Speaking of amazing day tours, The North Vancouver and Vancouver Day Tours are amazing but one of our favourites is the brand new Vancouver Island and Malahat Skywalk tour. Here, we will take you on a great circle trip, touring southern Vancouver Island and visiting unique sites just outside Victoria that are often overlooked by out-of-town visitors. Discover Canada Holidays also designed this tour as a circle trip so guests don’t repeat what you’ve already seen earlier in the day.
Starting in Vancouver, we take you onboard a BC Ferries vessel to take you to Vancouver Island. This voyage is one of the world’s most scenic, winding through the Southern Gulf Islands and sometimes coming within a few hundred meters of these beautiful islands! Be sure to should keep an eye out for whales and other exciting marine life throughout this 90-minute sailing.
After disembarking one of the world’s largest passenger ferries, we head towards BC’s capital city, Victoria, before moving north to our first stop, the new Malahat Skywalk attraction. This 32-meter structure is located on the traditional lands of the Malahat Nation and is situated perfectly to give visitors stunning views across the Saanich inlet and the Coast mountains beyond. The Skywalk is built to accommodate everyone in the family with a wide, gently-sloped boardwalk that spirals up to the top of the structure. The Skywalk experience isn’t just about the views though. In the middle of the skywalk is a huge and hugely entertaining, child-friendly slide that will put a smile on everyone’s face! The skywalk’s ground also features a café and Arbutus tree-lined boardwalk with numerous points of interest, from educational material about the local wildlife to Indigenous sculptures located throughout the forest. This unique attraction is the perfect opportunity to have fun, enjoy the views and learn about the local nature, its wildlife and the history and culture of the Malahat Nation whose land this attraction is located on.
After experiencing the spectacular views (and maybe a few trips down the 20-meter-long slide) we’re off to nearby Cowichan Bay, a charming seaside town, for lunch and shopping opportunities. One of Vancouver Island’s prettiest towns, you’ll be charmed by the local artisanal shops and if you’re lucky an encounter with a local sea lion basking on the fishing docks! After lunch, we’ll make our way through the town of Duncan with its 38 Indigenous totems before we reach a local favourite, the Merridale cidery for a tasting of their handcrafted, award-winning ciders.
As we end our day, we’re back to another BC Ferries terminal in Nanaimo for another spectacular sailing across the Salish Sea to Horseshoe Bay and West Vancouver. This ends your day touring Vancouver Island as we make our way through a part of the Sea to Sky Highway and back to Vancouver. After experiencing the best of Southern Vancouver Island.
If you want to be the first to experience the newest attraction in Vancouver Island, book your 2023 Vancouver Island and Malahat Skywalk tour today!