West Vancouver Island

My partner and I just got back from visiting West Vancouver Island. We stayed in the sleepy town of Ucluelet, BC. I have traveled the world and I must say this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Take the pounding surf, sea, and tropical greenery of Hawaii and mix it with the mountains and rugged wildlife of Alaska and you have a home on Vancouver island. Ucluelet is a little fishing hamlet just twenty minutes south of it's more popular twin sister of Tofino, BC. The two hour drive across the island from the ferry town of Nanaimo is breathtaking. We passed beautiful untouched lakes as majestic as Italy's Como, through a giant forest akin to the Red Woods of northern California, and passed beautiful snowcapped mountains as impressive as the Swiss Alps to arrive on the rocky shores of the West Coast. The air is damp and cool and the plant life looked prehistoric. From our balcony we witnessed a school of orcas swim by our hotel and during a nature tour saw a dozen bald eagles, ten grey whales, a mother humpback whale and her calf, a bear, sea lions, and many adorable seals. This area is a must for any bucket list. The island had multiple hiking trails through the rain forest and the towns of Tofino and Ucluelet had plenty to do for the whole family. Mountains, ocean, sea life, nature trails, biking, boating, sailing, climbing, and every turn is another postcard; we will be back for sure:-)