Tofino – BC’s offbeat destination

Having lived in Vancouver island for two years before I met Pankaja, I have been talking up Tofino & its beauty so much to her that she finally insisted we add it to our bucket list. We decided to extend the Labor Day long weekend to a week to cover Tofino among other places in British Columbia. 

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Lone surfer @ Tofino

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Our AirBNB location

Located just south of Clayoquot Sound in the west coast of Vancouver Island, Tofino is highly popular as a tourist destination for its wildlife & rugged coast. Even though it’s resident population is just under 2000, it swells up many times in size during the summer months, attracting surfers and hikers in droves.

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Tofino beaches

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How to get there:

You can fly into either Tofino-Long Beach airport (YAZ) or Tofino Harbor from Vancouver.

If you are heading out from Vancouver by car, there are multiple options:

1. Drive to the B.C. Ferries terminal at Horseshoe Bay, a 30 minute drive North West from downtown Vancouver .
2. Take the 1 hour 40 minute ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Departure bay in Nanaimo.
3. A 3 hour drive from Departure Bay to Tofino through Port Alberni

Another option:

1. Drive to the B.C. Ferries terminal at Tsawassen Bay, a 40 minute drive South of downtown Vancouver close to the U.S. border.
2. Take the 2 hours 30 minute ferry from Tsawassen Bay to Duke Bay, 15 minutes south of Nanaimo.
3. A 3 hour 15 minutes drive from Duke Bay to Tofino through Port Alberni

A circuitous third option:

1. Drive to the B.C. Ferries terminal at Tsawassen Bay, a 40 minute drive South of downtown Vancouver close to the U.S. border.
2. Take the 2 hours ferry from Tsawassen Bay to Schwartz Bay, 30 minutes north of Victoria.
3. A 4 hour 40 minutes drive from Schwartz Bay to Tofino through Port Alberni

We took the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo and then onwards to Tofino. While it might seem like a rather long journey at 5 1/2 hours, there are multiple spots along the way that can break the monotony of it all. The ferry itself is a fantastic experience, but here’s the other places we recommend you take a break at and explore on the way to Tofino:

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Ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay

• Cameron Lake: Just 50 minutes West from Nanaimo on scenic highway 4 is Cameron lake.
• Cathedral Grove: This is a must-do! An ancient Douglas-Fir forest, the biggest trees here are almost 800 years old, 75 meters in height, and 9 meters in circumference. This is part of the McMillan Provincial Park and the parking to the entrance is right by Highway 4, just 16 kms east of Port Alberni. I cannot express adequately the sense of peace and tranquility you will experience as you walk through these massive trees.
• Hole in the Wall: A short hike just off of Highway 4 just outside of Port Alberni, Hole in the Wall is a manmade hole in the shale rock for a reservoir connection (it no longer serves its purpose). The trailhead is unmarked and is directly opposite the Coombs Candy store just outside of town. A good place for a picnic lunch.
• Sproat Lake: Beautiful lake just 22 kms west of Port Alberni. Famous amongst aviation enthusiasts as it is the home of the Coulson Flying Tankers & their amazing Martin Mars seaplane water bombers.
• Kennedy Lake: The largest lake in Vancouver island, and just 35 mins short of Tofino.

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Walk through ancient Douglas-Firs @ Cathedral Grove

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Bear Watching:

Wildlife is abundant in Tofino – Grey Whales migrate here in their thousands during early spring, and Black Bears are a common sight in summer & early fall. Sea Lions, Sea Otters, Harbour Seals & Porpoises are frequently seen as well, while Orcas are a rare occurrence. There are scores of outfitters and companies in Tofino that organize half a day whale watching & bear watching tours. We took up the bear watching tour.

Slightly larger than their mainland cousins, Vancouver Island is home to an estimated 7,000-12,000 Black Bears making it one of the densest population of bears anywhere in the world. At low tide, these mild mannered giants lumber out of the dense Pacific rainforests to the shore to forage for rock crabs & starfish. The bear watching experience would allow us to watch these bears at a distance from the safety of a boat.

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Black Bear at Clayoquot Sounds

We set out on an open Boston Whaler through the inlets of Clayoquot Sound, looking ridiculous in our ill-fitting dry suits. We spotted our first bear – what looked like a black speck in the distance turned out to be a bruiser of a black bear, busy lifting huge boulders as if it were mere pebbles. I was worried we would be disruptive to the bear, but the captain cut off the motor at a distance & elegantly maneuvered us to a spot that was less intrusive but still close enough to observe. We all sat in silence, watching in awe as the bear went about foraging.

We kept seeing bear after bear thereafter and relished every moment of it. Nothing beats seeing these majestic animals in their element. We want to be able to do this again, but the next time around, kayak our way to the inlet instead.

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Bear Watching @ Tofino 

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A must-eat in Tofino:

While Tacofino has now proliferated into locations in Victoria and Vancouver, Tofino is the location of the original Tacofino truck. Having lived in Austin, Texas for about 10+ years, I consider myself having pretty high standards when it comes to tacos. Tacofino exceeds my expectations by miles – super fresh ingredients & very flavorful, there is something distinctly Pacific West about it. There’s always a line-up here, and it is absolutely worth the wait!

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Tacofino Truck

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