Still keen on emigrating to BC after I qualify as a pharmacist in 2013 (praying that they don't decide to take it off 'the list' before then as I was made up when I noticed they've recently put it on there!) and have just over 3 weeks of Canadian goodness looming at the end of August.

It's become more of a general holiday than a serious reccie as I figure I'm better seeing as many places as possible at this stage rather than concentrating on one or two towns/cities, so just wondered if I listed the places I'm going to be passing through (generally only a day or two in each area) if some of the locals (or people who've first hand experience!) could point out some must sees/do's?

After touchdown in Vancouver on 23/08, places I'll visit -

Vancouver
Whistler
Shuswap Lake
Banff
Jasper
Kelowna
Victoria
Cowichan Bay
Tofino
Nanaimo
Qualicum Beach (staying overnight in one of these - http://www.freespiritspheres.com/)
Courtenay/Comox
Port Hardy (thinking of walking the Cape Scott Trail, the only reason I'm heading so far North)

Any advice gratefully received,

Amy

Try to catch up on your rest beforehand as you won't have time to sleep once you get started on that marathon.

If those are all the places you are visiting in three weeks you won't have a lot of time to do much as you'll be spending a lot of it travelling.

I'd suggest the OP drops at least a third of those places and goes more for quality rather than quantity. There are some long journeys in her list.

Save the Rockies for a future trip, and it should be manageable. Have a look at the Juan de Fuca Trail rather than Cape Scott - you'll probably get better weather. Whistler might be best left to winter unless you're an avid mountain biker.

I agree. It is all going to go by in a blur otherwise.

I want one of those tree houses, I'm going to have a look when I get there! let me know if they move alot in the wind.

Have a fantastic time

Sarah x

A lot of driving but with over three weeks its doable. Basically two parts of the trip - Van to Rockies and back (2 weeks), then Vancouver Island (1 week), leaving a few extra days to explore Van and maybe a day trip to Whistler.

As for must do's:

Vancouver - cycle round the seawall / eat sushi / hike the north shore mountains
Whistler - cycle round the lakes and swim in lost lagoon / alta lake
Shuswap Lake - I've not been here
Banff - hike & camp
Jasper - ditto above
Kelowna - Visit wineries. If you're overnighting then recommend Penticton rather than Kelowna itself.
Victoria - for guaranteed Orca sightings take a whale watching trip from here
Cowichan Bay - eat fish and chips
Tofino - Get out on the water, via kayak or boat.
Nanaimo - give it a miss
Qualicum Beach - not been here
Courtney/Comox - explore Strathcona national park
Port Hardy - kayak, good chance of seeing Orcas. Cape Scott trail is great - very isolated plus can camp on the beach. The road in is also good place to see bears. If you're pushed for time I'd drop this from your trip though as its a long way to go..

If you want specifics on any of the above let me know. BC is one heck of a place.. I miss it

I know, I know, I'm cramming a lot in, but the entire mainland stint is part of a backpacker bus tour (over 12 days, the days ARE spent travelling but you stop off along the way to see 'off the beaten path' things) so my remaining 12 days are going to be spent on the Van. Island.

Have done the backpacker bus tour thing before in Oz and although you don't get long in each place, you see a lot more than you would otherwise and because I'm travelling solo I find them great for meeting other backpackers.

Another reason I'm cramming so much in is if for any reason the Canadians aren't as friendly as I've heard then at least I won't have time to get lonely

Madwife/Sarah - apparently they do sway gently but they're fairly securely strung up amongst the trees so fingers crossed I don't suffer motion sickness!

Rob - that's a cracking reply, thanks so much. As mentioned above my mainland stint is going to be a fast one but as the coach/hostels are all sorted before I leave the UK it means I don't have to worry about anything and can snooze on the bus if need be. I did fancy camping on the beach at Cape Scott, and if Nanaimo's not worth the overnight stop then I may be able to do that after all. It'd mean dragging my camping gear with me though, or do you reckon just a sleeping bag would see me through the night? Also, even if I'm not camping, how feasible is getting to the trail going to be if I'm not driving? I'm going to be relying on Greyhound buses for most of my island travel, I'd hoped that there'd be local tour operators that'd take me out to the start of the trail? Cheers again, much appreciated

Just noticed your visas arrived today, congratulations!!

Amy x

If I where you I would spend more time in Tofino and dodge Port Hardy, after all rushing around you will love Tofino, but you need 3 days there, one day learning to surf at Longbeach, use the store "Storm" on the main street great guys, second day do the Kayak tour of the inner harbour, day 3 go out whale watching and let your stiff muscles rest, camp on the beach at Bellacolla campground (need to book in advance) sit around someone elses campfire and ya might just get lucky !!!! Tofino in August has been many a poor boys ruin

Fair enough. More sensible replies that are a complement, not a replacement, to Rob's.

I'd consider hiring a car for the Island - you'll get to see so much more and it's not that expensive. Cape Scott is in the middle of nowhere. Port Hardy is also tiny, I'm sure you could find someone that'll take you to the trail and arrange a pick up but there's definitely not a bus service..... You'd be fine camping out in a Bivi bag but weathers a bit too unpredictable to just rely on a sleeping bag. You'll also need all the other gear (stove etc). You can hire pretty much anything from MEC in Victoria or Vancouver.

I'd be inclined to agree with the above - ditch Cape Scott and spend more time elsewhere. There are plenty of other beaches to camp on (although none quite as remote)

Hey quite the trip you have planned


Vancouver - Stanley park and Granville island are must do as well as Gastown avoid the eastern aspects of hastings my wife is from a socially deprived area in the UK and worked as a Paramedic and she was shocked by the number of homeless and down and outs along there.
Banff/Jasper - Moraine Lake and Lake Louise Jasper was OK Banff is much better but more touristy.
Victoria - 1/3 of the population of Van Isle live here so while pretty and a nice city I personally think there is better ways of spending my time but on a reccie it is a must to wander down by the harbour with the rest of the tourists
Tofino - Get out on the water, via kayak or boat - totally agree water is a big part of life on the island you are on it, in it, next to it or thinking about it.
Nanaimo - definitely would have agreed to miss it a decade ago but now it is getting better. The city core has nice little shops and eateries Westwood lake is a nice lake shore hike and there are more trails to the west of the lake. As for a reccie, unless you might end up here there are other places to see though
Qualicum Beach - its a beach. the old island highway from north Nanaimo up to Campbell River is pretty much the same stunning scenary, beaches of various make up, camp sites and local finds. You could spend a few years here finding all the little places let alone a few weeks Rathtrevor Park is a nice day on the beach at low tide
Port Hardy - As for Cape Scott you can do San Jose Bay instead and you get the west coast feel with a MUCH shorter hike in so saves some time in the grand scheme of things for your overall schedule.
Malones in the old mall has good eats and I hear the sushi in the old north shore inn is good. There are loads of trails you can do. Telegraph cove is nice but is a ways off the island highway. There are whale watching tours from there as well as Port Mcneill. Compare the costs with the Victoria trips they might be cheaper???? From what I understand the trips from Victoria are ALMOST sure of spotting whales as there is a resident pod down there but not so with the north island tours. The scenary is better up the north end but I would say that having grown up there.
If you are camping the Quatse River campsite is close to town and a really nice setting with a hatchery that does tours. There is a hostel in town near the fishermans (seagate) wharf and another in the old cinema on Granville St. Not heard how good they are but they are busy on ferry days so if you do not have reservations check the ferry times and try to avoid Hardy the night before and maybe the night after a ferry as most campsites/hotels/motels are booked but you might be lucky.

The ferry ride from Port McNeill to Alert Bay is also good and there is the Umista centre in Alert Bay for seeing first nations art and history. Quite a few first nation artists hail from or call Alert Bay home - you can get some beautiful pieces there.

If you want a small piece of memory of your reccie check out Gordon Hencshel at http://www.henschelfinearts.com/ you can stop at his studio just south of Port McNeill he does all sorts of scenic type paintings/prints.

If you can't get a ride to the trail head if you decide to do San Jose/Cape Scott try North island Transport no website but they have a phone

There is a limited bus service around the north island info here http://www.bctransit.com/regions/mtw/?p=2.list

Tofino bus http://www.tofinobus.com/ for that area they even have a stop at Woodgrove mall in nanaimo.

Have a great trip, you'll love the island. my wife moved here from the UK 7 months ago and it would take several tons of TNT to get her to leave now!!!

Ask about any specific questions as my friends and family are still up in Hardy and I could find out for you pretty quick. It is pretty typical Island mentality as there is a lot that is not on the web and locals know.

Hmm general consensus seems to be drop Nanaimo and Port Hardy.. Cape Scott looked so lovely though! But yeah it's eating up about 3 days of my trip to allow for getting there/back.. Advice appreciated, will go re-jig my itinerary

Rob - car hire's an issue, while I'm not a bad driver for a female then me being 21 limits who'll trust me behind the wheel (they hammer you for young driver excess..). I did look into it but there wasn't anything that would fall within my budget unless I was sharing the rental with someone else.

Kamikaze - may take your advice and spend an extra day or so in Tofino, tried my hand at surfing in Oz and would do it again just for the surfer dudes And it's been that long since I've been on a board that I reckon my 'feeble girl' ploy should be fairly convincing!