Family Adventure in British Columbia

The first night is in Vancouver. Depending on your arrival time, drop your bags and head straight to the harbourfront promenade, watching seaplanes skim the water as the North Shore mountains glow at sunset. With a little more time, take a gentle stroll or cycle along a section of the Stanley Park Seawall before returning to your hotel for dinner, with live music easing you beautifully into British Columbia time.

Flying by private plane or helicopter in British Columbia turns travel into part of the adventure. Sweep over jade lakes, snow-dusted peaks and vast tracts of forest and open sea, with the possibility of whale sightings below. Touch down on remote airstrips and floating docks with no queues and no stress – just effortless hops linking wilderness lodges, with truly unforgettable views from take-off to landing.

Time in Whistler is about mountain air, movement and shared thrills. Travelling along the Sea to Sky Highway, the scenery builds with every bend. Days balance easy village wandering and gondola rides with real adventure, most memorably ziplining high above the forest or racing side-by-side across the valley. The itinerary is energetic without feeling relentless.

Arriving in Victoria by seaplane feels like stepping into a storybook scene. Days unfold gently: museum galleries made engaging with a private guide, seals popping up at Fisherman’s Wharf, butterflies drifting through steamy glasshouses. At the right time of year (May to September), this is a superb place to spot orca, humpback and minke whales.

Where the rainforest meets the sea, Clayoquot feels like a pause button on the outside world. Days are instinctive rather than scheduled: paddle calm inlets, ride through forest clearings or scan the shoreline by boat. Black bears ambling along the water’s edge are a genuine possibility, especially for alert early risers. Between adventures, there is time to sit, warm up in the riverside sauna and let children absorb the thrill of being somewhere truly wild.