British Columbia: Vancouver Island & the Gulf Islands

All you have to do is get to the airport. On our Air Packages, we’ll take care of the rest, handling all the logistics, so you can travel with peace of mind. Start off your first day in Victoria right by having a VBT representative greet you at the airport. A complimentary car service will whisk you to your centrally located hotel in Sidney. From here, you are perfectly positioned to explore this charming seaside town at your leisure.

After an included breakfast, meet your VBT trip leaders at the hotel in Sidney at 1:30 p.m. They will be wearing VBT staff garments. You’ll join your trip leaders for a safety and bike-fitting session, followed by a warm-up ride from Sidney and the Salish Sea to the North Saanich Peninsula and its rural community. Pause at Moses Point where, at low tide, the rocky shores are a beachcomber’s delight. Tide pools reveal tiny crabs, starfish and other sea creatures. Sea lions, seals, dolphins, and the occasional pod of killer whales parade by. Eagles sometimes join in a feeding frenzy off the point. Enjoy time to relax and settle in before a welcome reception and dinner at your hotel.

Note: For tours June 11-17, 2022 and August 13-19,2022, your group will stay in two of the town’s hotels: Sidney Pier Hotel and Spa and Sidney Waterfront Inn and Suites.

Today’s Ride Choices

Afternoon Sidney Warm-up loop — 26 km (16 miles)

What to Expect: Enjoy an easy ride from Sidney to the North Saanich Peninsula.

Cumulative Distance Range: 26 km (16 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Cycle from your hotel in Sidney to Swartz Bay, where you’ll board a ferry to Pender Island, renowned for its beautiful parks and scenic vistas. Actually two islands connected by a one-lane bridge, Pender Island is a cyclist’s delight with pasturelands, forest-clad hills, and several beaches. Here, you’ll spin along winding roads and gentle rolling hills to Hope Bay. Later, you’ll enjoy lunch featuring tasty local specialties. Continue cycling to the southeastern tip of South Pender Island to Brooks Point Regional Park. Enjoy exploring the exceptional natural surroundings. Follow the trail along the rocky beach to the grasslands with commanding views of Boundary Pass, the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands and Mount Baker. Cycle back to the resort and unwind in your cozy oasis overlooking Bedwell Harbour. Gather for dinner at the hotel tonight.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Sidney to Ferry — 7 km (4 miles) with a 1 hour 45-minute crossing | Otter Bay to Driftwood Center — 10 km (6 miles)

Afternoon Driftwood Center to Brooks Point Regional Park — 15 km (9 miles) | Brooks Point to Poets Cove — 3 km (2 miles)

What to Expect: Follow the easy bike route and bike path from Sidney to Swartz Bay ferry terminal. Pender Island is a great bicycling destination, but use caution on the island’s main paved routes, which are narrow with hills, some short but steep, and blind corners. The maximum speed limit is 30 mph (50 km/hr). The ride from Port Browning to Poets Cove Resort is along a paved, winding road with gently rolling hills. There is one steep and winding uphill for 0.6 km (0.3 miles) after leaving the marina in Port Browning. VBT highly recommends that you dismount your bicycle and walk up this hill.

Cumulative Distance Range: 4 — 33 km (2 — 21 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a leisurely breakfast at the resort, cycle to Port Browning through old growth forest. See why Pender Island is known as the Hawaii of Canada, due to its sub-Mediterranean climate.

Embark on your sea kayaking adventure. Led by a skilled guide, you’ll paddle through a protected harbor, keeping your eyes peeled for the rich marine life that thrives here. Enjoy a picnic lunch prepared by your leaders featuring locally sourced ingredients.

Afterward, cycle to Sea Star Vineyards, Pender Island’s only winery—an ocean-facing vineyard that specializes in crafting wines from organically grown grapes. If you wish, you may enjoy a tasting here.

Travel to the hotel from the winery, where you will have time at leisure. If you are interested in an appointment at Susurrus, the hotel spa, advance booking is highly recommended. Call 250.629.2113 or 250.629.2100 directly to reserve. Please note: the spa was closed in 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Dinner is on your own tonight at one of the three hotel restaurants.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Poets Cove to Port Browning — 12 km (7.5 miles) | Sea kayaking (includes safety talk) — 2.5-hours

Afternoon Port Browning to Sea Star ride — 4 km (2.5 miles) | Sea Star to Poets Cove — 15 km (9 miles)

What to Expect: The ride from Poets Cove to Port Browning is on quiet paved roads with some hills. The ride from Port Browning to Sea Star Vineyards ascends on a quiet secondary road and descends back, with some rolling hills, into Port Browning.

Cumulative Distance Range: 4 – 31 km (2.5 – 19 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning, you’ll say goodbye to your hosts at Poets Cove Resort and board the ferry to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island, renowned for its blend of cosmopolitan cities and breathtaking wilderness, a mild climate, and long history. Linking the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, where you will alight, with the capital of British Columbia, Victoria, is the Lochside Trail. Enjoy a tranquil spin along this rail trail to Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse. This family-owned, farm-based cidery produces award-winning, traditionally fermented ciders from organically grown heritage apples. Enjoy a tasting and copious lunch in this peaceful setting.

Afterward, follow Lochside Trail to the Galloping Goose Trail, a more rural route designed to link the country to the city and people to nature. As you spin along this trail, admire fields of golden corn and cathedral canopies of green leaves, including Garry Oaks—British Columbia’s only native oak. You might pause along the way for a Nainamo Bar, a three-layered, no-bake treat named for a city on Vancouver Island. Many varieties exist for you to savor.

On arrival at your boutique hotel, settle into your room and perhaps relax in its heated seaside mineral pools (16 years of age minimum). If you would like an appointment at the spa, advance booking is highly recommended; call 250.940.0326 or email [email protected] to reserve.

Tonight’s dinner is on your own at one of the hotel’s dining venues or at the nearby marina.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Swartz Bay to Sea Cider — 16 km (10 miles)

Afternoon Sea Cider to Oak Bay Beach — 28 km (17 miles)

What to Expect: Enjoy easy rides today on quiet bike paths or secondary roads. The bike path/trail varies between paved and packed gravel surfaces. The morning ride gently ascends from the ferry terminal to Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse. The afternoon ride has some gentle hills and mostly descends to Oak Bay.

Cumulative Distance Range: 16 – 44 km (10 – 27 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, cycle to the city of Victoria, capital of British Columbia, blending a First Nations heritage with influences of British colonialism. Continue riding around the harbor to Butchart Gardens, a magnificent oasis north of the city and your destination for the day. Built atop a former limestone quarry over a century ago, this landscaping gem was the vision of Jennie Butchart, who dreamed of transforming the site into a grand sunken garden. Over time, the park was expanded with Japanese, Italian, and rose gardens and a children’s pavilion, and it is now also a venue for outdoor concerts and other events. Most recently, the cultural heritage of the Indigenous People was recognized with the addition of two totem poles. Today, Butchart Gardens is a city treasure and a National Historic Site of Canada. Enjoy time to explore this tranquil haven and finish your day with a rewarding ride back to the hotel.

You’ll have time to relax at the hotel this afternoon before gathering with your fellow travelers for a celebration dinner at the hotel featuring local favorites such as fresh seafood chowder, Wild Pacific halibut, and Saanich organic salad greens.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Oak Bay Beach via Victoria to Butchart Gardens — 32 km (20 miles)

Afternoon Butchart Gardens to Oak Bay Beach — 32 km (20 miles)

What to Expect: Ride from your hotel on paved roads to Victoria Harbour. There, you’ll join the Galloping Goose Trail and cycle north toward Brentwood Bay and Butchart Gardens.The afternoon’s return ride follows the Lochside Regional Trail back to the hotel. The ride is mostly flat with one hill (0.5 km) out of the gardens and a second hill (1 km) as you enter the village of Brentwood Bay. There is another ascent as you join the Lochside Regional Trail and a small hill before your descent to the hotel.

Cumulative Distance Range: 32 – 64 km (20 – 40 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, travel to Victoria International Airport at 8:45 a.m., arriving by 10:00 a.m.

Important: Flight departures from Victoria International Airport (YYJ) prior to 12:00 p.m. are not recommended. If you depart earlier, you must make transportation arrangements from the last hotel at your own expense. Taxi cost to the Victoria airport is approximately $115 CAD for a private sedan for one to two passengers and luggage (travel time approximately 45 minutes). If VBT booked you on a flight that departs later than 1:00 p.m., you will be scheduled on a separate shuttle. You may have to check out of your hotel room, but the hotel can store your luggage while you wait for your transportation.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Meet your VBT trip leaders and the rest of the group at the Sidney Pier Hotel and Spa in Sidney, B.C., at 1:30 p.m. (Sidney Pier Hotel and Spa, 9805 Seaport Pl, Sidney, BC V8L 4X3, telephone 250.655.9445). Your trip leaders will be wearing VBT staff garments. Please buy lunch on your own before this meeting and come dressed for bicycling.

If your arrival at the Sidney Pier Hotel and Spa is scheduled later than 1:30 p.m. or if you are delayed, you must take a taxi at your own expense (approximately $20 CAD) from the Victoria airport to the Sidney Pier Hotel. Please contact Sidney Pier Hotel and Spa before 1:30 p.m. to advise of any travel delays or changes, and the staff will pass your message on to your VBT trip leaders.

Note: For tours June 11-17, 2022 and August 13-19, 2022, your group will stay in two of the town’s hotels: Sidney Pier Hotel and Spa and Sidney Waterfront Inn and Suites.

Today’s Ride Choices

Afternoon Sidney Warm-up loop — 26 km (16 miles)

What to Expect: Enjoy an easy ride from Sidney to the North Saanich Peninsula.

Cumulative Distance Range: 26 km (16 miles)

Included Meals: Dinner

Cycle from your hotel in Sidney to Swartz Bay, where you’ll board a ferry to Pender Island, renowned for its beautiful parks and scenic vistas. Actually two islands connected by a one-lane bridge, Pender Island is a cyclist’s delight with pasturelands, forest-clad hills, and several beaches. Here, you’ll spin along winding roads and gentle rolling hills to Hope Bay. Later, you’ll enjoy lunch featuring tasty local specialties. Continue cycling to the southeastern tip of South Pender Island to Brooks Point Regional Park. Enjoy exploring the exceptional natural surroundings. Follow the trail along the rocky beach to the grasslands with commanding views of Boundary Pass, the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands and Mount Baker. Cycle back to the resort and unwind in your cozy oasis overlooking Bedwell Harbour. Gather for dinner at the hotel tonight.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Sidney to Ferry — 7 km (4 miles) with a 1 hour 45-minute crossing | Otter Bay to Driftwood Center — 10 km (6 miles)

Afternoon Driftwood Center to Brooks Point Regional Park — 15 km (9 miles) | Brooks Point to Poets Cove — 3 km (2 miles)

What to Expect: Follow the easy bike route and bike path from Sidney to Swartz Bay ferry terminal. Pender Island is a great bicycling destination, but use caution on the island’s main paved routes, which are narrow with hills, some short but steep, and blind corners. The maximum speed limit is 30 mph (50 km/hr). The ride from Port Browning to Poets Cove Resort is along a paved, winding road with gently rolling hills. There is one steep and winding uphill for 0.6 km (0.3 miles) after leaving the marina in Port Browning. VBT highly recommends that you dismount your bicycle and walk up this hill.

Cumulative Distance Range: 4 — 33 km (2 — 21 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a leisurely breakfast at the resort, cycle to Port Browning through old growth forest. See why Pender Island is known as the Hawaii of Canada, due to its sub-Mediterranean climate.

Embark on your sea kayaking adventure. Led by a skilled guide, you’ll paddle through a protected harbor, keeping your eyes peeled for the rich marine life that thrives here. Enjoy a picnic lunch prepared by your leaders featuring locally sourced ingredients.

Afterward, cycle to Sea Star Vineyards, Pender Island’s only winery—an ocean-facing vineyard that specializes in crafting wines from organically grown grapes. If you wish, you may enjoy a tasting here.

Travel to the hotel from the winery, where you will have time at leisure. If you are interested in an appointment at Susurrus, the hotel spa, advance booking is highly recommended. Call 250.629.2113 or 250.629.2100 directly to reserve. Please note: the spa was closed in 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Dinner is on your own tonight at one of the three hotel restaurants.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Poets Cove to Port Browning — 12 km (7.5 miles) | Sea kayaking (includes safety talk) — 2.5-hours

Afternoon Port Browning to Sea Star ride — 4 km (2.5 miles) | Sea Star to Poets Cove — 15 km (9 miles)

What to Expect: The ride from Poets Cove to Port Browning is on quiet paved roads with some hills. The ride from Port Browning to Sea Star Vineyards ascends on a quiet secondary road and descends back, with some rolling hills, into Port Browning.

Cumulative Distance Range: 4 – 31 km (2.5 – 19 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning, you’ll say goodbye to your hosts at Poets Cove Resort and board the ferry to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island, renowned for its blend of cosmopolitan cities and breathtaking wilderness, a mild climate, and long history. Linking the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, where you will alight, with the capital of British Columbia, Victoria, is the Lochside Trail. Enjoy a tranquil spin along this rail trail to Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse. This family-owned, farm-based cidery produces award-winning, traditionally fermented ciders from organically grown heritage apples. Enjoy a tasting and copious lunch in this peaceful setting.

Afterward, follow Lochside Trail to the Galloping Goose Trail, a more rural route designed to link the country to the city and people to nature. As you spin along this trail, admire fields of golden corn and cathedral canopies of green leaves, including Garry Oaks—British Columbia’s only native oak. You might pause along the way for a Nainamo Bar, a three-layered, no-bake treat named for a city on Vancouver Island. Many varieties exist for you to savor.

On arrival at your boutique hotel, settle into your room and perhaps relax in its heated seaside mineral pools (16 years of age minimum). If you would like an appointment at the spa, advance booking is highly recommended; call 250.940.0326 or email [email protected] to reserve.

Tonight’s dinner is on your own at one of the hotel’s dining venues or at the nearby marina.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Swartz Bay to Sea Cider — 16 km (10 miles)

Afternoon Sea Cider to Oak Bay Beach — 28 km (17 miles)

What to Expect: Enjoy easy rides today on quiet bike paths or secondary roads. The bike path/trail varies between paved and packed gravel surfaces. The morning ride gently ascends from the ferry terminal to Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse. The afternoon ride has some gentle hills and mostly descends to Oak Bay.

Cumulative Distance Range: 16 – 44 km (10 – 27 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, cycle to the city of Victoria, capital of British Columbia, blending a First Nations heritage with influences of British colonialism. Continue riding around the harbor to Butchart Gardens, a magnificent oasis north of the city and your destination for the day. Built atop a former limestone quarry over a century ago, this landscaping gem was the vision of Jennie Butchart, who dreamed of transforming the site into a grand sunken garden. Over time, the park was expanded with Japanese, Italian, and rose gardens and a children’s pavilion, and it is now also a venue for outdoor concerts and other events. Most recently, the cultural heritage of the Indigenous People was recognized with the addition of two totem poles. Today, Butchart Gardens is a city treasure and a National Historic Site of Canada. Enjoy time to explore this tranquil haven and finish your day with a rewarding ride back to the hotel.

You’ll have time to relax at the hotel this afternoon before gathering with your fellow travelers for a celebration dinner at the hotel featuring local favorites such as fresh seafood chowder, Wild Pacific halibut, and Saanich organic salad greens.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Oak Bay Beach via Victoria to Butchart Gardens — 32 km (20 miles)

Afternoon Butchart Gardens to Oak Bay Beach — 32 km (20 miles)

What to Expect: Ride from your hotel on paved roads to Victoria Harbour. There, you’ll join the Galloping Goose Trail and cycle north toward Brentwood Bay and Butchart Gardens.The afternoon’s return ride follows the Lochside Regional Trail back to the hotel. The ride is mostly flat with one hill (0.5 km) out of the gardens and a second hill (1 km) as you enter the village of Brentwood Bay. There is another ascent as you join the Lochside Regional Trail and a small hill before your descent to the hotel.

Cumulative Distance Range: 32 – 64 km (20 – 40 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, travel to Victoria International Airport at 8:45 a.m., arriving by 10:00 a.m.

Important: Flight departures from Victoria International Airport (YYJ) prior to 12:00 p.m. are not recommended. If you depart earlier, you must make transportation arrangements from the last hotel at your own expense. Taxi cost to the Victoria airport is approximately $115 CAD for a private sedan for one to two passengers and luggage (travel time approximately 45 minutes). If VBT booked you on a flight that departs later than 1:00 p.m., you will be scheduled on a separate shuttle. You may have to check out of your hotel room, but the hotel can store your luggage while you wait for your transportation.

Included Meals: Breakfast