Walking Canada’s Sunshine Coast
Experience Overview
Tucked into the southwest corner of mainland British Columbia, this 180km stretch of paradise is lovingly known as the Sunshine Coast. Only accessible by plane or boat, this extraordinary shoreline stretches from Howe Sound to Desolation Sound. You'll become immersed in vibrant communities, reconnect with nature, and enjoy spectacular scenery as you explore this inspiring coastline which remains under the radar - for now! With rugged mountains bordering these beautiful inlets, on foot is truly the best way to uncover the Sunshine Coast's hidden gems. Walking trails are plentiful and incredibly varied, from majestic forests and mountains to sweeping ocean vistas, you're spoilt for choice. The area is rich with fauna and flora, home to black bears, cougars, and wolves, as well as many species of interesting plants, flowers, and berries. Your accommodation is equally as unique and beautiful as the Sunshine Coast itself. Set in tranquil, waterfront locations, these remarkable resorts are fantastic hideaways, surrounded by nature and often with paddleboards or kayak rental should you wish to explore the nearby waters. Add On - Rocky Mountaineer: Embark on an unforgettable rail journey through the spectacular Canadian Rockies with Rocky Mountaineer. Begin or end in Vancouver or Banff and visit Kamloops on this legendary 'First Passage to the West' adventure. You can choose between Silver Leaf or Gold Leaf Service which will also determine which high-quality hotels you'll stay in. Silver Leaf offers a single-level glass-dome coach, full glass-dome windows, outdoor viewing area, a delicious breakfast and lunch served in the comfort of your seat, and complimentary beverages and snacks. Gold Leaf offers a bi-level glass-dome coach, oversized glass-dome windows, a large, exclusive outdoor viewing platform, a gourmet breakfast and lunch served in a lower-level dining room, and complimentary beverages and snacks. A National Parks Pass is included with both Silver & Gold Leaf. Please see itinerary for more information. Add On - Klahoose Wilderness Resort: This is a once in a lifetime experience like no other. Incredibly unique, Klahoose Wilderness Resort is an immersive, Indigenous cultural experience which reflects the Klahoose people's traditional values and explores the pristine region within the heart of Desolation Sound, British Columbia. Only accessible by boat or seaplane, this off-grid resort sits between the Coast Mountain Peaks of the Sunshine Coast and the Salish Sea, on the edge of BC's Great Bear Rainforest. Rich in diverse wildlife, you'll take part in immersive marine and terrestrial viewings to see Orca Whales, Humpback Whales, Porpoises, Dolphins, Sealions, Seals, and Eagles. From late August to mid-October, you can also join Grizzly Bear viewing tours in Toba Inlet. There are many other activities included in your stay: Guided Indigenous cultural activities and excursions, cedar weaving, sea kayaking, stand up-paddle boarding, ocean swimming, woodfire cedar sauna, rainforest nature walks, campfires and dark sky gazing, and ocean and forest foraging. You'll stay in a stunning waterfront lodge for 3 or 4 nights. Everything is included, accommodation in a lodge room or cabin, all meals, transfers, and activities. With a typical stay of around 12 guests, your experience is small and personal. Your friendly lodge hosts are local guides from the Klahoose Nation who take pride in providing an extremely personalised service as they welcome you into their traditional Klahoose Nation territory. Please see itinerary for more information. Combine all three: Take the trip of a lifetime beginning with our 8-night walking tour of Walking Canada's Sunshine Coast', followed by a truly unique 3 or 4-night stay at Klahoose Wilderness Resort! Return to Vancouver to end with an unforgettable 5-night Rocky Mountaineer rail journey from Vancouver to Banff. We recommend returning home from Calgary airport (approx. 1.5hrs from Banff). Please enquire for prices.
Highlights
— Reconnect with nature as you explore this captivating coastline at your own pace — Sweeping ocean vistas and woodland creeks with rare flora and fauna — Stay in remarkable waterfront retreats, surrounded by beauty and tranquillity — Add on a 5 night rail journey through the Rockies with the unforgettable Rocky Mountaineer — Add on 3 or 4 nights at the incredibly unique, Indigenous Klahoose Wilderness Resort
Trip Details
Product Code: 22760
Tour Type: Small Group
Accommodation: Moderate
Transport:
Guide Language: English
Tour Operator:
Exodus Travel
Supplier Code: W08SC
Starts: Vancouver, Canada
Finishes: Vancouver, Canada
Duration: 9 days
Departures: Not Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Challenging
Includes
— 8 nights in unique accommodation — All breakfasts — Management by your local Headwater-appointed agent — Headwater navigation app — Rental car for 9 days — Ferries as per itinerary (x4 included)Accommodation
Fairmont Hotel, VancouverThis historical hotel is fondly known as the ‘castle in the city’ and has been combining luxury and elegance since 1939. Benefitting from a prime downtown location, the hotel is close to many local attractions and excellent restaurants. With an indoor swimming pool, sauna, and fitness centre, this hotel is a great place to rest before beginning your walking trip.
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $5,655 ($628 /day)
Itinerary
Upon your arrival at Vancouver International Airport, you'll collect your rental car and drive to your first hotel in Vancouver to rest up before beginning your walking trip (approx. 30mins). Overnight Fairmont Hotel, Vancouver.
Drive to Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal (approx. 1h) for your ferry to Gibsons (45mins). Check in to your accommodation before heading out on your first Sunshine Coast walk. There are many walks to choose from throughout the week, these are some of our favourites. Choice of walks in Gibsons (3km/2.6km), Sechelt (19.6km/8km/2.3km), and Roberts Creek (10km/6.5miles). Explore lush fern valleys, powerful waterfalls, mossy canyons, and alpine lakes across these incredibly varied walks. Overnight Shades of Jade Inn & Spa, Gibsons.
Walk along Mount Elphinstone Summit Trail (12.5km), one of the highest peaks on the lower Sunshine Coast. Through forest, you'll follow the coloured markers as you climb along the ridge with glimpses of Langdale creek down below. From the summit, you'll be rewarded with expansive views to Vancouver, Gibsons, Bowen Island, and much of Howe Sound. Overnight Shades of Jade Inn & Spa, Gibsons.
Choice of walks in Gibsons (2.7km/2km), Sechelt (8km/3km), and Roberts Creek (10.3km). Explore lush fern valleys, powerful waterfalls, mossy canyons, and alpine lakes across these incredibly varied walks. Overnight Shades of Jade Inn & Spa, Gibsons.
Choice of walks in Madeira Park (1.8km/2.5km/4.4km) and Halfmoon Bay (4.2km/7.6km). Visit the rocky outcrop of Smugglers Cove, loop around a forest lake, or visit the Garden Bay Marine Provincial Park with a protected archaeological site. Overnight Painted Boat Resort & Spa, Madeira Park.
Choice of walks in Madeira Park (1.8km/2.5km/4.4km) and Egmont (7.5km). Embark on a scenic beach walk to a small lighthouse with an arbutus tree grove or take a forested walk to a rocky outcrop with views of the changing tidal waters, creating unique rapids and whirlpools. Overnight Painted Boat Resort & Spa, Madeira Park.
Take the ferry from Earls Cove to Saltery Bay (1h), then drive to Powell River (approx. 30mins). After arriving on the ferry, we'd recommend a favourite walk amongst Powell River locals. As part of the renowned Sunshine Coast Trail, this relatively easy trail follows the riverbed and Appleton Creek to an iconic hut and lake with waterfalls and charming bridges along the way (7km). Overnight Desolation Sound Resort, Powell River.
Choice of walks in Powell River (14.5km/18.3km). Enjoy a gentle trail through the forest with spots to swim or embark on a longer trail up Tin Hat Mountain to an iconic viewpoint and hut that sits at the halfway point of the Sunshine Coast long-distance trail. Tin Hat Hut is a stunning 360° mountain-top lookout with views that define the Powell River experience. Overnight Desolation Sound Resort, Powell River.
Choice of walks in Lund (4.5km/8.7km/10.4km). Wind your way through vibrant forest with views of Okeover Inlet and the Salish Sea. Another walk takes you to the mossy rainforest of Malaspina Provincial Park and Wednesday Lake or follow a picturesque trail along the coastal bluffs of Hurtado Bay. Take two ferries before driving back to Vancouver International Airport to return your rental car and fly home. Alternatively, you can add on one of our incredible optional extensions as below.
Klahoose Wilderness Resort: Add on 3 or 4 nights at the incredibly unique, Klahoose Wilderness Resort. This is a once in a lifetime Indigenous cultural experience, reflecting the Klahoose people's traditional values and exploring the diverse wildlife of Desolation Sound. Please enquire for prices. This is the perfect add-on to our 8-night trip - 'Walking Canada's Sunshine Coast'. Ending in Desolation Sound Resort, it's a short 10min drive to Lund port where you're met by a Klahoose representative for your boat transfer to the resort (included - approx. 1hr); you can leave your hire car at Lund port (paid locally - approx. $10per day). Rocky Mountaineer: Add on a 5 night rail journey through the Rockies with the unforgettable Rocky Mountaineer. Begin or end in Vancouver or Banff and visit Kamloops on this legendary 'First Passage to the West' adventure. Please enquire for prices. Day 1 - Arrive in Vancouver. Explore Stanley Park, take a small ferry to Granville Island or simply wander around this scenic, coastal city. Overnight Vancouver.
Day 2 - Enjoy the day with free time to relax or book your own activities at your leisure. Vancouver has activities for all interests, including visiting historic Gastown or dining in lively Yaletown. No matter what you choose to do, the Coast Mountains and the Pacific Ocean surround you. Overnight Vancouver.
Day 3 - Travel onboard Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Kamloops, located in the heart of British Columbia. You'll see dramatic changes in scenery, from the lush green fields of Fraser Valley, through forests and winding river canyons surrounded by the peaks of the Cascade Mountains, to the desert-like landscapes of BC interior. Highlights include the rushing waters of Hell's Gate and the steep slopes of Thompson River. Overnight Kamloops.
Day 4 - Continue east towards the mighty Canadian Rockies and the province of Alberta. Cross rocky lakeshores, over high mountain passes and through remarkable tunnels that form part of the rich rail history of the Rockies. Today's highlights include Craigellachie, where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven, the climb over Rogers Pass, Kicking Horse Canyon, the Spiral Tunnels and, of course, the iconic glaciers and snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies. Overnight Banff.
Day 5 - Enjoy a free day in Banff where you can take the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain, relax in the hot springs, or book an excursion into the great outdoors. Overnight Banff.
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Tour Operator
Exodus Travel
It’s all about adventure That is what Exodus was founded upon 50 years ago, and what the company is still all about. Discovering countries, cultures, environments, cities, mountain ranges, deserts, coasts and jungles; exploring this amazing planet we all live on. At Exodus, we know what makes you tick when it comes to holidays. It’s a desire shared by so many others. A yearning to visit new places and come home with a real sense of what they’re all about. This means delving into local traditions, cultures, cuisine, lifestyles – anything that contributes to its unique identity. At the same time, we always remember that we are only guests. So we travel courteously and respectfully, in smaller groups to minimise our impact, to ensure that every Exodus holiday is a beneficial experience for everyone involved. This is a philosophy we take with us around the world, helping you reach some incredible destinations on 500 itineraries across over 90 separate countries. We also strive to provide as much flexibility and choice as we possibly can, making it simple for you to experience a very different holiday. Exodus started life on 4 February 1974 when two friends got together to provide an overland truck to travel to the Minaret of Jam, deep in the heart of the Hindu Kush, the most inaccessible of the world’s great monuments. See our history page for more details about how we began and how we have grown over the past 50 years. Never travelled with Exodus before? Visit our New to Exodus page for some useful, first-timer information.
In Business Since 1974
Reviews
Marilise - Traveled, August 2019
The tour was good - Canada is simply amazing. But I suggest that the guides should do a "explorer tour" of the itinerary, before they are doing the tour with guests, in order to know what to see and do in every place.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/06/2019
Susan - Traveled, August 2018
Despite some very wet weather it was a thoroughly enjoyable holiday.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/23/2018
Philip - Traveled, September 2013
A fantastic holiday enabling you to see the Rockies in a way that you would not experience if travelling on your own. Though this is a challlenging set of hikes it's perfectly doable for anyone who walks in areas like the Lake District.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Loads of them, fantastic views, great scenery and seeing a grizzly bear up close.What did you think of your group leader?You will be very lucky if you get Renee and Catherine as your leaders. Not only are they knowledgeable and relaxed, but also superb cooks. Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Get yourself walking-fit before you go.Is there anything else you would like to add?A good camera and an appreciation of Canadian beer are extremely useful.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/17/2013
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