Great Bear Rainforest, Vancouver Island
When most people think of Vancouver Island they think of cities like Victoria, Parksville, Tofino, and possibly Campbell River. But these folks are missing out on the most spectacular part of the largest Pacific island east of New Zealand. The Northern Vancouver Island region is a place of pristine natural splendour. It’s the last frontier, where massive expanses of lush wilderness beckon to outdoor adventurers, explorers, nature lovers, and wildlife watchers. With destinations such as Woss, Telegraph Cove, Sayward, and Port Hardy, to name a few, the Northern Region of Vancouver Island offers many amazing places to visit.
More coastline and more waterways than any other area within the Vancouver Island region makes Vancouver Island North a premium destination for marine adventures. Which is why fishing, scuba diving, whale watching and kayaking are some of the most popular activities to take part in. World famous and noted for brilliant soft corals, countless marine species, 100-foot-plus visibility and unique opportunities such as seeing Pacific white-sided dolphins, wolf eels and exploring shipwrecks, Northen Vancouver Island is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 places to scuba dive each year.
The number of activities and outdoor adventure possibilities is too long to list, but in addition to scuba diving, another MUST DO is a guided grizzly bear tour. With a number of companies offering guided tours, taking a day to search the region for one of these spectacular animals will not leave you disappointed. These tours take place at the appropriately named ‘Great Bear Rainforest’. One of the world’s great wildlife areas, the Great Bear Rainforest still hosts healthy populations of the same wildlife species present when Captain Vancouver sailed up the BC coast in 1793. The Coastal Mountain range has isolated many wildlife populations from their conspecifics in the rest of North America. As a result, the Great Bear Rainforest is home to many subspecies and genetically unique populations such as the Grizzly Bear and the coastal grey wolves.
Although Vancouver Island Bed and Breakfasts may not be abundant in the Northern Region of the Island, making your home base in Courtenay or Campbell River will allow you the opportunity to make daily excursions up island. And when you are looking to explore the wilderness and vast expanses of this untouched region, what better way than with road trips from your comfortable and relaxing British Columbia Bed and Breakfast.