Captain Darrell was extremely accommodating. My Father-in-law, wife and two young boys had an…read moreamazing time. Captain "D" made sure we went out at a time that would maximize the experiance for the boys' first Salmon fishing trip. Good water, lots of laughs and lots of fish. We did have to release some but of course not on the Captain. So anyone upset about that would just be silly. We caught 3 keepers, 1 coho and 2 king salmon (one 15 pounder). My father in law has been fishing salmon his whole life and Captain D had just as much knowledge. He was amazing.

Captain Darrell Jobb can fish!…read more If you want an awesome fishing experience on the beautiful east coast of Vancouver Island, at French Creek Harbor, you must call Darrell Jobb at Western Star Charters. Captain Darrell caters to both serious fisherman and families with children who want a fun and safe day on the water. Captain Darrell came very highly recommended to me by the helpful owners of the French Creek Marina store. I was very impressed with Captain Darrell's professional and safe operation. Captain Darrell does an excellent job of monitoring the weather and water conditions. Listen to him, his main goal is to help you have the best experience possible. If he suggests that conditions are not ideal, take his advice and reschedule for later in the day or for another day. My 12-year-old son and I really enjoy bottom fishing for rockfish and lingcod. Captain Darrell did an excellent job of getting us into some real hot spots. Kids love fishing for rockfish because it gets them super involved with the equipment. Darrell is a very knowledgeable and patient teacher with children and inexperienced adults. I have now chartered with Captain Darrell several times. I find his prices are very reasonable and we've always had an awesome day on the water with him. Book early with him. He's very popular and his summer schedule fills up fast. PS - don't kid yourself, lingcod might not look like much, but those bad boys are delicious! When Captain Darrell gets through cleaning them you will never have seen such beautiful, white (with sometimes very light greenish hue), delicate flesh. I prefer over halibut.

We came here for camping and also to check out the caves here. It cost $30 to $50 a night to camp…read more The campsite was busy on the weekend and not so much on the weekdays. The campground is quite big. The outhouse was not bad. We also explored the caves. The tours take 2 hours approx. You can do a self-guided tour but if you do than you don't get to go inside past the gates in the caves Note that in the areas there are lots of dangerous wild animals. We heard that there was a deer that got taken out by a cayote.

This was my first time cave exploring and I had such a wonderful and memorable experience! This is…read moredefinitely one of the best highlights of the entire trip! We went on the guided 3 hour "Ice Age Adventure" tour. Our tour guide was amazing!! She was very educational with the history, facts, and preservation efforts. She was experienced, attentive and overall fun to be with. We explored a series of marble passages and crystal caverns created by the power of "The Ice Age". The experience was amazing! We were crawling and schootching through tight passage ways. We even climbed an underground waterfall!! Wow, the amazing crystals formations were breathtaking. My pictures do not do them justice; you simply just have to see it for yourself!! Dress warm, as it does get a little chilly inside the cave, wear boots or sturdy shoes and know you are going to get a little wet! Take a waterproof durable camera! Also, if possible some gloves can be very helpful. They provide the helmets with a light. Hydrate and have a balanced meal, you will be hiking to the cave as well as climbing and crawling inside. They offer an education center featuring geology information, a small museum and fossil display. They have a small theater, so visitors can learn more about this unique environment without having to enter the caves. Snacks and souvenirs can also be purchased. Other above-ground opportunities include a self-guided walk through the amazing surface geology on the new "Phil Whitfield Interpretive Trail" that highlights interesting surface features explained in a self-guiding brochure. The drive to Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park takes you on an unpaved road for a few miles; don't be worried, it is part of the adventure!! Great price for the experience, this is a MUST DO when visiting Beautiful Vancouver Island!!

I have spent nearly a month now touring Vancouver Island and there are many fabulous sights and…read moreactivities, but #1 without question has been the cruise with Archipelago. In fact, their cruise is both #1 and #2 in my book as I went on the tour twice. Both times the scenery and wildlife were incredible; both times Alan & Toddy did a top-notch job as guides and hosts; both times the cruise provided a connection to the natural surroundings and to fellow travelers that you just don't get on the other tours. If you make it to the area, Archipelago should be #1 on your list (and #2).

Al and Toddy were great hosts. They are passionate about their lifestyle on the water and were…read moreanxious to share their knowledge of Ucluelet, it's history and wildlife. The boat is pretty luxurious, well maintained and very clean. Within five minutes of launching, we saw a bear, bald eagles and then sea lions. Later in the Broken Islands, we saw a couple of whales, harbor seals and lots of marine birds. I highly recommend taking this cruise, we saw so many things that we would never have seen if we didn't venture out into the waters of Barkley Sound.

Not only can you not lose because this is a FREE tour...but you will gain so much interesting info!…read more I'm sure hopping on and off a bus would be just fine, but for us, with just one short day in this vast city, we were looking for a quick connection, and that's exactly what we got on this recent Sunday. We met our tour guide, Ali at the designated time (11am) at the designated place, and 20 or so of us enjoyed an incredibly interesting walking tour of Chinatown. There is no way we would have gotten the feel for this city had we not taken this tour. Several folks were repeat tour guy visitors, so they must have enjoyed those as well. Our group had folks from several countries. It is a relaxed tour at a pace that is just right...not too fast and not too slow. Seriously, just right! And absolutely everyone in our group was happy to hand over generous thank you tips. Well-deserved. Ali was kind enough at the end of the tour to guide anyone who wanted dining suggestions or directions. For us, he was even kind enough to let us walk along with him since we were heading in the same direction. As a result, we were fortunate enough to get an extended tour, as he remained a wealth of Vancouver info as we went along. Highly recommend!

I love FREE, Culture, history, and having a tour that rolls all 3 together…read more We took the Free Downtown & Chinatown Tour with Alex. She pointed out some places of interest, told us the history of Chinatown, took us to a herbal store, and ended the tour at the Chinese Gardens. The tour was over 2 hours, and she gave suggestions for lunch. I love these type of tours because they are given by people who have lived there for a good amount of time, and who are passionate about what they are presenting. She was no exception.

Outstanding day and wonderful tour guide. Leif is a pleasure to spend the day with. He picked us…read moreup, took us to the caves, then bought us a fantastic lunch, then waterfall and old growth forest trails. We highly recommend!

From the owner: We create authentic, intimate and memorable visitor experiences while honouring the culture,…read moreheritage, and natural beauty of Vancouver Island. Discover places that inspire stories.

We signed up for a Victoria Carriage Tours horse drawn carriage ride online, about 30 minutes…read morebefore scheduled departure. It was the first time of the day, and we left a little late; I wondered if we'd get shortchanged a little, but in fact we got a little more than the hour ride we paid for. Our driver, Amelia, was friendly and informative as we clip-clopped through parks, neighborhoods, and quaint business districts. This isn't an inexpensive ride, but they have about 6-7 different lengths of rides all priced proportionately, which helps. My wife really wanted a carriage ride while we were here, so I sprung for a one hour trip, which we both enjoyed!

Great Time! Did the 90-minute tour - saw everything by carriage (so we didn't have to walk it)…read more Super nice people, great stories and historical stuff; really enhanced the trip while saving the knees. We had Jena & Tom (human & house). BEST THING: THEY'RE (well behaved) DOG-FRIENDLY! Was certainly the highlight of Peanut's trip (she'd had enough walking by then.

We have used James a few times now and every time our young son has a blast. Great guide, very…read morecomfortable and dry boat, top of the line gear. Even if the salmon aren't running James knows where to find us fish. Highly recommend!

From the owner: We are passionate about providing safe & exciting fishing and marine adventures…read more Experience the exhilaration of landing salmon, halibut, rock fish, prawns and crabs, the thrill of seeing eagles, sea otters, whales and seals in their undisturbed habitat or just touring our coastline. We are all about fishing, outdoor adventures, travelling and exploring Vancouver Island's magnificent scenery, natural beauty and wildlife.

. The Nanaimo Bites and Sights Food Tour was a wonderful way to spend a unique and entertaining…read moreafternoon with some special friends. Our tour guide Allison was knowledgeable about the area and guided us through the old city quarter providing fun facts and local history of the area. A leisurely pace was set and walking time was 10 minutes to each stop. We enjoyed 6 locations starting with coffee and freshly baked cinnamon buns, Tex Mex tidbits, mouth-watering Mediterranean, delicious Italian and a visit to the sweet shop for Nanaimo Bar Fudge. The restaurants "knocked it out of the park" and they are on my "visit again" list. A highlight was the food demonstration at an International food specialty shop. The tour was well balanced, lots of time to laugh, chat and shop. Would definitely recommend this food tour, it was so much fun.

After doing a little research into "must do" activities in the area, my husband and I signed up for…read morea two cave tour at Horne Lake Caves. The website was easy to navigate, and I appreciated the ability to sign and submit our waivers ahead of time. The drive up to the check-in place involved a pristine logging road, according to my husband and I would have to agree it was good as far as logging roads go. We went on the two cave tour with our guide, Oscar. I had been a little apprehensive about going on the cave tour the night before (because we were willingly going into pitch-black, cold, tight spaces), but Oscar's passion, humour, and knowledge of the area eased my fears. Thanks to the information on the website, we were well dressed and prepared for the temperatures (they provided sturdy helmets and head lamps). Oscar took us on the hike up to the cave and gave us plenty of opportunities to rest. He guided us through every step of the two caves, so I never felt anxious or afraid, and I was able to go through the physicality of the cave tours (some climbing, crouching, etc), without much trouble. I emerged from the two cave tour smiling and exuberant, having done something completely new to me. I felt the prices were reasonable, and I would recommend the tours for sure!

I do not recommend this visit to the Horne Lake Caves if:…read more -you have kids and want them to have a good time -have little experience climbing inside tight spaces -are on a budget -don't have long sleeve clothing - you do not mind getting dirty and wet Here is what you can expect: There are three caves total: the Riverbend, the Main and the Lower Main. -Office/trailer - you can do a self tour, rent a hard hat with flashlight attached for about $9 each person. They recommend that you have at least two sources of light as the caves are pitch dark and you will not see a thing if you don't have light! Also you should have a long clothing as it is very chilly in there and the clothing will protect you against possible cuts as the rocks can be sharp! -Cost of tours - if you opt to take their tours, a one cave tour that only goes partly (33% into the Riverbend cave) costs $24 a person. A three cave tour will cost $54 a head. You are only allowed to see the Riverbend cave if you buy their tour. Self tours you can do the two smaller caves (Main and lower Main). They don't even give you a flashlight but they want you to have two sources of light? Hmmm... Due to the cost and time limitations, we opted for the self tour and rented the helmets. We were glad we did as we found the caves to be dangerous if not careful. The rocks and ground in the cave can be wet and there were many areas that we had to squeeze through and we are lucky we had our helmets! No helmets would have meant heads cut open on the sharp jagged rock formations above. The most we could do was about 60% into the Main and lower Main caves as it became to difficult with our shoes and the unwillingness to injury ourselves climbing an awkward wet rock formation. A few families who were there with us agreed that the caves were not very kid friendly and turned back about half way. I have been to other cave attractions before and this one was not fun due to the above experience. I can see more experienced climbers and cave dwellers enjoying this one.

Debra (guide) and Clyde (skipper) were super friendly and knowledgeable about whales and bears and…read moresalmon. Once we reached Bute inlet we were handed over to Conrad and Justice. Funny, friendly and patient. We saw a mom and her cub at the first view point. I didn't see any more bears after that but I thought seeing one was a huge blessing. If you want to safely see bears being bears this is the tour. Maybe we'd see more in a week or two but I'm happy with all the wildlife we saw. Thank you Conrad, Justice, Clyde and Debra!

Cassie and Brendan were amazing! The were super conversational through out the tours, constantly…read moresharing their knowledge and experience with the group. Cassie especially was so sweet and willing to share aspects of her culture with the group, she sang songs and told stories, i felt like i walked away with new knowledge and understanding! the boat itself is great, 3 rows of seats on the inside and 3 rows on the outside, you're able to switch back and forth from the cabin to the deck as you wish which was super awesome to get views and pictures. we saw orcas, dolphins, seals, sea lions, deers, and tons of bald eagles. you can tell Brendan really loves what he does and his excitement and energy really translated to all of us. lunch was supplied and super yummy! the 7 hour tour flew by, i was sad to leave! definitely recommend this amazing tour. NOTE: make sure to bring a rain jacket no matter how nice the day is! it can get super chilly and wet out on the waters :)