Getting There
By Car -- The 387km (240-mile) drive from Vancouver via the Trans-Canada Highway (Hwy. 1) and Highway 3 rambles through rich delta farmlands and the forested mountains of Manning Provincial Park and the Similkameen River region before descending into the Okanagan Valley's antelope-brush and sagebrush desert. For a more direct route to Kelowna, take the Trans-Canada Highway to the Coquihalla Toll Highway, which eliminates more than an hour's driving time. The 203km (126-mile) route runs from Hope through Merritt over the Coquihalla Pass into Kamloops.
By Bus -- Greyhound Canada (tel. 800/661-8747; www.greyhound.ca) runs daily buses from Vancouver to Penticton and Kelowna, with service continuing on to Banff and Calgary. The one-way fare to Penticton is C$61 (US$61/£31).
By Plane -- Air Canada Jazz (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.ca) and WestJet (tel. 888/937-8538; www.westjet.com) offer frequent daily commuter flights from Calgary and Vancouver to Penticton and Kelowna. Horizon Air (tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com), a division of Alaska Air, provides service to and from Seattle and Kelowna.
Visitor Information
Contact the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, 2280-D Leckie Road, Kelowna (tel. 800/567-2275 or 250/860-5999; www.totabc.com), which is open daily from 9am to 6pm. For information about the Okanagan wineries, contact Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce, 553 Railway St., Penticton (tel. 800/663-5052 or 250/493-4055; www.tourismpenticton.com). The friendly staff at its Wine Country Visitor Centre can help you with itineraries, restaurants, activities, and lodging. The center also has an excellent wine shop, filled with the best of B.C. wines and regional cheeses.
