hot tub! How could this not be one of the best tours on Vancouver Island?!
Length: 5 Days
Location: Victoria, Tofino
Activities: Yoga, Cycling, Foraging, Hot Springs
Cost: TBD
Spirit Of The West- West Coast Kayaking & Whale Watching
Spend 5 days of bliss sea kayaking and whale watching in the Broughton Archipelago with Spirit of the West Adventures. This Vancouver Island tour package includes several days of guided sea kayaking, glamping at a beautiful wilderness location, and abundant opportunities to see orcas and whales. Delicious food, great guides and a whole lot of ocean magic make this an incredible experience and one of the best tours of Vancouver Island.
Length: 5 Days
Location: Telegraph Cove
Activities: Sea Kayaking
Cost: $2995
Coastal Bliss- West Coast Trail Guided Backpacking Trip
Try one of the most famous backpacking routes in Canada with this guided Vancouver Island tour. The West Coast Trail is one of the most sought after trails to complete in the country and for good reason! Over the course of 9 days you will pass through old growth forest, beaches, unique rock formations and ocean vistas galore. There are chances of seeing whales and other marine mammals from shore, and follow the path of ancient First Nations people who traveled this route originally.
Length: 9 Days
Location: Nanaimo
Activities: Backpacking
Cost: $2795
Vanisle Wildlife- Wolf Tracking Tour
This is a unique and interesting experience where you spend 4 days with local wildlife tracking experts in search of the coastal grey wolves that inhabit the west coast. Wake up early each morning to begin your tracking, stalking your quarry through the thick Vancouver Island forest. This Vancouver Island tour encourages you to slow down, unplug and be one hundred percent in the present, opening your senses to really take in your surroundings. If you are lucky you will be successful in your search and have the opportunity to see the wolves!
Length: 4 Days
Location: Various
Activities: Wolf Tracking
Cost: Varies
Maple Leaf Adventures- Whales & Totems
One of the best Vancouver Island tours is a week long sailing expedition with Maple Leaf Adventures in the Broughton Archipelago. Here you have an amazing opportunity to spot various whales as you pass through Blackfish Sound, and cruise past the Broughton Archipelago, which are renown for their orca population. Enjoy excursions to estuaries of rivers, visits to a First Nations village, as well as several stops at historic trading posts along the way. Delicious food, good company and local lore will keep you entertained while on board, and the west coast wilderness will do the rest!
Length: 6 Days
Location: Port McNeil
Activities: Cruising, Nature Hikes, Wildlife Viewing
Cost: $5300
The Best Day Tours On Vancouver Island
Remote Passages- Whale Watching
Spend a few hours searching for whales from Tofino with Remote Passages and you won’t regret your choice! Each year hundreds of grey whales and humpback whales migrate past Tofino between March to May. Resident whales frequent their various feeding spots from June to November too, so there are many opportunities to see these incredible animals living their natural routines. There are few experiences that are more cliche on Vancouver Island than a whale breaching right near your boat, misting you in their spray. Remote Passages offers one of the best zodiac whale watching tours on Vancouver Island, from their base right on the water in Tofino. Join them for a day and see some of these incredible animals!
Length: 3 Hours
Location: Tofino
Activities: Whale Watching
Cost: $160
Season: March to November
Oceanfix- Campbell River Salmon Snorkel (self-guided)
While this is no longer available as a guided tour, it is one of the coolest and most quintessentially Vancouver Islandesque experiences you can have! Most people dream of coming somewhere like Canada and witnessing the salmon run, and by trying this experience, you not only see the salmon run- you actually swim with the salmon. Imagine snorkeling down a river, coming across thousands of salmon as they make their way up the river! For this Vancouver Island activity, you can rent everything you need from Oceanfix in Campbell River, and drive yourself to the river.
Length: 1-2 Hours
Location: Campbell River
Activities: Snorkeling
Cost: $40
Season: Mid August to Late September
Cove Adventure Tours- San Josef Bay Guided Tour
For the few that are lucky enough to explore the northern tip of Vancouver Island this tour is among the best around! Spend a full day exploring the wonders of San Josef Bay in Cape Scott Provincial Park. Your guides are there to help you learn about the local flora and fauna, and well as the storied history of the area. You’ll be hiking up to 10 kilometers over the course of the day on a well maintained trail. The highlight of the tour is seeing the famous sea stacks that San Josef Bay is renown for! The remote nature of this experience make this one of the best Vancouver Island tours!
Length: 8 Hours
Location: Port Hardy
Activities: Hiking
Cost: $350
Paddle West- Viva Las Vargas Sea Kayak Tour
Paddle into the wild open expanse of Clayoquot Sound with your guide from Paddle West Kayaking in search of sandy beaches, ocean views and wildlife sightings. This is an intermediate kayaking tour on Vancouver Island, spanning roughly 6 hours. Start off by riding the tide from the Tofino Harbor to various stopping points along the way to the outer side of Vargas Island. Vargas Island is known for it’s wide open, empty beaches, abundant wildlife, and rugged beauty. Kayaking gives you the opportunity to soak in the sights at a slower pace, where you can really enjoy your time on the water. This is one of our favorite Vancouver Island tours and one that is available on our Vancouver Island camping adventure!
Length: 6 Hours
Location: Tofino
Activities: Sea Kayaking
Cost: $165
Campbell River Grizzly Bear Viewing- Bute Inlet Tour
Embark on a grizzly bear viewing tour from Campbell River and explore an endless labyrinth of ocean inlets and islands. Not only do you get the actual grizzly bear viewing experience, but also the lengthy boat ride to and from the Orford River. This is one of Vancouver Island’s best tours, offering you the chance to see these incredible bears in their natural habitat, as they feast on the salmon that are making their way up the rivers on mass. Keep your eyes peeled for marine life during your boat rides as well, since there are many whales, orcas and more around Campbell River!
Length: 9 Hours
Location: Campbell River
Activities: Bear Viewing
Cost: $500
Season: Mid August to Mid October