Vancouver Island is one of the most
beautiful places in the world and has so
much to offer we've come here the last
three years and these are some of our
favorite places and activities to do
welcome to our top 9 number 9 on our
list is take a ferry to a Gulf island
one of the best is salt springs Island
and if you go on a Saturday you can shop
at the outdoor market which has lots of
cool shops you can take your car or as
we did walk onto the ferry and we took a
bus on the island number 8 on our list
is going to Thetis or Elk Lake
both lakes are a 15-minute drive from
downtown Victoria
the water is warm for swimming you can
also kayak on these lakes hike the trails
around them relax on the beach or even
maybe get lucky and pick some
blackberries number 7 on our list is
cathedral grove and macmillan provincial
park this is about a two hour drive from
victoria but well worth it you will see
a lush old-growth forest of rare and
endangered Douglas fir trees as old as
800 years and you might get lucky and
see a local slug
number 6 on our list is ziplining in
Sooke BC this is so much fun for the
whole family
ziplining will take about two hours and
you won't regret it
you will first drive up in a military
truck through some fairly sketchy train
then it's nothing but downhill from
there just make sure you're not scared
of heights or having fun
number five on our list is Parksville this
beach town has lots of fun activities
for families like mini-golf and bumper
cars but the main attraction is the
beach in which you can wade out for one
kilometer in the ocean and only have the
water barely reach your knees the kids
will find lots of sea life to pick up
and play with as well number four on our
list is caving at Horne lake caves we did
the one hour main cave tour for $27 per
person this was such an interesting
experience as the tour that takes you
through the cave and the experience
ultimate darkness when they get you to
turn out your lights great fun for the
family number three on the list is
Mystic Beach in China Beach to get to
these beaches you have to drive one hour
and a half from Victoria to Juan de Fuca
Provincial Park this is a very scenic
drive and well worth it the beaches are
beautiful and require a bit of a hike
from the trailhead to get to the hikes
are amazingly beautiful and once you get
to the beaches they're both stunning and
tranquil if planning on going to these
beaches I would highly recommend
checking the weather forecast as the
weather can be drastically different
than the weather in Victoria
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number two on our list is Goldstream
park Goldstream Park is is a short drive
outside of Victoria this park has some
amazing campgrounds plus there are some
spectacular hikes and waterfalls in this
park two of the hikes we did were
Niagara Falls hike and upper Goldstream
Falls hike we were able to do both of
these hikes in just one day you won't be
disappointed with either of these hikes
as there are some amazing waterfalls at
the end of each and the hikes are
beautiful as well
don't forget to bring your bathing suit
as you can swim in the upper Goldstream Falls a
swim you will never forget
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and now for number one on our list which
is Victoria this city has so much to
offer if you're a coffee drinker there
are many great coffee shops throughout
the city lots of great restaurants too
Beacon Hill Park is a must if you visit
the city is very bike friendly with bike
lanes and paths throughout the city our
favorite things to do in Victoria are
number one feeding the seals at Oak Bay
Marina this is an inexpensive way to see
some oceans wildlife and kids will love
it we also love to walk the docks and
look at the boats number two is going to
Willows beach this is such a peaceful
unbeautiful Beach the kids can play for
hours in the sand building forts and
digging while you people watch and maybe
see some sea life's run by Fisherman's
Wharf this is unique market as floating
houses that actually look like houses
and some great restaurants to eat at
number four taking a sailboat out on the
water if you go in the evening the boat
will stay in the harbor but if you go
during the day the sailboats will take
you around to see some of the wildlife
in the ocean
and number five walking downtown and
seeing the shops the Fairmont Hotel and
walking through Chinatown there's so
many things to do in Victoria what we
have listed is just scratching the
surface we hope you find our favorite
places helpful in planning your visit
to Vancouver Island
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