In my most recent co-op recruiting period I got hired by a Vancouver-based company to complete my third, and final, co-op term of my undergraduate degree. There was an option to work fully remotely from Ontario, or to move out west for a more hybrid working experience. Since my lease back in Ontario was up and I had nothing tying me down, I decided to take the opportunity to move out west for a couple months so that I could experience the West Coast in all its beauty and finally have a chance to work in an office – my previous two co-ops have been fully remote. By some luck my good friend Ali and I ended up getting hired by the same company, so we moved out west together after completing our first month of work online from Ontario.

When we made the decision to move out here for work we talked about all the places we wanted to see, hikes we wanted to go on, and things that we wanted to experience. Travelling to Tofino and exploring Vancouver Island a bit was one of those things, and what better time to do that then over the Thanksgiving long weekend? We were both going to be away from our families for the holiday and the Thanksgiving weekend coincidentally lines up with my birthday, so it was the perfect time to go. About a month in advance I booked the Airbnb, the rental car, and our surfing lesson (!). The one oversight on my part was booking the ferry to and from Vancouver Island on either end of our trip. If you’ve ever taken the ferry to the Island then you know that was a big oof on my part.

The Thursday before our departure we were in-office chatting with our managers about our trip when they asked if we had booked a ferry spot, which we had not since I did not know that that was something that had to be done. We were immediately told to stop our work and to book a spot on the ferry. Unfortunately, it was already too late, all the ferries departing on October 9th were already fully booked. The advice we were given was to get up ridiculously early with the goal of arriving at the ferry terminal a good hour ahead of the first ferry’s sailing time. Ali and I took this advice. We packed the car the night before and left our place in Vancouver at a crisp 5am. We arrived at the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal at 5:30am and by some miracle we made it on to the first ferry at 6:30am.

Before we dive in to all the details of our trip, here’s a snapshot of our weekend activities and outings (with links!):

Trip Overview

Where we stayed: Brown’s Beach Guest Suite, Airbnb, Ucluelet

What we did:

• Rainforest Loops hike
• Group surfing lesson with the Pacific Surf School
• Wild Pacific Trail hike
• Explored Tofino’s shops

What we ate:

• Breakfast at The Vault Cafe, Nanaimo
• Tea at the Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino
• Lunch at Tacofino, Tofino
• Take-away lunch at Shed, Tofino

Now, let’s break this trip down a bit, shall we?

Day One

Vancouver to Ucluelet

The Vancouver ferries are different, and much bigger, than any that I had ever been on before. We parked our car bellow deck and then went to the seating in the upper decks. On all the ferries I’ve been on in the past I’ve stayed in the car simply because there was no separate seating area for passengers, so this was an entirely new experience for me. I have heard that whale sightings are a possibility while on the ferry. Unfortunately I did not see any, but maybe one day I’ll go back and spot some. It was also dark for the first hour of our hour and 40 minute crossing (which Ali mostly slept through lol), so that made whale watching a bit more difficult. Near the end of our ride, when the sun was finally up, Ali and I explored the sun deck (aka the outdoor deck at the top of the vessel) and took in the wonderful views. The ferry pulled into port at Departure Bay in Nanaimo around 8:30am, which gave us ample time to explore before the 4pm check-in time at our Airbnb in Ucluelet.

It was overcast, not particularly warm, and it ended up pouring later in the day, but that kind of weather is perfectly fine for driving, which is what most of our day entailed. In Nanaimo we walked around the harbour for a while before sitting for a nice breakfast at The Vault Cafe. The Vault had excellent food and a very cozy and quirky atmosphere. I ordered a build-your-own breakfast (BYOB) and a chai latte, both of which were delicious. We were disappointed that there were no Nanaimo bars (tragic), but everything else about the cafe was great. Interestingly, the cafe had a small section with vintage clothing and home items for sale with a larger selection upstairs. I wandered upstairs to take a peek, not knowing that it was closed until 11am and ended up getting locked upstairs when I closed the door behind me. Luckily Ali was still down at our table and I had my phone on me so I called her and she came to my rescue. It was quite funny.

From Nanaimo we undertook the long, but breathtakingly beautiful drive to the western side of Vancouver Island. The whole drive is on winding, narrow roads with incredible views of the water, mountains, and trees that are so large and lush that they look like something straight out of a fairytale. Since our Airbnb wasn’t ready until 4pm, we stopped and did a little walk/hike at the Rainforest Loops in Tofino. There are two loops, one on each side of the highway, and each is roughly 2.5km in length. When we arrived it was pouring rain, which continued for the duration of our walk and all through the rest of the day. Despite the nasty weather, the hike was amazing. A wooden boardwalk winds along the forest floor between incredibly lush greenery and enormous trees for the full length of the loop. It was one of the most beautiful forests that I have ever seen. After our hike we were both completely drenched and had to do a quick wardrobe change in the car. We still had a fair amount of time to kill so we enjoyed a little snack in the car before completing the last leg of our journey to Ucluelet.

We arrived at our Airbnb shortly before 4pm and by some miracle I wasn’t dying of exhaustion. I think my excitement must have been overriding it. Our Airbnb was a cute little guest suite connected to a family home in Ucluelet, which is a small town about 40 minutes south along the coast from Tofino. The suite had a little sitting area with huge windows overlooking the trees, a kitchenette, a loft bedroom, a full bathroom, and a private deck. One other oversight that I made on this trip wad that I assumed the Airbnb would have a stove and oven, but that was not the case. We had brought a bunch of groceries because we anticipated being able to cook some meals at home and were planning on making a little “friendsgiving” dinner. I checked the listing again after we arrived and noticed that it did mention the absence of a proper stove.. Another oof on my part, but it all worked out. Other than the lack of a stove the Airbnb was very charming and comfortable. The link for the Airbnb we stayed in can be found here.

Day Two

Ucluelet and Tofino

The highlight of our second day in Tofino was hands down our group surfing lesson with the Pacific Surf School. We pre-booked the lesson online in September and then had to call the morning of to check-in and get the directions to the beach where we would be doing the lesson. Pacific Surf transports all the gear required for the lesson (wetsuits and boards) to the destination and meets you there. There was one couple and another individual along with Ali and I in the  two and a half hour lesson. Our instructor was wonderful and the beach was stunning! Our surf location was the Chesterman Beach, which happens to be the beach where the Wickaninnish Inn is located. I will say that Ali and I are by no means pro surfers (nowhere near lol), neither one of us had ever actually surfed before. Over the two and a half hours we had more wipeouts than successes, but we had so much fun. I hope to have an opportunity to try surfing again sometime soon so I can redeem myself.

After changing out of our wetsuits into some dry clothes we were both freezing (it was only 12 degrees Celsius out) and ready for a warm cup of tea and a snack. Our bosses had recommended that we go to the Wickaninnish Inn at some point over the weekend because it is a famous Tofino location. Being students, we couldn’t exactly afford to have a whole meal at a five-star hotel, so we opted to go for tea. The cafe on the Inn’s premises was full so we ended up being seated in the main dining room for tea and the views were unbelievable. The ocean-facing side of the dining room has enormous windows all along it so that diners can basque in the beauty of the landscape while enjoying their meals. It was incredible. The restaurant manager has been a client of the company I’m working for for 20+ years and when we mentioned where we worked she got so excited and brought us a complimentary dessert to have after our tea. It was a great experience and definitely one of the nicest restaurant I have ever been in. I could have sat there and looked at that view all day.

Our next stop was at the iconic Tacofino truck for a late lunch. One thing that should be noted about opting to have lunch here is that it is a very popular spot, so either plan to get there well in advance of being hungry or be prepared to wait. Ali and I weren’t in any rush, so we really didn’t mind the wait. There’s a stereotype for the quintessential BC resident; longer hair, athletic/outdoorsy clothing (think Patagonia, Lululemon, North Face, Arcteryx, etc), and major laid vibes; this is exactly what every single person in line at Tacofino exuded. Everyone just seemed so much more relaxed and happy than people would be waiting in an exceptionally long line at an Ontario restaurant. I really love that about here, the pace is much slower and people put more importance on being active and spending time outside.

We sat at a picnic table to eat our food, two of the vegan black bean tacos for me and a pork burrito for Ali. We had initially planned to venture into Tofino after lunch to poke around and do a bit of shopping, but it was almost 5pm by the time we finished eating and most stores were already closed or closing very soon, so we made the decision to get up a bit earlier the next day and visit the town before making the trek back to Nanaimo to catch the ferry back to Horseshoe Bay on the mainland.

Day Three

Ucluelet to Vancouver

On our final day on the island we got up bright and early so we could fit in a hike on the Wild Pacific Trail before returning to the city later in the day. We packed up our stuff, loaded the car and headed out to tackle the Lighthouse Loop in Ucluelet, which was absolutely stunning. We arrived just slightly after sunrise so the lighting was beautiful and there was still mist coming off of the ocean. Another bonus of arriving early was that the trail was not very busy. The loop clocked in at just under two hours and around 4.4 kilometres. It took us this long because we kept stopping to take pictures and take in the spectacular views. The terrain was pretty easy and the trail was very well-kept with lots of great lookouts and benches.

After the hike we headed into the town of Tofino to do a bit of shopping and grab a quick lunch before making the drive back across the island to catch the ferry home. Tofino had some really wonderful little shops and the views, as with the rest of the island, were breathtaking. Some of my favourite stops we made in town are listed below.

Caravan Beach Shop

Caravan is a cute artisan shop that carries items like clothing, prints, candles, and mugs made by local artisans. I loved this store and honestly could have bought everything in it, but I held myself back and settled for a pair of earrings and some nice postcards to send home or keep as momentos.

LoveCraft Art Gallery

Located right next door to Caravan, LoveCraft had more prints, pottery, and souvenirs made by local artisans. I like to collect pins from the various places I have travelled. I used to keep them on an old denim jacket but have recently migrated my collection to the backpack I bought to bring on this trip. LoveCraft had a great selection of pins and patches, if that’s your thing. I got a Tofino pin to add to the collection on my backpack.

Merge

Located in an alley off of Campbell street, Merge is a little aesthetic oasis. The store carries lots of homeware as well as clothing items and has a very calming, minimalist aesthetic. If you’re in the market for new homeware or the latest edition of Kinfolk, look no further, this is your place.

Selkies Coastal Creations

Located right on Campbell street, Selkies has beautiful clothing as well as a great selection of local pottery. Ali and I both got a mug from here to bring home as a keep-sake from our time on the island (ceramics are another thing that I like to collect).

We would have loved to spend more time exploring the town, but unfortunately we were on a bit of a tight schedule to get back to the ferry port in Nanaimo in a timely manner in the hopes of getting on a ferry at a reasonable hour. Like our trip over to the island, we had failed to book a spot on the ferry to come home. We grabbed takeout from Shed and ate by the water. It was lovely and the food was fantastic. I ordered the veggie burger and an order of the crispy tofu, both of which were very good. After our meal we hopped back in the car and made the three-hour drive back across the island to Nanaimo.

We arrived at Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo an hour before the 5:45pm sailing, but that was sadly not early enough. The 5:45pm was already full when we arrived, so we had to wait and hope that we would make it on to the next ferry at 8pm. It was funny, there were so many cars who, just like us, were waiting to cross on the later ferries, so people were out walking their dogs between the cars, tossing footballs, or napping in their vehicles. I will admit that the wait was long and I was very tired. Ali and I broke up the time by venturing into what I would equate to an onRoute for ferry travellers to grab a sandwich and stretch our legs a bit. Luckily, we just made it onto the 8pm ferry, so we didn’t have to wait for the next one. When I say we just made it, I mean we were literally the second last car loaded onto the boat. So let this be a lesson to us all, book your ferry spot well in advance!

We drove off the ferry onto the road at Horseshoe bay just after 10pm and made the 40 minute drive back home. By the time we walked through the door I could hardly keep my eyes open, I was so wiped. Despite my exhaustion, I was content. It had been a great day, my 22nd birthday (!), and a great weekend overall. The one thing I’ll say about this trip is that I wish we had had more time! There is so much to see and do on the island and we really only just scratched the surface in our brief stint there. I hope one day to be able to go back for a longer period of time.

Planning a Trip to Tofino? Here Are Some Good-to-Knows

Transportation

• If you’re planning to bring a car onto the ferry, booking a spot in advance is highly recommended. This is a mistake that I will not be making ever again. The link to book a spot on the ferry and check the ferry schedules and routes is here.
• If you’re planning on renting a car for your trip, consider taking an Evo instead. Evo is a car sharing program that is very prevalent in Vancouver. I unfortunately heard about this program after I returned from my trip, but this is definitely a good option to look into before getting a traditional rental car.
• Currently there is a fair amount on construction on highway 4 (the main, and only, highway to the west side of the island), so be sure to check for road closures!

Where to Stay

• As always, there were tons of great stay options on the island available through Airbnb. We stayed here.
• The Shoreline is a oceanfront boutique hotel right in Tofino that I looked at while doing my research, but unfortunately it was all booked up for the long weekend by the time I booked.
• Ocean Village Resort has an assortment of individual huts right on the beach! Similarly to The Shoreline, this was all booked up by the time I was doing my booking. I hope I get the chance to come back and stay here one day though!

What to Bring

• A good pair of hiking/running shoes
• A rain jacket
• Comfortable hiking clothing
• Groceries! If you can avoid buying groceries in Tofino, definitely do because it is much more expensive than shopping on the mainland.
• A camera. You’ll definitely want to capture the spectacular views!

Thank you for following along on my adventure and I hope that this post inspires some of you to take a trip to Vancouver Island! If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below. If you enjoyed this post and want to keep up to date with my adventures, you can subscribe to the O+W mailing list in the sidebar on my site 🙂

xx

Ashley

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