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is a city located in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is named after Captain George Vancouver, an English explorer. Vancouver has a population of 587,891, while its metropolitan region, the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), has a population of 2,180,737 (2006 estimate). Greater Vancouver is the largest metropolitan area in western Canada and the third largest in the country.2 Vancouver is ethnically diverse, with more than half of its residents having a first language other than English. A resident of Vancouver is called a "Vancouverite". Vancouver has a growing tourism industry, for example, and has become the third-largest film production centre in North America, after Los Angeles and New York City, earning it the nickname Hollywood North. The 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver and nearby Whistler. Vancouver is renowned for its scenery and has one of the largest urban parks in North America, Stanley Park.45 The North Shore Mountains dominate the cityscape, and on a clear day scenic vistas include the snow-capped volcano Mount Baker in the State of Washington to the southeast, Vancouver Island across the Strait of Georgia to the west and southwest, and the Sunshine Coast to the northwest. Vancouver's climate is unusually temperate by Canadian standards.
City of Vancouver
Arial view over Vancouver
Video of Vancouver
Vancouver Island I recommend visiting Tofino on the far west coast of Vancouver Island. It is located just north of the Pacific Rim National Park. There is a very nice quality road that connects Tofino on the west coast to the east. In this town, you can take some really interesting day trips to kayak the bay, or hike in the Canadian rain forests. The town is ideal for staying in a bed & breakfast, and enjoying the little town night life (small bars). If you are corageous, there is an excellent hike south of Tofino that takes about 5 days. This west coast hike is legendary, and should not be missed! Almost all of the Vancouver Island is covered in world-class highways. We rented a can and were able to drive all over without any trouble (this is not just "jeep country"). In the middle of the island, we came across an inslet where there were some locals (indian descent) that were trying to go out fishing. They have a local orca whale that comes along everyday and pushes their boat back to the docks. They say that this happens everyday, and sometimes it takes them 10 trys to get out of the dock. Each time the whale would get close to the boat, they would turn off the motor so not to harm the whale. They said that this has been going on for more than a year, ever since the baby whale was separated from its mother, and now seems to think that the boats are her. It keeps them at bay so they wont disappear. It was an amazing process to watch! The best thing is to rent a car in Vancouver and then take the boat ferries to the island. We decided to get off of the beaten track, and headed north from Vancouver to Powell River, where we caught the boat ferry to the island to the city of Courtenay. We found an amazing litte bed and breakfast along the coast and spent a relaxing night there before heading inland across the island. From there, you will be free to wander the (very large) island in freedom. Head north for wale watching. In the middle of the island here are mountains big enough to ski on (in the winter). On the west coast of Vancouver island, there is a wonderful little town that has bed and breakfasts. Take the kayaking tours to one fof the beautiful islands and take a hike. On the west coast, they have surfing (if your brave enough to get in the cold water). The East Coast of Vancouver Island is a lot more developed. The town of Nanaimo has a concentration of development, with people flying in directly from Calgary and Vancouver. Its quite a nice area with sea-side golf resorts and skiing in the winter. In the northern part of Vancouver Island, we went to Telegraph Cove (near Port McNeil), just south of Port Hardy. In this Telegraph Cove, there is an amazing bed and breakfast lodge made of wood and with an amazing view of the ocean. There are miles of hiking trails, and on cold evenings, they have a fire inside and lots of games to play. Nearby, we rented boats that took us out wale watching (we saw humpback wales). Shuswap Lake, B.C. Houseboating is a terrific vacation for a week or less. You can rent a houseboat in Sicamous, British Columbia that can sleep from 6 to 16 people (depending on size). Shuswap Lake is an odd "H" shaped lake with 600 miles of shoreline, most of it natural and undeveloped. After a quick lesson in piloting a boat, you leave Sicamous and civilization behind. The only rule is that you have to be onshore at night. With 600 miles of coastline, there's lots of choice as to where you land. Our first night was at Marble Point. We drove the pontoon boat onto the shore and tied it down for the night. A big campfire followed. I recommend mid-summer for your vacation, which is high-season. The water gets up to 70 degrees then. The water is very clear & we enjoyed renting jet skis too. There are many Houseboat companies to choose from: Twin Anchor Houseboats, Waterways Houseboats, Sun n Fun Houseboats and Bluewater Houseboats. We've been there twice! We used Waterways and also Twin Anchor, and have been pleased both times. Some boats have slides, some have hot tubs aboard. The scenery is spectacular! Peaks up to 7000 ft. surround the Shuswaps, so bring your camera and your hiking boots. Houseboating on lake Shuswap Day hikes from the Shuswap houseboat Emerald Lake Lodge, B.C. Awesome! That's the only way to describe the setting of Emerald Lake Lodge in Canada. It's located in Yoho National Park in British Columbia. http://www.crmr.com/emerald_lake_lodge.php Glacier-fed Emerald Lake looks like a mirrored hole into another universe. So beautiful! We left Banff Springs Hotel, Alberta and drove 125 miles on the Trans Canada highway to Field, B.C. We parked the car in an overnight lot about a mile from the lodge, and were transported to the resort by a friendly young staff member. There are about 24 2-story Chalets. We were escorted to our chalet and we quickly left our suitcases there. A hike around Emerald Lake took a couple of hours, and we were ready for a gourmet meal in the main lodge. It's an old timber lodge with massive stone firplaces. There was a big hot tub under the stars, and a massive bonfire going outside. There was a pool table in the lodge upstairs, above the bar - the largest pool table I've ever seen. Back to our chalet to build our own fire and snuggle under the feather duvets for the night. There was a wonderful breakfast in the main lodge in the morning, and a promise to return again someday. There is a nice trail where you can walk around Emerald Lake, and see a really nice view of the Emerald Lake Lodge. Lake Okanagan Resort, B.C Midway between Vancouver (BC) and Calgary (Alberta). This resort is just west of Kelowna, B.C. It's hugging the coastline, on the side of a hill, along beautiful Lake Okanagan. The resort has one mile of waterfront on 300 acres of mountainside parkland. There are more things to do than hours in the day! It has a golf course, tennis courts, stables and trail rides, mountain biking, hiking, and a marina where you can rent power boats, wave runners. canoes & kayaks. There are winery tours available of the Okanagan Valley. There's "Discover Okanagan Tours" and "Wildflower Trails and Wine Tours". What we did was drive ourselves to 3 wineries in the area. We toured "Gray Monk Estate Winery", "Mission Hill Estate Winery", and a smaller "Hainle Vineyards". The area has a surprising dry, warm climate, and produces a lot of wine. Kelowna, BC Area for growing wine in Canada Travel books - Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and Whistler
I recommend visiting Tofino on the far west coast of Vancouver Island. It is located just north of the Pacific Rim National Park. There is a very nice quality road that connects Tofino on the west coast to the east. In this town, you can take some really interesting day trips to kayak the bay, or hike in the Canadian rain forests. The town is ideal for staying in a bed & breakfast, and enjoying the little town night life (small bars). If you are corageous, there is an excellent hike south of Tofino that takes about 5 days. This west coast hike is legendary, and should not be missed!
Almost all of the Vancouver Island is covered in world-class highways. We rented a can and were able to drive all over without any trouble (this is not just "jeep country"). In the middle of the island, we came across an inslet where there were some locals (indian descent) that were trying to go out fishing. They have a local orca whale that comes along everyday and pushes their boat back to the docks. They say that this happens everyday, and sometimes it takes them 10 trys to get out of the dock. Each time the whale would get close to the boat, they would turn off the motor so not to harm the whale. They said that this has been going on for more than a year, ever since the baby whale was separated from its mother, and now seems to think that the boats are her. It keeps them at bay so they wont disappear. It was an amazing process to watch!
The best thing is to rent a car in Vancouver and then take the boat ferries to the island. We decided to get off of the beaten track, and headed north from Vancouver to Powell River, where we caught the boat ferry to the island to the city of Courtenay. We found an amazing litte bed and breakfast along the coast and spent a relaxing night there before heading inland across the island. From there, you will be free to wander the (very large) island in freedom. Head north for wale watching. In the middle of the island here are mountains big enough to ski on (in the winter). On the west coast of Vancouver island, there is a wonderful little town that has bed and breakfasts. Take the kayaking tours to one fof the beautiful islands and take a hike. On the west coast, they have surfing (if your brave enough to get in the cold water).
The East Coast of Vancouver Island is a lot more developed. The town of Nanaimo has a concentration of development, with people flying in directly from Calgary and Vancouver. Its quite a nice area with sea-side golf resorts and skiing in the winter.
In the northern part of Vancouver Island, we went to Telegraph Cove (near Port McNeil), just south of Port Hardy. In this Telegraph Cove, there is an amazing bed and breakfast lodge made of wood and with an amazing view of the ocean. There are miles of hiking trails, and on cold evenings, they have a fire inside and lots of games to play.
Nearby, we rented boats that took us out wale watching (we saw humpback wales).
Houseboating is a terrific vacation for a week or less. You can rent a houseboat in Sicamous, British Columbia that can sleep from 6 to 16 people (depending on size). Shuswap Lake is an odd "H" shaped lake with 600 miles of shoreline, most of it natural and undeveloped. After a quick lesson in piloting a boat, you leave Sicamous and civilization behind.
The only rule is that you have to be onshore at night. With 600 miles of coastline, there's lots of choice as to where you land. Our first night was at Marble Point. We drove the pontoon boat onto the shore and tied it down for the night. A big campfire followed. I recommend mid-summer for your vacation, which is high-season. The water gets up to 70 degrees then. The water is very clear & we enjoyed renting jet skis too.
There are many Houseboat companies to choose from: Twin Anchor Houseboats, Waterways Houseboats, Sun n Fun Houseboats and Bluewater Houseboats. We've been there twice! We used Waterways and also Twin Anchor, and have been pleased both times. Some boats have slides, some have hot tubs aboard. The scenery is spectacular! Peaks up to 7000 ft. surround the Shuswaps, so bring your camera and your hiking boots.
Houseboating on lake Shuswap
Day hikes from the Shuswap houseboat
Awesome! That's the only way to describe the setting of Emerald Lake Lodge in Canada. It's located in Yoho National Park in British Columbia. http://www.crmr.com/emerald_lake_lodge.php Glacier-fed Emerald Lake looks like a mirrored hole into another universe.
So beautiful! We left Banff Springs Hotel, Alberta and drove 125 miles on the Trans Canada highway to Field, B.C. We parked the car in an overnight lot about a mile from the lodge, and were transported to the resort by a friendly young staff member.
There are about 24 2-story Chalets. We were escorted to our chalet and we quickly left our suitcases there. A hike around Emerald Lake took a couple of hours, and we were ready for a gourmet meal in the main lodge. It's an old timber lodge with massive stone firplaces. There was a big hot tub under the stars, and a massive bonfire going outside. There was a pool table in the lodge upstairs, above the bar - the largest pool table I've ever seen. Back to our chalet to build our own fire and snuggle under the feather duvets for the night.
There was a wonderful breakfast in the main lodge in the morning, and a promise to return again someday.
There is a nice trail where you can walk around Emerald Lake, and see a really nice view of the Emerald Lake Lodge.
Midway between Vancouver (BC) and Calgary (Alberta). This resort is just west of Kelowna, B.C. It's hugging the coastline, on the side of a hill, along beautiful Lake Okanagan. The resort has one mile of waterfront on 300 acres of mountainside parkland. There are more things to do than hours in the day! It has a golf course, tennis courts, stables and trail rides, mountain biking, hiking, and a marina where you can rent power boats, wave runners. canoes & kayaks. There are winery tours available of the Okanagan Valley. There's "Discover Okanagan Tours" and "Wildflower Trails and Wine Tours". What we did was drive ourselves to 3 wineries in the area. We toured "Gray Monk Estate Winery", "Mission Hill Estate Winery", and a smaller "Hainle Vineyards". The area has a surprising dry, warm climate, and produces a lot of wine.
Area for growing wine in Canada
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