10 Outdoor Activities to Enjoy in Victoria, B.C.
Located just off the coast
of Washington State, short ferry ride from either Vancouver or Seattle,
you will find Vancouver Island. The main city on Vancouver Island,
Victoria is also the capital city of the province of British Columbia.
Victoria was founded during the 1840s and settled by the British. So,
it’s not surprising that the area feels like it’s a world away from
Canada with the Victorian era buildings and overall very British feel.What so many visitors to the area love about Victoria is that it offers many different opportunities for outdoor activities and entertainment. It doesn’t matter if someone is looking for an adrenaline rush in the surrounding mountains, or just a stroll in the afternoon, there are plenty of things to keep any type of traveler busy.
Here are ten outdoor activities to enjoy in Victoria:
Butchart Gardens
Buchart Gardens
When entering the garden, visitors should be prepared for a full experience for the senses. With over 1 million beds planted each year featuring over 700 different varieties of plants, the gardens are in full bloom from March through October each year.
Visitors can wander along the paths and take in the sites from some of the specialty garden areas like the Rose Garden, Italian Garden and Bog Garden. It’s not a surprise that a tour of Butchart Gardens is high on the list for many travelers to this area.
Fisherman’s Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf is a destination spot for the Victoria water taxi, so visitors can hop on and hop off in order to get back to Victoria Harbour. The wharf is also a jumping off point for a number of whale watching tours as well.
During the summers, the wharf becomes a plaza, with tents covering picnic tables so visitors will have a place to sit and enjoy fish and chips or ice cream from the local kiosks.
Fort Rodd Hill
Fort Rodd Hill
Located about a ten minute drive outside the Victoria Harbour area, Fort Rodd Hill is a great spot to bring the kids. The remains of the fort are still in place, as well as a few outbuildings that have been set up to recreate what they would have looked like at the time.
Just adjacent to the fort down the beach is the Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic site, which marks where the very first lighthouse in Canada stands.
Fisgaurd Lighthouse at Fort Rodd Hill
Whale Watching
Whale Watching in Victoria
The tours leave from the Victoria Harbour or Fisherman’s Wharf area and provide three full hours of action packed nature sighting. Beyond just whales, visitors are also very likely to see bald eagles, sea lions and elephant seals along the way.
For those who love photography, a whale watch like this is going to provide the perfect backdrop for getting some awesome shots of sea life and the Vancouver Island coastline.
Chinatown
Chinatown
Visitors can take in the sights and smells of the many restaurants that are located inside the area, which is marked by the ornate Gate of Harmonious Interest that was made in China and brought to Victoria in the early 1980s.
The city government has worked with the Chinese-Canadian leaders of the area to preserve many of the buildings within Chinatown, so they do really appear as they did when built over 100 years ago.
Oak Bay
To really recapture some of the British heritage found throughout the greater downtown Victoria area, a trip to the Oak Bay neighborhood is a must. It gives such a British feel, that many residents of the area jokingly refer to the area as “Behind the Tweed Curtain.”The feel of the neighborhood is really more like that of a village; there are strict rules against fast food restaurants and other chain stores. Visitors will be able to stroll down many of the quaint streets, and pop into any one of many shops that offer a selection of afternoon teas complete with finger sandwiches.
Not surprisingly, Oak Bay is also home to quite a number of traditional British pubs, for those travelers who are looking for different kind of afternoon refreshment.
Zipline Tours
Ziplining in Victoria
The tour lasts just about two hours and each zipline adds a new dimension as they extend in length, pick up speed, or start from over two hundred feet in the air.
As visitors zip by at speeds up to 40 miles per hour they will be able to see the snowcapped peaks of the Olympic Mountains just through the canopies of the trees of the ancient temperate rainforest.
Golfing
Tee it up in Victoria
There are courses to fit every level of play, from the challenging to a simple par three course, but what separates some of the courses in Victoria from other places are the stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and the mountains while on the grounds.
Golf is becoming such a popular tourist activity that there is now a Vancouver Island Golf Trail, consisting of ten courses that range up the Eastern coast of Vancouver Island.
Galloping Goose Trail
Galloping Goose bike trail Photo coourtesy of Robert Ashworth via Flickr.
Dotted every few miles along the trail are learning and nature centers. These provide information on some of the area’s wildlife and nature that is unique to the area. Many visitors to Victoria will pack a picnic lunch and enjoy it while wandering the trail.
Pedicab Tours
Take a Pedicab Tour through Victoria. Photo courtesy of beth h via Flickr.
Starting from the downtown Victoria Harbour area, these tours wind through the streets of Victoria and along the rocky coastline, as well as some of the hidden gardens like Beacon Hill Park.
These tours offer a way to view Victoria at a relaxing pace, yet still covering plenty of the sights and sounds of the city. By starting and finishing in the same area, visitors will be able to get a good sense of the area.
