British Columbia H-E-L-P
 

Greetings!!!

My hubby and I will be in British Columbia for nine wonderful days celebrating my 40th birthday November 5 - 13. H-E-L-P!!! We're tropical beach bums and this is our first adventure of this sort. We are very excited!!! We've read and researched all we can about the province and there's so much to do we don't know where to concentrate our efforts. We simply can't see the entire province in only nine days...SO...what would you recommend for us? We like both city and outdoor adventures. We're die hard adventurers and want to go, go, go the entire nine days. We're flying into Vancouver from Dallas, TX. We will use Vancouver as our starting point and hub as much as possible because we have free lodging there. We are willing to leave Vancouver as our hub but can't decide which way to go from there. Any ideas and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

well, there is nothing tripical about this area. i would spend 3 nights in vancouver, 3-4 nights in tofino area (a day trip out to the hot springs, maybe a day on a kayak trip) on vancouver island and then your last 2 in vancouver. or, if you don't want to go to the island you could head up to whistler for a few nights. but, november is sort of in between seasons (summer fun and winter fun)...the good new is there shouldn't be many tourists.

Beach bums = Tofino. I think that's all you need. Bring rain gear.

Yet, note that Tofino's beaches aren't the kind where you go sunbathing and swimming. They're the kind you go strolling along in the mist, or beachcombing for sealife... or a place where you go to appreciate the moody atmosphere of the entire place. The fact that there are old growth temperate rainforests surrounding these beaches makes it all the more enchanting. It's the epitome of the 'Pacific Northwest', so to speak.

With 9 days, you could combine 3 days in Vancouver, 3 days in Vancouver, and perhaps even a quick jaunt into the Okanagan, although it might be somewhat rushed for 3 days. While November's not the prime time to visit the Okanagan (which is normally known for its hot summer, its fruit orchards, and its dozens of wineries), there will be plenty of wineries for touring around still... several of which have excellent restaurants.

You could also, instead of visiting the Okanagan, visit the Gulf Islands (a chain of islands off the east coast of Vancouver Island), or spend night or two in Whistler.

Take a look at sludick's report on her road trip through British Columbia. While she had a bit more time, she gives excellent detail and a good overview as to what BC has to offer.

www.britishcolumbia.com is also an excellent website which features on the unique geographical regions in BC - each of which are very different from one another.

Whoops! Make that 3 days in Vancouver, and 3 days exploring the west coast of Vancouver Island (Tofino), and 3 days elsewhere. :)