Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hot Springs
Pamper yourself and take a boat or floatplane to
Hotsprings Cove,
Vancouver Island's
onlyhotspring.Waterbubblesoutofthegroundatatemperatureof87°C(189°F),tumbles
over a cliff, and then drops down through a series of pools—each large enough for two or
three people—and into the sea. Lobster-ize yourself silly in the first pool, or go for the ul-
timate in hot-cold torture by immersing yourself in the last pool, where at high tide you'll
be slapped by breathtakingly refreshing ocean waves.
Several companies offer excursions out to the hot springs, including
Jamie's
(606
Campbell St., 250/725-3919 or 800/667-9913,
www.jamies.com
),
Remote Passages
(51
Wharf St., 250/725-3330 or 800/666-9833,
www.remotepassages.com
), or the
Whale
Centre
(411Campbell St.,250/725-2132or888/474-2288,
www.tofinowhalecentre.com
)
.
Although prices vary slightly, expect to pay around $100-120 for a six- to seven-hour trip
departing around 10am, with about three hours ashore at the hot springs and the chance
to see whales en route.
Tofino Air
(250/725-4454), based at the 1st Street dock, offers a
scenic20-minuteflighttothehotspringsbyfloatplane; costis$200perpersonround-trip,
minimum three people.
Tofino and Ucluelet join together each spring to put on the annual
Pacific Rim Whale
Festival
(
www.pacificrimwhalefestival.org
)
,whichfeatureseducationalshowsandspecial
events in the adjacent national park, a native song and dance festival, a parade, crab races,
plays at the local theater, dances, concerts, a golf tournament, and a multitude of events
and activities in celebration of the gray whale spring migration. The festival takes place
the last two weeks of March.
Tofino boasts plenty of accommodations, both in town and south along the beach-fringed
coastline, but getting a room or campsite in summer can be difficult if you just turn up,
so book as far ahead as possible. As elsewhere in the province, high-season rates apply
from late June to early September. In May and October you'll enjoy big discounts when
the weather is still warm enough to take advantage of Tofino's outdoor attractions. Winter
in Tofino is known as the “storm-watching” season, when rates are reduced up to 50 per-
cent, though no one can guarantee the big storms.
