Tim offers a service from Cowichan Bay to Genoa Bay and back. Lovely boat and very convenient on…read morethe Government Wharf at Cowichan Bay. He is knowledgeable of the area. The boat is very clean and new. Blankets for when it gets a little chilly and and binoculars for those animal sitings. He also offers tours of the local area of 45 minutes. What an amazing way to travel to a restaurant for dinner.

The Protection Connection runs hourly from Nanaimo out to tiny little Protection Island where about…read more400 people live and ride their golf carts and bikes. The ferry is driven by adorable young men (Nanaimo observation: "the cute men are on the boats.") The ferry is perfectly trundly and seats about 12. When there are people on it they know each other and have interesting conversations about local folks and documentary film and their recent trip to South Africa and all manner of fascinating things. From the ferry you can see seals and watch kayakers going by, and if you ask the driver (Captain!) and pay an extra three dollars they'll drop you off at Newcastle Island Provincial park and pick you up whenever you like later in the day. The ferry doc on Protection is at the Dinghy Dock Pub. All of this to say: Heaven of a certain variety is to be found here.

The service is good and the captain is friendly, but how to get there and how to use it isn't very…read moreintuitive if you're just visiting the area (though, it's understandable for a small community, but I still think that something could be done about it). I also wish that debit/credit cards could be accepted on board, which would definitely be doable with an interact machine or even a device to plug to your smartphone (don't know how it's called, but I saw some people use it at a farmers markets in a small community in Nova Scotia). Also, the day I decided to visit Protection Island, the ferry was late. I don't know if this is usual or not.

This was our first time staying with Andy and Virginia. Such gracious hosts, going above and…read morebeyond. Virginia is an awesome cook, and Andy is the consummate guide to all things local, from underwater critters, to birds, to kayaking. If you want a comfortable place to stay with hosts that will help you line up your kayaking or scuba diving, this is a great place. Thetis Island is just enough off the beaten path without being too remote. Highly recommend.

We loved our time with Coastal Expression! We rented 2 single kayaks for 3 hours each. The shop…read moreis run by the friendliest husband and wife team and a kind, helpful, small staff. They gave us great recommendations to help us make the most of our rental time, and as a result we saw the rare white raccoon, lounging seals, and stunning coastline, all via cold, clean waters around charming Nanaimo. After returning, Richard (with the kindest blue eyes and friendly smile) shared a little history of the coastline and wildlife and helpfully gave us a few post-kayak lunch recommendations. I would return again and again if I could.

Stuck with a parking ticket outside their facility. We had a…read morefantastic kayaking experience and the staff were very friendly. My only fault is that we had to pay a parking fine at the end. We were told that parking tickets would be handled by coastal expressions but they failed to tell us that this only covered certain areas of the car park and they would not pay the fine. This dampened the experience for me. If you drive there, make sure you clarify where you can park!

out tour was kayaking , the views make it amazing by itself but if it's a tour I would expect for…read morethe tour guide to explain a bit more of what we are doing and he was very quiet until we did a break on a beach.

Great staff Great services and location…read more We did the whale watching tour with Andrew and we did indeed find whales , porpoises , seals and seal lions . For 150.00 per person and a 5-6 hr day it is well worth the investment. A lot of fun , remember to bring snacks and water for the trip . Throughly enjoyed our day on the water .

A beautiful park with great views and the dirtiest washrooms--floors have tons of dirt around the…read moreedges (and everywhere else). Showers grubby.

Such a beautiful place...magical really. That's why it's so heartbreaking to see it so poorly…read moremaintained and run. No toilet paper, no hand soap, only cold showers, garbage all over the grounds, people camping off site under trees, no accountability for partiers, dirtiest bathroom imaginable (including garbage everywhere and raccoon poop), dirty underwear at our campsite and on the beach. Just so sad! I picture it how it COULD be and sadly, it is being trashed.

This park is fairly close to downtown Nanaimo with its charming restaurants and bookstores and home…read moreto a beautiful waterfall. They gave a map of the area in the visitor center as the other reviewer kindly noted it had a duck pond, fountains, and a waterfall. On the snowy day that we were there we also noticed many sledding and a few intrepid photographers hoping to capture the perfect shot. The waterfall isn't tall but perfect in its nature setting and made our youngest quite happy to see its beauty.

Bowen park is a long park with the entrances mainly on Bowen. The park has a creek running through…read moreit as well as several ponds. The park is great for trail running or just walking around or taking photos. Through out the park has many informational landmarks about nanaimo.

Wow who would have guess that there is a hidden trail called Spring Beach. No it is not a beach! Or…read moremaybe it is when you walk further in. Well it is a combination of both. There is a kind of look a like beach when you walk further in. I guess it is also a camping site during certain times. We walked into Spring Beach for some quick fresh air. The trail is not difficult. There is no elevation. The trees are very tall here. Free parking is available on the side of the road.

A slice of heaven! Walk through a magical little lush green forest to STUNNING views of the lake &…read moremountains! We take all of our guests here.