I have spent nearly a month now touring Vancouver Island and there are many fabulous sights and…read moreactivities, but #1 without question has been the cruise with Archipelago. In fact, their cruise is both #1 and #2 in my book as I went on the tour twice. Both times the scenery and wildlife were incredible; both times Alan & Toddy did a top-notch job as guides and hosts; both times the cruise provided a connection to the natural surroundings and to fellow travelers that you just don't get on the other tours. If you make it to the area, Archipelago should be #1 on your list (and #2).

Al and Toddy were great hosts. They are passionate about their lifestyle on the water and were…read moreanxious to share their knowledge of Ucluelet, it's history and wildlife. The boat is pretty luxurious, well maintained and very clean. Within five minutes of launching, we saw a bear, bald eagles and then sea lions. Later in the Broken Islands, we saw a couple of whales, harbor seals and lots of marine birds. I highly recommend taking this cruise, we saw so many things that we would never have seen if we didn't venture out into the waters of Barkley Sound.

. The Nanaimo Bites and Sights Food Tour was a wonderful way to spend a unique and entertaining…read moreafternoon with some special friends. Our tour guide Allison was knowledgeable about the area and guided us through the old city quarter providing fun facts and local history of the area. A leisurely pace was set and walking time was 10 minutes to each stop. We enjoyed 6 locations starting with coffee and freshly baked cinnamon buns, Tex Mex tidbits, mouth-watering Mediterranean, delicious Italian and a visit to the sweet shop for Nanaimo Bar Fudge. The restaurants "knocked it out of the park" and they are on my "visit again" list. A highlight was the food demonstration at an International food specialty shop. The tour was well balanced, lots of time to laugh, chat and shop. Would definitely recommend this food tour, it was so much fun.

Not only can you not lose because this is a FREE tour...but you will gain so much interesting info!…read more I'm sure hopping on and off a bus would be just fine, but for us, with just one short day in this vast city, we were looking for a quick connection, and that's exactly what we got on this recent Sunday. We met our tour guide, Ali at the designated time (11am) at the designated place, and 20 or so of us enjoyed an incredibly interesting walking tour of Chinatown. There is no way we would have gotten the feel for this city had we not taken this tour. Several folks were repeat tour guy visitors, so they must have enjoyed those as well. Our group had folks from several countries. It is a relaxed tour at a pace that is just right...not too fast and not too slow. Seriously, just right! And absolutely everyone in our group was happy to hand over generous thank you tips. Well-deserved. Ali was kind enough at the end of the tour to guide anyone who wanted dining suggestions or directions. For us, he was even kind enough to let us walk along with him since we were heading in the same direction. As a result, we were fortunate enough to get an extended tour, as he remained a wealth of Vancouver info as we went along. Highly recommend!

I love FREE, Culture, history, and having a tour that rolls all 3 together…read more We took the Free Downtown & Chinatown Tour with Alex. She pointed out some places of interest, told us the history of Chinatown, took us to a herbal store, and ended the tour at the Chinese Gardens. The tour was over 2 hours, and she gave suggestions for lunch. I love these type of tours because they are given by people who have lived there for a good amount of time, and who are passionate about what they are presenting. She was no exception.

Best tour do not hesitate and just book!!!! If i could give 10 stars I would.  No disrespect to any…read moreof the other bigger tour groups with a lots of reviews but THIS is the tour to do!  I'm so glad that everything else was booked because we (party of 4) Literally had the entire boat for ourselves so it was a private tour at the same prices of the other tour companies. Zack took an incredible amount of time for our tour and gave us a personalized adventure.  We were also blessed to see whales, porpoise, urchins, starfish,  seals, sea lions. He knew all the places to go and gave such an amazing insight of the different islands and mountains. He also gave us snacks and beverages from locally sourced places. Literally we could not have asked for better and it was even more amazing than we could have imagined.  When we come back we will ONLY book here.

We had the absolute best time on the Oyster Farm Tour! If we could give it 10 stars we would. From…read morethe moment we walked on the dock, Captain Zach welcomed us on board, and made is feel comfortable and safe, he even had a scavenger hunt game prepared for our toddler! Once we were on our way, the learning began! Did you know that oysters are one of the most sustainable forms of aquaculture? Or that one little oyster filters a bathtub of water per day, keeping our oceans clean, pristine, fresh and beautiful? We learned so many incredible facts about his family oyster farm, the innovation they are adding to the industry, oysters as a species and the local aquaculture. The boat has both inside cabin space and outside deck space, making it great to enjoy the sea breeze and spray, but also shade from the hot sun. Captain Zach has an incredibly deep knowledge of the Discovery Islands and Desolation Sound, pointing out mountains, islands, bays and even rock formations, and added a depth of history to everything he shared. His passion to share this area of Vancouver Island is contagious! We saw a pod of dolphins, sea lions, eagles, all sorts of waterfowl. At no moment did we feel rushed, it was a beautiful leisurely day on the water - that also kept at 3 year old happy and engaged all day - and ended with the a delicious feast of oysters. We all had a blast and can't wait to be back.

Such a great way to see the historic section of Victoria! Cassidy was our driver, she was…read moreextremely knowledgeable, fun and informative. Carson the Clydesdale was the star of the show and was a very good boy indeed. A must-do when visiting Victoria!

We signed up for a Victoria Carriage Tours horse drawn carriage ride online, about 30 minutes…read morebefore scheduled departure. It was the first time of the day, and we left a little late; I wondered if we'd get shortchanged a little, but in fact we got a little more than the hour ride we paid for. Our driver, Amelia, was friendly and informative as we clip-clopped through parks, neighborhoods, and quaint business districts. This isn't an inexpensive ride, but they have about 6-7 different lengths of rides all priced proportionately, which helps. My wife really wanted a carriage ride while we were here, so I sprung for a one hour trip, which we both enjoyed!

Captain Darrell was extremely accommodating. My Father-in-law, wife and two young boys had an…read moreamazing time. Captain "D" made sure we went out at a time that would maximize the experiance for the boys' first Salmon fishing trip. Good water, lots of laughs and lots of fish. We did have to release some but of course not on the Captain. So anyone upset about that would just be silly. We caught 3 keepers, 1 coho and 2 king salmon (one 15 pounder). My father in law has been fishing salmon his whole life and Captain D had just as much knowledge. He was amazing.

Captain Darrell Jobb can fish!…read more If you want an awesome fishing experience on the beautiful east coast of Vancouver Island, at French Creek Harbor, you must call Darrell Jobb at Western Star Charters. Captain Darrell caters to both serious fisherman and families with children who want a fun and safe day on the water. Captain Darrell came very highly recommended to me by the helpful owners of the French Creek Marina store. I was very impressed with Captain Darrell's professional and safe operation. Captain Darrell does an excellent job of monitoring the weather and water conditions. Listen to him, his main goal is to help you have the best experience possible. If he suggests that conditions are not ideal, take his advice and reschedule for later in the day or for another day. My 12-year-old son and I really enjoy bottom fishing for rockfish and lingcod. Captain Darrell did an excellent job of getting us into some real hot spots. Kids love fishing for rockfish because it gets them super involved with the equipment. Darrell is a very knowledgeable and patient teacher with children and inexperienced adults. I have now chartered with Captain Darrell several times. I find his prices are very reasonable and we've always had an awesome day on the water with him. Book early with him. He's very popular and his summer schedule fills up fast. PS - don't kid yourself, lingcod might not look like much, but those bad boys are delicious! When Captain Darrell gets through cleaning them you will never have seen such beautiful, white (with sometimes very light greenish hue), delicate flesh. I prefer over halibut.

We chose the Vancouver City Highlights tour with the two addl stops included: Vancouver Lookout &…read moreCapilano Suspension Bridge (a must see)! Kyle was our guide, not only was he professional and a wealth of information but so funny! Bonus! Highly recommend this tour.

We did the six hour Vancouver tour. Our tour guide, Sam, was knowledgeable and a great driver. We…read moreenjoyed seeing Stanley Park, had a blast at Capilano Bridge and going to the island followed by the Vancouver Lookout. It was wonderful to be able to enjoy the sites of Vancouver. We were able to go back to see Gastown and Sam's knowledge helped us to enjoy our time on that street.