tofino, british columbia
Tofino has been on my travel bucket list for quite awhile. After visiting British Columbia for the first time, I knew I had barely scratched the surface and was hungry to see more of its beauty. Tofino is a small surf town located on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. It offers beaches and old-growth rain-forests which attracts many tourists each year. The town has so much to do including surfing, camping, hiking, whale watching, fishing – truly a nature lover’s dream!
Tofino is home to the temperate rainforests, ocean and rugged coastal shorelines. The weather can be a little unpredictable in the shoulder seasons, so we packed accordingly. Depending on what you’re looking for, Tofino can provide a little bit of everything; from outdoor adventures to a relaxing escape.
There are a couple of ways to access the island, but we took the ferry over. This way, we could conveniently have our rental car with us from Vancouver. The ferry ride was absolutely stunning and provides a chance to see whales and other sea life. We stayed one night in Victoria and then headed to Tofino in the morning, to break up our travel time a little bit.
We arrived at Pacific Sands Beach Resort, located on the spectacular Cox Bay. Having the beach right on our doorstep was something we took advantage of, the beach is so unique. We spent a ton of our time exploring the resort’s property and surrounding beach, where we saw sea life and its rugged terrain. It is one of the widest sand beaches I have ever been on and really what makes the grounds so special. The resort provides an escape that allows guests to co-exist with the west coast wildlife. We hiked each morning along the beach and watched the surfers battle the waves. I could’ve stayed on the grounds for the entire duration of the trip, everything we needed was right at our fingertips!
Walking along the shoreline, we were guaranteed to see something. We saw sea otters, eagles, whales, sand dollars and plenty of star fish. There was such a diversity of different animals and wildlife, I was blown away!
We saw hundreds of mussels stuck to the wave-pounded rocks. I learned that hundreds of sticky threads, known as byssus, glue mussels to slippery rocks. Mussels make the threads by squeezing liquid protein into a groove in their muscly foot. These proteins form weak bonds with the rock, allowing them to stay in place even as the waves crash against them. It is truly magnificent to see small creatures like these forming their bonds with the planet.
When I travel, food is almost always the focal point, however, this trip was more focused towards nature and the outdoors. We explored a number of trails including the Rainforest Trail, Pettinger Point and the Wild Pacific Trail located in the nearby town of Ucluelet. The forest has always provided me with an escape and somewhere I can ground myself in and be at peace. The old-growth rainforests and network of breath-taking trails in and around Tofino were the highlight of the trip. It is difficult to find these types of mature trails in Ontario so I always make sure to take advantage of these whenever I’m out west.
Another activity we chose to do was a guided kayaking tour. I’m not going to lie, I was a little sceptical and had some nerves about doing it but I’m so glad I did! It allowed us to get up close and personal with the nature and wildlife on Vancouver Island. I understand now why this area is one of the world’s premiere kayaking destinations. We selected Paddle West Kayaking Company for our guided tour. They did such a fantastic job explaining the area and provided a customized experience tailored to the level of experience of each kayaker.
Tofino will always have a special place in my heart and somewhere that really sparked my curiosity towards nature. It is a humbling place and showed me just how beautiful Canada is. I hope to visit again one day very soon!
Tomato Tomatoe 
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