It was a rainy. It was cold. But oh, Vancouver Island was so beautiful. We visited a number of interesting places during our roadtrip and I’m sharing with you some of our favorites!
1. Hiking at Ucluelet and Tofino
If you ask my boys what their favorite activities were during our almost 2 month trip, hiking in Vancouver Island is sure to come up. The scenery in Vancouver Island is simply unbeatable (yes, surprisingly, even on rainy weather!)
We were actually praying for sunnier weather when we saw the rainy forecast but in the end, the rain just added to the magic. The rainy day hikes were wonderful.
There are many trails to choose from but we picked some easier ones since we were with the two kids. Highly recommend Tonquin Park in Tofino and Lighthouse Loop at the Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet. We even got to see a sea lion chillin’ and bathing in the rain!
2. Exploring Tidal Pools at Chesterman Beach
Many glorious hours were spent on Chesterman Beach one cloudy afternoon when the tides were low. The kids (and adults) all had fun exploring the little tidal pools that have formed.
We saw anemones, starfish and lots of other little sea creatures we don’t normally get to see.
One of my kids enjoyed climbing the rocks while the other enjoyed discovering different kinds of shells. A beautiful day of nature study, if you ask me! š
3. Staying at The Cabins
We stayed at The Cabins at Terrace Beach in Ucluelet during most of our roadtrip and we loved the place so much I’m including it in my list of favorite experiences (because the experience was really wonderful!)
We booked 2 cabins for our group (one for our family and one for our friends.) It was so much fun visiting each other, having breakfasts together and just enjoying each other’s company especially on those cold rainy days after a morning of hiking.
The cabins were really clean, modern (but still with that rustic charm) and very spacious. We all miss it.
4. Visiting the Ucluelet Aquarium
The Ucluelet Aquarium is a non-profit public aquarium in Ucluelet and what’s so special about this is, they get marine life from Barkley and Clayoquot Sounds and implement a ācollect-and-releaseā model which means that specimens are released back to their home habitats each autumn. How amazing is that?
The kids enjoyed exlporing the different kinds of marine life and they were even able to ask volunteers some of their questions, which was really nice!
This is also a good alternative in case you don’t get to see actual tidal pools “in the wild!”
5. Watching an Orchestra Performance at the Park
A surprise but very welcome experience was when we chanced upon an orchestra performance at Beacon Hill Park in Victoria. We were just waiting to be seated at a restaurant (the wait was 30 minutes) so we went around the nearby park and what a pleasant surprise! We stayed for a while to enjoy the (free!) performance and even the kids thought it was pretty neat!
* BONUS: Stop by Goats on the Roof!
The most random thing ever, but also, so cute, right? There were literally goats on the roof of a market and that’s just it. Nothing more. š It was a cute stopover and a fun, memorable part of our roadtrip! So if you’re on the way from Victoria to Ucluelet and looking for a place to stop by, this is it!
During our stay in Canada, I used my favorite e-sim provider, SAILY, to stay connected. I got the Saily Ultra which provided me with 30 GB of high-speed data, then unlimited at 1 Mbps, from $53.33/month. It was really handy because I didn’t need to get another e-sim provider when we crossed the border from Canada to the U.S.
Saily has never failed me (Iāve used it for around 6 or more trips already!).Ā You canĀ download the app hereĀ and use my Saily affiliate code SHEENA10 thatĀ gives 10% off or my other code, SHEENA8879 to get $3 off!
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