WILDLIFE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA - FAMILY HOLIDAY

Day 1
The group flight arrives in the late afternoon.

Day 2
The group will meet at 7:30am in the hotel lobby. Make sure you eat breakfast and check out by this time. We start our trip by taking the ferry across many intimate inlets near the start of the Inside Passage before arriving at the San Juan Archipelago, strung out between the mainland and Vancouver Island. Our final destination here is beautiful Orcas Island, home to artisan communities and covered with forested mountains. In the afternoon we will take a short hike on Orcas Island.

Day 3
Today we take to sea kayaks which are the best way to explore the coastline of the islands. This is also an excellent opportunity to see the marine and birdlife that lives in and around these waters. If we're lucky, we may even see the Orca whales that the island is named after.

Day 4
In the afternoon we take the ferry to Victoria, Vancouver Island's main town and the capital of British Columbia. We will pass through customs en-route. Vancouver Island is a remarkable mix of English Edwardian, First Nations and even some Chinese building styles and was home to the first Chinatown in Canada.

Day 5 - 6
This morning we'll visit the respected Provincial Museum in Victoria to learn about the First Nations and how they lived, as well as the fascinating natural history of the region - this is a great insight to the flora and fauna we'll see whilst on the island. We'll then travel to Tofino, a small village on the west coast of Vancouver Island and a paradise for nature lovers. Surrounded by ancient temperate rainforest, beautiful sandy beaches and seas with abundant marine life, it is the perfect base for two nights of camping. Salmon spawn in the rivers of this region and we'll have a fresh salmon BBQ on the beach. We'll head up the coast by boat watching for whales and hopefully see one or two of the many bears that call the Clayoquot Sound their home. We will also take a gentle walk amongst the giant trees of the Pacific Rim National Park.

Day 7
A long but beautiful journey to Whistler today. We drive across the mountainous centre of Vancouver Island to the port of Nanaimo on the east coast. We board a public ferry that will take us across the Georgia Straight back to the mainland to the north of Vancouver. The very impressive Coastal Mountain Range rises straight from the sea and we drive alongside a fjord to the fashionable resort of Whistler.

Day 8
A day spent in the spectacular mountain scenery surrounding the town of Whistler. We take an easy hike amongst the mountains to a waterfall. The afternoon is free for optional activities and there are plenty of these available! Have a go at mountain biking or join a zip-line adventure course amongst breathtaking scenery.

Day 9
Today we leave the mountains, heading south to Canada's most beautiful city; Vancouver. We'll have a city tour so we can quickly get our bearings around the parks and skyscrapers in the centre. Exploring this cosmopolitan and diverse metropolis will be a stark contrast to the nature we've become accustomed to, but it's always a highlight.

Day 10
We cross the border back into the US and drive down to Seattle, nicknamed the 'Emerald City' due to the lush evergreen trees that surround it. We take a tour to Pike's Market, a busy district centered around the world famous fish market. There are a multitude of other interesting independent boutique style shopping outlets, flowers, produce, local brewpubs, coffee houses, ice cream stands, antique dealers, comic book sellers and small family-run restaurants. Finally, you could choose to head up the towering Space Needle (built to 'anchor' the 1964 World's Fair) to the observation deck

Day 11
Those on the group flight will depart in the afternoon and land in the UK the following morning.

Day 12
Arrive London.