island travel index

your guide to travelling around Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast

The Vancouver Island region is a large, sparsely populated area encompassing Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and a portion of the mainland. Visitors are enthralled by this mesmerizing region, and rightly so - it is home to one of the world's most diverse ecosystems including rainforest, marshes, meadows, beaches, mountains, oceans, rivers and lakes, making it a premier location for whale watching, bird watching, salmon and trout fishing. Multitudes of other wildlife species thrive here too. No wonder the island was ranked North America's Top Island in 2005 in the Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards.

Much of this region has been protected as parkland, with pockets of astonishing old-growth fir and cedar forests and rare, naturally occurring groves of Garry oak. Vancouver Island is bisected, north to south, by the Beaufort Mountain Range, which is home to one of Canada's biggest all-natural ski bases.

The beauty and tranquility of this region has long been a draw for artists and artisans. Galleries, studios and shops selling unique, locally produced arts and crafts are found in the city and town centres, especially on the Gulf Islands.