Tofino, British Columbia, is an absolute treasure. In fact, it could be my favourite destination of all time (so far). It takes a special effort to reach Tofino as it is literally ‘at the end of the road’ on Vancouver Island, so you are never just passing through. We made Tofino a priority destination on a Pacific Northwest road trip in the hope of surfing and bear watching, and we certainly weren’t disappointed…
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Where is Tofino, British Columbia?
Tofino sits on the Pacific west coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC).
It sits at the end of Pacific Rim Highway 4 on a peninsula surrounded by the waters of Clayoquot Sound. This location provides a dreamy setting of ocean views to the west, water inlets with tree-covered hills to the north and east of the peninsula, often covered with strips of mysterious wispy white clouds.
If you are not on a road trip with your own car, then you could consider catching the Tofino Express Bus, or even chartering a float plane with Tofino Air if you want that experience.
Things to know before you go to Tofino, BC
Tofino has a temperate climate, so the winters are quite warm and the summers quite cool. If you’re chasing the sunshine then the perfect time to visit Tofino is during the summer months from June to August, but if you are chasing the waves then winter can work well. Our hotel was promoting storm watching as a winter-based activity to encourage visitors throughout the year.
Note – plastic straws and bags are banned in Tofino, as is smoking in public, so remember to pack your reusable bags, water bottles and bamboo or metal straws.
What to do in Tofino, BC?
Tofino is a small town with only about 2,500 residents. There is a laid-back feel to the town with a cool surf vibe, independent shops and cafes, with no chains. As Tofino is a jumping off point for outdoor activities, it is filled with the offices of tour operators and surf schools.
Get to know the arty side of Tofino, BC
Tofino is also an arty community attracting artists, photographers, carvers, and ceramics specialists to the town. Much of the local artwork displays a ‘reverence for nature’ understandably inspired by its beautiful surroundings. The Tofino Gallery of Contemporary Art opened in 2021.
You will see a lot of indigenous artworks in Tofino and perhaps the largest piece is the cedar totem pole (Tlaoquiaht ha’wiih Totem) in Anchor Park which was gifted to the town by indigenous carver Joe David as a gesture of ‘moving forward together’. The totem features a mythical Thunderbird perched above a humpback whale at the top of the pole (see Cover Photo for this blog).
Nearby the Roy Henry Vickers Gallery, built in 1986, is a traditional Northwest Coast long house with a carved and a lovely painted cedar plank exterior.
Take a surf lesson in Tofino with the Pacific Surf Company
Tofino is known for its excellent surfing beaches (Chesterman Beach, Cox Bay Beach, and Long Beach on the approach to Tofino) providing a range of surfing opportunities from experienced to beginners. In fact, Tofino is known as the surfing capital of Canada.
There are numerous companies with which to book a surf lesson in Tofino. We booked lessons on-line with the Pacific Surf Company who offered great tuition for our kids on Cox Bay Beach. On the day of the lesson, we had to report to the Pacific Surf Company HQ in Tofino to register and sign waivers, before getting into wet suits and heading off to Cox Bay Beach with the instructor.
Cox Bay Beach offered a stunning backdrop for the surfing lessons, with forest covered hills behind a large curved sandy beach covered in driftwood. The girls said that the water was fresh but that’s not a surprise given the Pacific location of Tofino – nothing that a hot chocolate wouldn’t sort out!
Go bear watching with Tofino Adventures
I had pre-booked an early morning bear watching trip with Tofino Adventures, which required a 5.15am start to head over to the operator’s office in the centre of Tofino to register for the trip and sign waivers (there’s a pattern here!).
We were given red insulated, waterproof, suits for our Zodiac boat ride across Clayoquot Sound, which were welcome because even in August it was chilly on the water at that time in the morning, and from the wind as we whizzed along the water. A sea fog was hanging over Clayoquot Sound when we set off in the zodiac boats making it all very atmospheric and eerie.
There was a stillness on Clayoquot Sound which is difficult to explain – no-one was talking, and, for a long time, the only sound was that of the boat’s engine as we skirted the shores of the islands hoping to catch sight of a bear.
Then suddenly our skipper cut the engine and let the zodiac float close to the shoreline. We started to hear a periodic cracking noise, before spotting an American Black Bear through the mist, turning rocks over with its claws and looking for crabs on the rocky shoreline. Wow – what a moment!
We were able to float close to the shoreline without disturbing the bear at all, who seemed very focussed on finding and eating crabs for breakfast, and not at all interested in us. During the time we were on the water, moving from beach to beach, we spotted 6 bears in total, including a Mum with her two cubs which was special.
Apparently, there are 70-80 bears working the beaches in this area, but at different times, so they do not double up on the same beaches. The bears can roam up to 20 km per day looking for food on this 3km stretch of peninsula.
When it’s salmon season the bears will follow the fish up the river to gorge on fish, which then allows them to hibernate over the winter, just for around 2-3 months in this part of the world as the climate is mild.
On our way back to Tofino in the zodiac boat we saw harbour seals, porpoises, and a bald eagle. Our guide told us that a pod of Transient Orcas had passed through Clayoquot Sound 2 days previously looking for seals, so another orca fail for us – this is just not our holiday for spotting orcas!
Take a Whale Watching tour
We didn’t do this in Tofino as we had been on a kayaking expedition searching for orcas in the San Juan Islands earlier in our Pacific North West road trip. However, if you did want to book whale watching from Tofino then there are lots of companies to choose from including Adventure Tofino and Jamie’s Whaling Station.
The most common whales in the area are the summer resident gray whales, although humpback whales or Transient orcas may also be seen in the area.
Learn about the temperate rainforest
From the northern end of Chesterman Beach, you can access the Rainforest Beach Trail, a short nature walk through the coastal temperate rainforest and tall cedar trees. If you can book a guide for the trail, then you can benefit from their expertise in explaining what you are looking at.
Our guide came via the Wickaninnish Hotel and explained that the tree roots in this area do not grow very deep because of the mud base underneath, which means that the trees can blow over in high winds. Plants will then grow on the fallen trees as its closer to the light than the forest floor – this can also lead to trees putting roots down on either side of the fallen tree therefore creating a split trunk.
Note – fires can be a hazard in this area of temperate rain forest even though the air is damp with sea fogs.
Take a water taxi to Meares Island Big Tree Trail
Meares Island Big Tree Trail is on an island situated across the water from Tofino Harbour, on First Nations land. It is only accessible by boat and so you must book a tour or water taxi to take you to the Big Tree Trailhead.
Then you can take your time walking around the 3 km boardwalk tree trail, enjoying the enormous, and very old, western red cedar trees which are between 800 and 1,300 years old. One of the trees, the Hanging Garden Tree, has an enormous circumference of 18.3 meters.
You should take warm and waterproof clothes in case the weather changes and some food and water supply due to the lack of facilities on the island.
Visit Hot Springs Cove on a tour
Hot Springs Cove is about 1.5 hours north of Tofino by boat, in the middle of Clayoquot Sound. You can book onto a day trip to Hot Springs Cove with one of the tour operators in Tofino, such as Jamie’s Whaling Station or Adventure Tofino.
After the boat journey to the appropriate island in the Maquinna Marine Provincial Park, there us a 2 km boardwalk leading to the Hot Springs Cove which takes between 30-45 mins to walk through old growth rainforest along the way.
The Hot Springs are a series of naturally occurring geothermal rock pools with a view of the ocean in which you can relax in warm waters (42 Celsius) before taking a cold plunge in the sea, like an ‘outdoor spa’ experience. Water shoes are essential to protect your feet on the rocks. Take care not to slip when getting in and out of the pools. There are some very basic facilities.
Note – the pools at Hot Springs Cove are lovely but not very big, so Hot Springs Cove can feel very busy quite quickly and means there might be some hanging around to be able to get into the pools.
Where to eat in Tofino, BC?
Obviously, restaurants come and go, but the following were notable during our stay:
- Tacofino – the fish tacos from this little food truck in the Live To Surf parking lot were so good that we kept going back for more. A perfect option for lunch on the go or after a morning of surfing or early start bear watching – yum!
- Wolf in the Fog – we had a fabulous meal at Wolf in the Fog, which has a hipster feel to it with wooden décor and staff in lumberjack shirts. In the centre of the upstairs dining room overlooking Clayoquot Sound is an eye-catching sculpture of a wolf made from driftwood. The menu is inspired by their ‘love of fishing and foraging’ which for us translated to halibut fish cakes, kelp bread with sea salt and burgers.
- The Point Restaurant at The Wickaninnish – we only ate breakfast here but the views from the enormous dining room windows were incredible.
- Rhino Coffee House – the best place to grab coffees and donuts from in Tofino to set you up for the day.
Where to stay in Tofino, BC?
There is a good range of accommodation in and around Tofino – hostels, bed and breakfasts, glamping, camping and resort hotels. If you book early enough, you should be able to find something for your budget and requirements.
The Wickaninnish
We decided to splash out in Tofino and booked into The Wickaninnish (Relais & Chateaux Hotel), using the excuse that it was a ‘big birthday’ year for me. To be honest, it was worth every penny, from its location on the sweeping Chesterman Beach, to the warmth of the welcome we received, to the sunset views from our hotel room and going to bed listening to the waves crashing outside.
Being situated on Chesterman Beach provided its own fun, including:
- Sitting in hotel deckchairs watching the ocean
- Wave bashing and coming out of the water covered in tiny shrimp!
- Collecting driftwood and building our own sculptures on the beach
- Looking for large purple starfish in the rockpools
- Roasting marshmallows on the firepit for S’mores
- Walking the length of the beach and admiring gorgeous houses hidden in the trees
- Playing volleyball on the nets
One night The Wickaninnish held a Crab Cookout on Chesterman Beach which we needed to prebook, but we got to sample delicious Dungeness crab legs with garlic butter and sweet corn. More crab Madam? Yes please!
Thoughts on our time in Tofino, BC
I can completely see why this gem of a place is so treasured by those who visit each year – you just feel so detached from normal life here, because of its position at the end of the road, and because it’s so wild, natural, and unspoilt. Just being there felt therapeutic. I now have a lot of ‘travel love’ for dreamy Tofino.
I’d also like to thank the bears for turning up for us on our visit to Tofino – it more than made up for the lack of orca sightings on our trip to the Pacific Northwest!
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