Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Victoria, is the main air hub for all of Vancouver Island.

Nanaimo and Comox/Courtenay have regular air service. Air Canada Jazz (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.com) offers service to Vancouver from Nanaimo. Pacific Coastal Airlines (tel. 800/663-2872; www.pacific-coastal.com) and Air Canada connector Central Mountain Air fly to/from Comox and Vancouver, while WestJet (tel. 877/952-4638; www.westjet.com) provides Comox with nonstop service to/from Edmonton and Calgary.

Smaller towns in central Vancouver Island can be reached via floatplane, either from Vancouver International's seaplane terminal or from downtown Vancouver's Coal Harbour terminal.

Commuter seaplane companies include Harbour Air Seaplanes (tel. 800/665-0212 or 604/688-1277; www.harbour-air.com), Tofino Air (tel. 866/486-3247 for Tofino base, 888/436-7776 for Sechelt base, or 800/665-2359 for Gabriola base; www.tofinoair.ca), and Baxter Aviation (tel. 800/661-5599, 604/683-6525, or 250/754-1066; www.baxterair.com).

By Ferry -- BC Ferries (tel. 888/223-3779 or 250/386-3431; www.bcferries.com) links Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and the mainland. Major routes include the crossing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay and to Nanaimo, and from Horseshoe Bay (northwest of Vancouver) to Nanaimo. In summer, reserve in advance. Sample fares are included in the regional sections that follow.

By Bus -- One of the easiest ways to get to and from Vancouver Island destinations is by bus. Greyhound Canada (tel. 800/661-8747 or 604/482-8747; www.greyhound.ca) provides six daily trips between Vancouver and Nanaimo. Fare is C$18 (US$14) one-way.

Visitor Information

For information on central Vancouver Island, contact Tourism Vancouver Island, Suite 203, 335 Wesley St., Nanaimo (tel. 250/754-3500; www.islands.bc.ca). Also check out www.vancouverisland.com.

Getting Around

While Vancouver Island has an admirable system of public transport, getting to remote sights and destinations is difficult without your own vehicle.

By Ferry -- BC Ferries (tel. 888/223-3779 or 250/386-3431; www.bcferries.com) routes link Vancouver Island ports to many offshore islands.

By Train -- A scenic way to travel is on VIA Rail's E&N Railiner, the Malahat (tel. 888/VIA-RAIL or 250/383-4324; www.viarail.ca), which runs from Victoria to Courtenay.

By Bus -- Island Coach Lines (tel. 250/724-1266) operates regular daily service between Victoria and Tofino/Ucluelet via Nanaimo. The 6-hour trip arrives in Tofino at 12:45pm and costs C$55 (US$44). The bus stops in Nanaimo and can pick up visitors arriving from Vancouver by ferry. The Tofino Bus (tel. 866/986-3466; www.tofinobus.com) also offers daily bus service from Victoria and Vancouver to Tofino/Ucluelet via Nanaimo. A one-way ticket from Victoria is C$50 (US$40).

By Car -- The southern half of Vancouver Island is well served by paved highways. The trunk road between Victoria and Nanaimo is Highway 1, the Trans-Canada, which requires some patience, especially during the busy summer months. North of Nanaimo, the major road is Highway 19, which is a four-lane expressway for almost all of its duration, a particular improvement being the 128km (79-mile) Inland Highway between Parksville and Campbell River. The older sections of 19, all closer to the island's east coast, are now labeled 19A. The other major paved road system on the island, Highway 4, connects Parksville with Port Alberni and on to Ucluelet and Tofino, on the rugged west coast. This road is mostly two-lane, and portions of it are extremely winding and hilly.

Rental-car agencies include Avis (tel. 800/272-5871 in Canada, 800/230-4898 in the U.S.; www.avis.com), Budget (tel. 800/268-8900 in Canada, 800/527-0700 in the U.S.; www.budget.com), and National (tel. 800/CAR-RENT in Canada and the U.S.; www.nationalcar.com).