Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Sonic Blue Airways (tel. 800/228-6608 or 604/278-1608; www.sonicblueair.com) offers flights between Vancouver International Airport and Tofino. Return fare to/from Vancouver starts at C$280 (US$224); flying time is 45 minutes. Craig Air (tel. 877/886-3466 or 250/266-0267; www.craigair.com) provides air service from Victoria and Vancouver to Tofino; one-way fare is C$145 (US$116). Sound Flight offers air service between the Seattle area and Tofino (tel. 866/921-3474 or 425/254-8064; www.soundflight.net). One-way transport is US$250 (C$313).

By Car -- Tofino, Ucluelet, and Long Beach all lay near the end of Highway 4 on the west coast of Vancouver Island. From Nanaimo, take the Island Highway (Hwy. 19) north for 52km (32 miles). Just before the town of Parksville is a turnoff for Highway 4, which leads to the mid-island town of Port Alberni (38km/24 miles) and then to the coastal towns of Tofino (135km/84 miles west of Port Alberni) and Ucluelet (103km/64 miles west). The road is well paved but windy after Port Alberni.

By Ferry -- A 4 1/2-hour ride aboard the Lady Rose Marine Services (tel. 800/663-7192 Apr-Sept, or 250/723-8313; www.ladyrosemarine.com) MV Lady Rose takes you from Port Alberni to Ucluelet.

By Bus -- Island Coach Lines (tel. 250/724-1266) operates regular daily service between Victoria and Tofino/Ucluelet. The 6-hour trip, departing Victoria at 5:30am and arriving in Tofino at 12:45pm, costs C$55 (US$44) to Tofino. The bus also stops in Nanaimo and can pick up passengers arriving from Vancouver on the ferry. The Tofino Bus (tel. 866/986-3466; www.tofinobus.com) also offers daily bus service from Victoria and Vancouver to Tofino/Ucluelet. A one-way ticket from Victoria to Tofino is C$50 (US$40).

Visitor Information

The Ucluelet Visitor Info Centre, 100 Main St., by Government Wharf on Ucluelet Harbour (tel. 250/726-4641; www.uclueletinfo.com), is open July through September, Monday through Friday from 11am to 5pm. You should also check out www.ucluelet.com. The Tofino Visitor Info Centre, 1426 Pacific Rim Hwy. (tel. 250/725-3414; www.tofinobc.org), is open March through September, Monday through Friday from 11am to 5pm.

Special Events--About 20,000 Pacific gray whales migrate to this area annually. During the second week of March, the Pacific Rim Whale Festival (tel. 250/726-7742 or 250/725-3414; www.island.net/~whalef) is held in Tofino and Ucluelet. The annual whale migration is celebrated with whale-watching hikes; First Nations storytelling, music, dancing, and art; children's activities; and contests.