See the best of British Columbia when you embark upon one of the many circle tours that take in Vancouver Island, the Discovery Coast, the Sunshine Coast, the Okanagan winelands, the Native Heritage tour, or the remote Northern British Columbia. The coastal tours involve exciting rail, road and ferry trips on BC Ferries, and scenic highways flank the coast, taking you through charming beachside communities, rolling farmlands and majestic mountain ranges. Start your journey by selecting one of the Circle Tours below, designed to assist you in planning your journey by road through beautiful British Columbia.
Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal Vancouver serves the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island (Victoria and Nanaimo).
Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island Circle Tour
Follow a winding ribbon of road north from Vancouver up the scenic Sunshine Coast to Powell River (two ferries) before crossing the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver Island on a BC Ferry. Travel down the east coast of Vancouver Island to Nanaimo, or further south to Victoria. A fourth ferry experience completes the circle in Tsawwassen, south of Vancouver.
Approximate Distance: 360 km (excluding ferry trips).
Approximate Duration: 3 to 5 days.
Discovery Coast Circle Tour
Cross to Victoria or Nanaimo on Vancouver Island from Vancouver, and head north, boarding BC Ferries in Port Hardy. Return to the mainland at Bella Coola, and the grassy plateaus, rolling meadows, picturesque canyons and the high mountain peaks of the Chilcotin. The old Cariboo Wagon Road will lead you back to Vancouver through the heart of the Cariboo region.
Approximate Distance: 1400 km (excluding ferry trips).
Approximate Duration: 7 to 10 days.
Inside Passage Circle Tour
Cross to Victoria or Nanaimo on Vancouver Island from Vancouver, and head north, boarding BC Ferries in Port Hardy, destined for Prince Rupert. The hauntingly beautiful Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) beckon to you before venturing east on the Yellowhead Highway to Prince George, and south through the peaceful Cariboo to Vancouver along the historic Cariboo Wagon Road.
Approximate Distance: 2,000 km (excluding ferry trips).
Approximate Duration: 7 to 14 days.
Native Heritage Circle Tour
Follow the same route as The Inside Passage circle tour, and take in some of the wonderful examples of Native art to be seen in Northern British Columbia, both ancient art and modern creations. View haunting totem poles, mystifying petroglyph stone carvings, heritage First Nation villages, and Native arts and crafts skillfully carved by First Nations people of British Columbia.
Approximate Distance: 2,000 km (excluding ferry trips).
Approximate Duration: 7 to 14 days.
Pacific Marine Circle Tour
Driving the Pacific Marine Circle Tour is an excellent way to explore the historic West Coast of Southern Vancouver Island. The wilderness route traces the coastline of the south island, from Victoria west through the communities of Sooke and Port Renfrew, continuing inland to the Cowichan Valley, and looping back down the Trans-Canada Highway via Duncan to Victoria, the capital of BC.
Approximate Distance: 255 km
Approximate Duration: 2 to 4 days.
Circle Tours on the BC Mainland
- Northern British Columbia Circle Tour
- Coast Mountains Circle Tour
- Okanagan and Kootenay Rockies Circle Tour
- Kootenay Rockies Hot Springs Circle Tour
- Fraser Valley Circle Tour
- Canadian Rockies Circle Tour
