The Gulf Islands

are located just of the coast of Vancouver Island in the Georgia Strait. You can reach the islands by Ferry from Tsawassen, Nanaimo and Swartz Bay (Victoria) on different routes and ferries. As the islands are beautifully tranquil holiday spots and come with an own microclimate, they are a sought after location to enjoy their unique charm and tranquility.

One of the advantages for traveller with children is, there are no large predators as bears or cougars on the islands ... so it is the perfect location for a British Columbia family holiday. The deers on the island also enjoy their carefree life and can even be seen inside the villages or searching for tasty plants and flowers in the gardens.

The Gulf Islands come with a special atmosphere and a lot of artists chose the islands to live there because of the mild climate. So you will find a lot of small galleries and workshops. The farms on the islands pride themselves with a variety of homemade specialties.

Gabriola Island lies only a short ferry ride away from Nanaimo and is the most northern of the Gulf Islands. There's a lot to see and do on Gabriola, from diving, hiking or bike tours to museum visits and shopping in the local art galleries.

The Pender Islands once were one island until a channel was dug out of a sandbank to let the ships pass between the two parts of Pender. A wooden bridge was build later on th reconnect the island parts and until today, this bridge is the main connection between the "two Penders".

Mayne Island is one of the smaller Gulf Islands known for its tranquility and beautiful nature beaches. In the era of the "Gold Rush", Mayne Island was an "IN" holiday spot and so it does come to no surprise that the Springwater Lodge, inaugurated in 1892 is said to be the oldest hotel in BC open to public without interruption from the day of his first opening!

Saltspring Island is known for the variety of artist living on the island and its arts and farmers market, held every Saturday neaxt to the harbour in Ganges. As this market attracts a lot of visitors it is not so easy to catch a ferry to Saltspring on Saturday morning ... be early! Because of the mild climate, even wine is grown on Saltspring. Stop by one of the wineries on the island and try the island wine!