For a Half Day

Squamish: The town of Squamish lies 1 hour north of Vancouver on beautiful Howe Sound. The region offers excellent opportunities for rock climbing (notably on Smoke Bluffs) and, during winter, is the site of the largest gathering of bald eagles in North America. Nearby Shannon Falls has the third highest cascade in Canada at 335m (1,099ft). Squamish Visitor Centre (tel: (604) 815 4994; website: www.squamishchamber.bc.ca or www.coastandmountains.bc.ca), provides further information.

For a Whole Day

British Columbia's wilderness: Dozens of tour operators offer trips to explore British Columbia's famed wilderness. Tourism Vancouver (see Sightseeing) can provide advice, as well as brochures for companies offering whale watching, whitewater rafting, ocean kayaking, hiking, floatplane tours, off-road expeditions, yacht charters and salmon fishing trips.

Information about travel throughout the province is available from Super, Natural British Columbia (tel: (604) 435 5622 or 1 800 435 5622; website: www.hellobc.com). Outdoorsy travellers can make their camping reservations online (website: www.discovercamping.ca).

Whistler: This area north of Vancouver is a delight for naturalists during summer, while in winter it morphs into the most popular ski resort on the West Coast, with over 200 varied ski runs on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, including the longest vertical in North America. The less-active traveller will appreciate the shops, dining and entertainment in pedestrian-only Whistler Village. Whistler is accessible by car or coach on Highway 99, the Sea to Sky Highway (journey time - 2 hours), and by charter flights. Tourism Whistler is located at 4010 Whistler Way (tel: (604) 932 3928 or 1 888 869 2777; website: www.tourismwhistler.com). As part of Vancouver's stint as host of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Whistler will host the alpine, Nordic and sliding events.

Victoria: The capital of British Columbia lies 100km (62 miles) southwest of Vancouver. It is an elegant town with a British feel, distinguished by Victorian and neo-classical architecture. In the harbour area are the impressive Parliament Buildings and the Royal British Columbia Museum, which gives an overview of the region's history. Not to be missed is afternoon tea in the Empress Hotel and the more than one million plants at Butchart Gardens on the city's outskirts. Victoria is accessible in 3 hours, by road and a scenic ferry ride, with a downtown-to-downtown service offered by Pacific Coach Lines (tel: (604) 662 7575 or 1 800 661 1725; website: www.pacificcoach.com). The fastest connection is by Helijet Airways (tel: (604) 273 4688 or 1 800 665 4354; website: www.helijet.com) (journey time - 35 minutes). Harbour Air (tel: (604) 274 1277 or 1 800 665 0212; website: www.harbour-air.com) offers daytrips by seaplane. It also offers a whale-watching add-on, as does West Coast Air (tel: (604) 606 6800; website: www.westcoastair.com). Further information is available from Tourism Victoria, 812 Wharf Street, on the Inner Harbour (tel: (250) 953 2033; website: www.tourismvictoria.com).