I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.
Skipping Vancouver Island on your trip through Western Canada is like going to Arizona and skipping the Grand Canyon. You would miss out on a tremendous amount of beauty.
From Vancouver you can take the ferry from Tsawassen (Vancouver) to Schwartz Bay (Victoria).
I visited Vancouver Island last October. I must admit, it’s not the best time of year weather wise but if you want to avoid the crowds, this is definitely your travel period. And it’s Vancouver Island after all, so you can except rain any time of year.
Victoria is quite cozy with a bunch of nice places to eat and drink. One of those place is Jam Cafe in Victoria. An awesome breakfast place with delicious food ! Go check it out before you start your stroll through the streets of the capital city of British Columbia.
From Victoria I started a day trip to Port Renfrew. Don’t except a lot of traffic on this Highway 14 once you passed Sooke. That’s where the beautiful and sometimes bumpy road of Vancouver Island begin. We drove all the way until the end of Highway 14 where you will find the Juan de Fuca Trailhead. You can park your car there and make a nice hike to Botanical Beach where some hikers start the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. A 47 km trail between Port Renfrew and China Beach. Unfortunately I only have a few hours left on the clock until I have to be back in Victoria. But no worries, there was time enough to get myself into some trouble.
On the way back through Port Renfrew we made a stop at the Port Renfrew Hotel for lunch. Unfortunately it was raining so we had to eat our lunch inside instead of the nice porch in the back. Once we stepped inside we could definitely separate the tourists from the locals. One of those locals walked up to my friend once we went outside and he told us about this beautiful grove we should check out. The Avatar Grove. The way to get there was kind of descriptive. They only thing missing was a wooden leg and an eyepatch to believe I was on my way to have a great storyline for a new Indiana Jones movie.
After making some snaps at the pier we took our chances and made our way to our next adventure.
It only took us one wrong turn before we found the first handmade sign to the grove. A little further we came across a fork in the road with no sign but made a right turn. From this point on we had to brace ourselves for some serious potholes so keep your eyes open. This bumpy road goes on for a while.
Just when we were almost convinced we took the wrong turn we saw a sign along the road with Avatar Grove. No parking lot, no cars, no other people since we left Port Renfrew. We parked our car along the road and made our way to the entrance.
It rained a little harder now.
We started with the lower trail and stumbled upon a hand drawn map that looked like a circle with a crooked stick and some tree names written on it. After all, the map was pretty accurate but unfortunately we had to turn around after five minutes because the whole trail was flooded.
We turned around and started the upper trail. This part of the trail also contained the Gnarly Tree. We made our way along the like coloured markers through the trees. They made it a lot easier to continue our trail. Due to the rainfall some parts of the trail were under water or washed out a bit. At the end of the Upper Trail you will find the Gnarly Tree, a giant curved tree.
I cannot describe the exhilaration I felt to walk between these massive trees. You feel so small but at the same time you feel one with this incredible place.
Getting soaked is part of the ‘Rainforest Experience’ !
So glad our local guy told my friend about this place.
But it’s time to move on.
From Victoria we left the following day to Ucluelet and Tofino, two awesome beach villages on the west coast of the island.
Our first stop was in Ucluelet where we rested our heads in the ‘Surfs Inn Hostel‘. This hostel has a good location and is a great place to meet other people. I would recommend this place to anyone. A lot of surfers stay here and they also give surf lessons (with a discount) if you stay there. Don’t forget to write your name on one of the surf boards before you leave.
Highlight of Ucluelet was the Wild Pacific Trail. This loop is an easy walk as long as the strong winds are not blowing you right into the ocean. It took me three minutes to get soaking wet. So make sure you bring a lot of clothes to the island because my clothes from the Avatar Grove where still drying on the backseat of my car. Or just bring waterproof clothes.
The drive from Ucluelet to Tofino goes along the Pacific Rim Highway and you are driving along a handful of amazing beaches. Make sure to make some stops here and also stop at Tacofino Cantina for some great food.
Tofino itself is just a paradise for every water sport fanatic and has a very chill vibe and is filled with young people. I absolutely loved it and hope to come back to this area to explore it some more.
And this is only a tip of the iceberg of what Vancouver Island has to offer so give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed !
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The World on a Wim 