Sunshine, beach, warmth, blue skies.. you name it. That’s what I actually wanted my April to look like. Australia, that’s where I planned to go. The continent with the Kangaroos and all the surfer boys, you know. I’m not quite sure what happened, but somehow I ended up in British Columbia again. Well, to be honest, I’m in love with the Pacific Northwest. Especially Vancouver and it’s surrounding areas. So it wasn’t that much of a big surprise that I found myself stepping outside of a plane being welcomed by heavy rain and gloomy weather. But, the prospects weren’t that dismal..
So, what happened before: Coincidentally, I met a girl from Hamburg earlier this year in Victoria via Couchsurfing (such an amazing platform by the way – highly recommended). And as it turned out, both of us wanted to go to Tofino. The small beach town at the west coast of Vancouver Island with all the surfer girls and boys (can you see the similarities to Australia?), picture perfect beaches and endless views. And easy as that, I arrived in Victoria in the middle of April.
What we wanted? Beach, nature, wildlife, surfing and even more nature. And that’s exactly what we got on our way. Going to Tofino is more of a meditation than a car drive. It’s a sanctuary for all the nature lovers and spiritual gangsters. It’s an incredible journey through mountains, rainforests and along the water. Also from above..
It might be more crowded during the summer months, when the weather is a little more reliable. Still, the air in April was so crisp and fresh and full of energy. Breathing in all the good, breathing out all the big city stress.
By car you will need round about 5-6 hours of driving from Victoria to Tofino. It doesn’t seem so far on the map, but believe me when I say the road conditions have nothing to do with a German Autobahn.
In Tofino we stayed in a beautiful, very well equipped Airbnb for four nights. Since Tofino isn’t that big, it’s easy to get everywhere by foot in the town. But since there are several more interesting places around, I would recommend having a car with you.
Concerning the several interesting places in and around Tofino, here are the things you shouldn’t miss:
- Take a walk on Long Beach, enjoy both sunshine and rain;
- Take a surf lesson with the Surf Sisters (it was my first surf lesson ever and it was so much fun, such an amazing trainer team);
- Get a big bottle of fresh draught beer from Tofino Brew Co. Soooo good!
- Eat at The Wolf in the Fog! It’s a little pricy, but the quality of both food and drinks is just amazing;
- Visit some of the local Cafes, there is ohh so good cafe everywhere;
- Sunsets, all the sunsets;
- Get outside, no matter the weather – Tofino is situated in the rain forest, and yes it can get wet. But as a wise person once said: There is no bad weather, just the wrong outfit;
- Tofino offers a lot of paths through the forests and along the water, there’s a lot to explore. Try to squeeze in as many walks as possible;
- Take a trip to Ucluelet. It’s kind of a less touristy version of Tofino about 30-45 Minutes south. We did parts of the Wild Pacific Trail, which gets you along the coast and offers some scenic views!
- On the way from Ucluelet back to Tofino stop at Jiggers for the best fish tacos you’ve ever had;
- Oh and Tacofino, definitely go to Tacofino!
- You can’t do anything wrong with being outside.
These are just a few things to do. Tofino definitely offers even more possibilities. We only had four days, so it was tricky squeezing in all the good things (but I think we did a pretty good job).
So, if you are a nature lover and explorer by heart, this will be your paradise!
girl on a journey 