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Routes · Americas

Mumbai to Vancouver Island: Victoria and Tofino

Mumbai → Victoria, BC → Tofino

Tofino
"Tofino.Vue_vers_l'est.JPG" by Olivier Lévy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Tofino.Vue vers l'est (Tofino)
Photo: Olivier Lévy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rainforest, surf & whale watching Best season (general guide): May–Sep

Vancouver Island, off Canada's Pacific coast, has a small capital, mountains and a wild west coast of beaches and rainforest. This route spends two nights in Victoria and four in Tofino. From Mumbai you'll connect through a hub to Vancouver and Victoria. Victoria's Inner Harbour is lined with grand buildings, and seaplanes and ferries come and go. The Butchart Gardens, outside town, are large formal gardens.

How to pace it: Spend days one and two in Victoria, BC: day one, Inner Harbour; day two, Butchart Gardens. Then spend days three to six in Tofino: day three, drive across the island via Cathedral Grove; day four, Pacific Rim beaches; day five, whale-watching boat; day six, rainforest trail.

The road across the island passes Cathedral Grove, where giant Douglas firs and cedars stand in old-growth forest. Tofino sits at the edge of Clayoquot Sound, a UNESCO biosphere reserve of inlets and islands. Pacific Rim National Park Reserve protects long beaches such as Long Beach, popular for surfing, and boardwalk trails through rainforest. Whale-watching boats look for gray whales and humpbacks, and some trips go to hot springs or look for bears on the shore.

May to September is the driest and most popular time. Winter storm-watching draws visitors too. In Tofino, check tide times before walking the beaches and headlands. A rain jacket is useful even in summer, as the rainforest earns its name. Kayak and surf lessons are widely offered for beginners. Book the whale-watching trip early in your stay, in case the weather cancels it.

Victoria is compact, so you can walk most of the centre in a day.

Good to know: The drive from Victoria to Tofino takes several hours on a winding road. Book accommodation ahead in summer. Water is cold year-round, so surfers wear thick wetsuits.

On the drive west, stop at viewpoints along the lakes and rivers, and stretch your legs among the giant trees before the final winding stretch to the coast. Fresh seafood chowder warms you after a cold beach walk.

Suggested outline

  1. Mumbai

    Start

  2. Victoria, BC

    By air · 2 nights suggested

    Inner Harbour, gardens and a ferry-linked island capital.

    Inner Harbour (Victoria, British Columbia)
    "Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 19.jpg" by Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

  3. Tofino

    Overland · 4 nights suggested

    Long surf beaches, old-growth rainforest and whale-watching trips.

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Victoria, BC — Arrive; Inner Harbour· Mumbai → Victoria, BC (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · Victoria, BC — Butchart Gardens
  3. Day 3 · Tofino — Drive across the island via Cathedral Grove· Victoria, BC → Tofino (overland)
  4. Day 4 · Tofino — Pacific Rim beaches
  5. Day 5 · Tofino — Whale-watching boat
  6. Day 6 · Tofino — Rainforest trail
  7. Day 7 · Tofino — Travel home from Tofino· Tofino → Mumbai (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Victoria, BC

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Tofino

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