Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Orca Airways (tel. 888/359-6722 or 604/270-6722; www.flyorcaair.com) offers year-round flights between Vancouver International Airport and Tofino. Sound Flight offers air service between the Seattle area and Tofino (tel. 866/921-3474 or 425/254-8064; www.soundflight.net).

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 paved but very winding 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 -- Greyhound Vancouver Island Coach (tel. 250/388-5248) operates regular daily service between Victoria and Tofino. The 6-hour trip, departing Victoria at 7:30am and arriving in Tofino at 2:35pm, costs C$61 (US$61/£31) 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. A one-way ticket from Victoria to Tofino is C$64 (US$64/£32).

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.tourismtofino.com), is open March through September, Monday through Friday from 11am to 5pm.