This tour combines the picturesque beauty of three of the Southern Gulf Islands: Saltspring Island, Galiano Island and Pender Island and the serenity of Southern Vancovuer Island’s Circle Tour. This adventure allows participants to experience everything that makes Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands one of the most popular destinations for outdoor enthusiasts.  Departing from Victoria and utilizing our regional trails, quite country roads and sections of the Trans Canada Trail, this tour completes a full circle of the Gulf Islands and Southern Vancouver Island. Included are opportunities for hiking, white water kayaking, swimming in pristine wilderness lakes, beach combing and fresh pacific salmon and crab feasts on the beach.

This tour is a combination of B&B stays and nights of ‘executive’ camping using comfortable cots and spacious tents on private property. Upgrades to indoor accommodation are available on most camping nights and all meals are either prepared for you or are in local establishments and are always included.

 As with all outdoor adventures, please allow plenty of additional time for your other connections. Times are approximate and may vary with each group.

Tour Details:

Day One: (approx 45 kms)
From downtown Victoria, we will ride our regional trail system to the Saanich Peninsula stopping at some of the local wineries for tours and tastings.  Lunch today will be at a local eatery.  After lunch we will make our way north to Swartz Bay where will board a BC Ferry to Salt Spring Island, the largest and most populated of the Southern Gulf Islands.  Arriving in Fulford Harbour we’ll have a short ride to the main township of Ganges and our warm and comfortable accommodations for the night.  Dinner is at a popular local restaurant.

Day Two: (approx. 30 kms) 

After breakfast, we will set out to explore Salt Spring Island which offers a variety of vistas, from mountain to sea to rolling pastures.  We will start our ride from Ganges Harbour with a loop of the north end of the Island, around St Mary Lake.  Lunch will be set on the beach overlooking the pristine Trincomali Channel.  After lunch, we’ll catch a water taxi to Galiano Island.  Galiano Island is just 30 kilometres long but it is arguably the prettiest of the Gulf Islands.  From here we ride to our luxury accommodations and dinner for the night at the Galiano Inn.

Day Three: (approx. 40 kms)
After a delicious breakfast we’ll take a short ride and hike to the top of Mount Galiano, which offers magnificent southerly views of the Coast Mountain Range, Mount Baker, the Gulf and San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island and even the Olympic Peninsula 100 kilometres away.  After another short ride we will board a BC Ferry to the Pender Islands.  

Pender Island was just one island but in 1902 a channel was dredged to create a safe passage for steamships, creating the now two islands. It wasn’t until 1955 that a one-lane bridge rejoined the islands; a delay that may account for the marked differences between the two islands today. The day’s end brings us to one of the most beautiful harbours in all of BC, Bedwell Harbour and the Poet’s Cove Resort and Spa. We’ll check in, get refreshed and ready for another great dinner and spectacular sunset.

Day Four: (approx. 40 kms)
We start the day with a ferry transfer to the Port of Sidney, a quaint seaside town on the north east coast of the Saanich Peninsula.  From here we cycle the north end of the Saanich Peninsula to Brentwood Bay.  After lunch at a local eatery we’ll board our last BC Ferry to Mill Bay.  This crossing has been billed as the ‘Most beautiful short cut in the world”.  After disembarking we’ll ride the Mill Bay/ Shawnigan Lake area stopping for tastings and tours at BC’s only commercial cidery and one of Vancouver Islands’ best wineries.  Our final ride of the day is to Cowichan Bay and our accommodation for the night. Dinner is at a local restaurant.

Day Five: (Approx dist: 35 kms/ 22miles)
After a nice light breakfast we depart for the Kinsol Trestle where we’ll start our ride for the day on the Trans Canada Trail. This is one of the highlights as we are ride through pristine wilderness and over century old trestles where photograph and wildlife viewing opportunities abound.   

By midday we find ourselves crossing the Cowichan River and arriving at our destination for the day.  Here we lunch and decide what to do with the rest of our day. *Our hosts for the evening, Don and Rose, operate a white water kayak school on the Cowichan River, which makes this a perfect opportunity for those interested to join in a beginner’s clinic for the afternoon.  The other options are: a guided hike in search of Black Bear, Roosevelt Elk and other wildlife; enjoy a leisurely afternoon by the pool; or perhaps take your bike and explore the river and the town of Lake Cowichan on your own. Dinner tonight is a pool side barbeque with all the fixings, a soak in the hot tub and perhaps some tall tales around the camp fire.

Day Six: (Approx dist: 33 kms/21miles)
After breakfast we’ll bid a fond farewell to our hosts and then it’s on to our next destination; Port Renfrew on West Coast of Vancouver Island.  This little coastal fishing community is the gateway to the famous West Coast Trail and Pacific Rim National Park.  

We start off with a van shuttle down some rugged active logging roads (to active to ride) to our start point. From here we ride a deactivated logging road with many river crossings and some amazing areas of old growth forest including a stop at the not so famous Harris Creek Sitka Spruce. This tree must be seen to be believed, it’s as big as a house, maybe two.   

We continue on to Lizard Lake for our lunch and perhaps a swim along the shores of this pristine wilderness lake. After lunch it’s on to Port Renfrew and our accommodation for the night.  Tonight we’ll feast on a West Coast meal prepared on the private beach at our host property.

Day Seven: (Approx dist: 30-50 kms/20-30 miles)
Today we will start the day with a visit to the amazing tidal pools and rugged rocky out croppings of famous Botanical Beach, this is the West Coast at its most spectacular.  After our interpretive walk we’ll start our ride down the West Coast Road to Sooke, again combining driving the more difficult sections and riding the best, of course. Today’s ride takes us along some beautiful coastline including French and China Beach and the surfing hotspot of Jordan River.  Todays lunch will be a picnic lunch on the beach.  We will end our ride at Gordon’s Beach Farm Stay with a relaxing hot tub and spectacular views of the Juan de Fuca Strait.

Day Eight: (Approx: 50 kms/30 miles)
After breakfast today we head up to the Sooke River and the potholes.  This is a beautiful watershed with huge trees and deep pools of crystal clear water. After exploring the area we depart on the Galloping Goose trail towards Victoria. This old railway right of way leads us through old growth forest, along the shores of the Sooke basin and on through uninterrupted park and pasture land right to the doors of our office in Victoria, and the end of our adventure.