I need help in choosing a right location for everything we want to do on our 9 days getaway vacation in September.We would like to stay on Victoria Island and take a day trip for salmon/halibut fishing, bear watching horse back riding etc.What would be the best place to stay on Victoria Island. Close to Campbell river or should we stay on main land ? I would really appreciate all input I can get !

*Edited to correct spelling in title*

This message has been edited. Last edited by: teaberry,

Hello Nat

Victoria island? Are you sure you want to go there?


G

Nat, do you mean Vancouver Island? Or Victoria Island?

Clarification from the source: "Travellers frequently use the term Victoria Island when referring to Vancouver Island but, in this context, the name Victoria Island is a misnomer. Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada, and is located on southern Vancouver Island."

Campbell River is on Vancouver Island so I would think that is what Nat is meaning.

Certainly Campbell River is renowned for great fishing - no promise that you would actually see a bear though!

Nat, Vancouver Island is a one and a half hour ferry ride from the mainland. If you take the Horseshoe Bay/Departure Bay (Nanaimo) ferry you have a 2 hr drive up to Campbell River. If you take the Tsawwassen/Swartz Bay (Victoria) ferry it is 3 1/2 hours to Campbell River. The advantage of the Tsawwassen/Swartz Bay ferry is that this route is through the Gulf Islands so beautiful scenery along with the possibility of seeing whales, and then you land in Victoria where you may want to spend a day or two.

There are lots of fishing lodges in and around Campbell River which might be your best bet for accommodation plus guides. I can't help you with names because I know nothing about fishing.

you can tell geographically i am totally lost. please guide me away.can we stay in Vic city and get all don from there ?

or simply asked from the experts eye where should we stay to do all and not travel hundreds of miles from Vancouver ? Aaaaa !! totally lost ! I AM FLORIDIAN ! Got a house in the Keys and willing to tread time off ! Help please

Nat, Here is a map of Vancouver Island. It is a pretty large island, and Victoria is the main city. As you can see from the map, the city of Victoria is located at the extreme Southern tip of the Island. You will also note that Vancouver the city is on the continent. The connection between the City of Vancouver and the Island of Vacouver is made by using ferries.

Here is an excellent website which deals with transportation within the Canadian Province of British Columbia, where the two Vancouvers (the city and the Island) are located. The same website allows you to order information material on British Columbia. I would suggest to you to use it for ordering information on Vancouver Island and on the ferry services to the Island.

If you are an AAA member, AAA makes available to its members very good guides to all Canadian provinces, including to British Columbia.

Sheena gave you above some distances for consideration.

In planning your trip you will have to consider ferrying from the continent (Vancouver the city) to Vancouver Island. Beautiful Victoria, the main city on the Island, merits in itself a stay of at least two days.

Doru,Sheena and everyone else thank you so much for this great info ! I will stop by AAA for guides.My personal interest is horseback riding, whales watching and photography.One day of salmon fishing for Ray and me watching him fishing would be plenty enough. As long as I do not have to clean the fish

Hello Nat

If you really want to go horseback riding consider heading up the 100 Mile House.

http://www.bctravelguide.ca/ca...orseback.riding.aspx

On the island you can consider this place, just north of Victoria.

http://www.alpinestable.com/

I am not aware of any outfits providing horseback riding in Campbell River; it is mostly a fishing spot.

Another thing to consider:

Arrive in Vancouver, drive to 100 Mile House thur bear country, horseback riding country par excellence, then BC Ferries overnight through the inside passage to Vancouver island, stop in Campbell River, fishing capital of NA, south to Victoria, back to Vancouver

Then you will have seen and experienced it all

G

Hello Nat

Here is the link to what I am suggesting.

http://www.bcferries.com/trave...discovery_coast.html

We did the tour in reverse starting in Victoria since we live here. Went to Vancouver and then counter clockwise back to Vancouver island.

Either way works and you can spend as much as you want.

G

I would also look at the BC Tourism site. They have some excellent pages on fishing and Whale Watching.

I think it is going to be hard to specifically find one place for everything on your list. Vancouver Island would give you the most opportunities for fishing, whale and wildlife watching. Horseback riding will probably be better on the mainland. You may need to split up the trip as Giulia suggested keeping in mind the time for driving travel between mainland and island. And also travel time on the island. For example, I have wanted to visit Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island but it is almost 4 hours from Victoria. I'm coming from Seattle so I have to add an addition 4-5 hours.

If you do stay some time on the mainland - I would also suggest Whistler. It is a big ski resort but it also has fun summer activities. September is the end of summer so it should be less busy.

Hi Nat,

A few comments that might help with your planning. Vancouver Island is quite long as others have said and it takes about 6 hours to drive from one end to the other, so unless you are happy to stay in more than one location you probably won't achieve all your wishes

Victoria at the southern end is lovely and there are a number of interesting things to do and see there. Whale watching tours are available there.

Campbell River is a lovely area too and about 3 and a half hours drive north of Victoria and is certainly a best location for salmon fishing. You can even go snorkeling in the river and get up real close with the salmon if you don't want to fish.

As regards bear watching, there are no grizzly bears on Vancouver Island, but it is still by far the best place to see them! You will need to go 2 and a half hours north of Campbell River to Telegraph Cove and do a bear and salmon day tour which goes by boat up Knight Inlet (which is on the mainland) - look at Tide Rip Grizzly Tours .

If it helps have a look at our week on the island by clicking here The bear-salmon trip was by far the highlight of our week on the island, so if you can manage it, I'm sure you won't regret it.

Hope the planning and the trip go well

Graham

amazing information here.Lots of planning to do.I noticed on Victoria website we can do a day trip for salmon fishing from there. Any comments about that?

Hello Nat

Salmon fishing out of Victoria:

Normally they would take out to a place called Sooke, about 30-45 min west of Victoria, up the west coast.

You can also simply drive out there yourself and check out the sites and coastline, especially beyond Sooke.

G