5 days/4 nights, with 3½ days cycling
Start any date between April 1 and October 31
We recommend that you start your trip on a Wednesday so that you can enjoy the splendid Ganges market held every saturday
40 km (25 miles) daily average
The terrain is hilly and there are moderate and more challenging hills every day
Classic Accommodation: US$1860/ CAD$1860
B&B Accommodation: US$1620/ CAD$1620
Luxe Accommodation: US$2420/ CAD$2420
Single suppl. classic: US$300/ CAD$300 Single suppl. B&B: US$210/ CAD$210 Single suppl. Luxe: US$390/ CAD$390
* Price before tax. Canada applies a 6% GST to all goods and services sold
- 4 nights hotels
- All breakfasts and one dinner
- Use of a top quality 21-speed hybrid bike complete with handlebar bag, pump, and all the necessary accessories for changing flats.
We recommend that you bring your own helmet for safety and hygiene reasons
- Detailed route instructions and map
- Luggage transfers (We enlist your help getting the luggage onto and off the ferry)
- Area Manager available throughout the duration of the tour
- Ferry not included
The tour starts on Mayne Island, located in the Gulf Islands.
You can reach Mayne Islands from Swartz Bay near Victoria. Victoria, the beautiful capital city of British Columbia, is easily accessible by ferry from Vancouver, and Seattle, Washington. Please visit www.bcferries.com for Schedules and Fares. You can also reach Mayne Island from Vancouver Tsawwassen ferry terminal.
Major airlines fly from Vancouver and Seattle to Victoria International Airport, located north of Victoria. Airport shuttle buses are available. The ride downtown takes 30 minutes.
For Americans, you may choose to fly into Seattle and take the high speed catamaran from the harbour in downtown Seattle to Victoria harbour, in the centre of the city. |
|
 |
|
 Day 1
On this tour you will have the opportunity to explore two very different islands in the Gulf Islands - Mayne and Salt Spring. Your tour starts at Swartz Bay. There you'll hop on the ferry that will take you to Mayne Island, the smallest of the inhabited southern Gulf Islands. Once a stop over for rowdy miners with Gold Rush fever, the island is now a quiet getaway of farms and orchards, sandy beaches and deep bays. Explore some of the island before arriving at tonight's accommodation, where you settle in for two nights.
Day 2
You have many options today. Browse in the shops of Miners Bay and learn about the history of the area in the museum, which was once the jail. Bike along meandering roads to tree-lined shores, picnic at Georgina Point Lighthouse, which has overlooked Active Pass since 1885, and watch seals and Orcas gambol in the waves while seabirds glide overhead. Take some time to hike through the forests of Mount Parke Regional Park, the highest point on the island.
Day 3
Ride to Village Bay, from where the ferry takes you to Salt Spring Island, the largest of the Gulf Islands, and famous for its scenery, sunshine, and warm hospitality. It's also a haven for artists and everywhere you go you'll find galleries and studios. This could be where you find that perfect souvenir, then ride north in a loop taking you through the hills to the shore of Trincomali Channel and back to Ganges.
Day 4
This morning, you can stroll through Ganges, the island's main town, where a splendid market is held every saturday. Today explore the southern end of Salt Spring Island. Wind through the hills to Ruckle Provincial Park, named after the family who came to farm here in 1872. The family's ornate Victorian house still stands and some of the park is still a working farm. Watch for the sheep wandering in the orchards, explore hiking trails among huge old trees, and enjoy a picnic on the beach. Pause at Fulford Harbour set deep in narrow inlet, then climb over the shoulder of Mount Maxwell on your way back to your accommodation.
Day 5
You'll be transferred to Long Harbour ferry dock, where you'll catch the ferry back to Swartz Bay. Depart for home or onward to your next adventure.
|
|
|
|
