The Coastal Circle Tour is a great way to see more of what beautiful British Columbia has to offer. It covers the Sunshine Coast from Gibsons to Powell River, over to Vancouver Island and down the east coast, then back to Vancouver. The tour can be enjoyed in either direction. Spectacular scenery on land and sea, beaches, small communities with lots of charm, farmlands and mountain ranges make this an ever-changing and highly enjoyable trip.

Take a look at this Video: Adventure Time - Vancouver Island & The Sunshine Coast to get an idea of what you can see and do on this trip.

BC Ferries CirclePac
Save 15% on regular one-way fares while touring the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island with this special four-route package.

Sail More, Save More with SailPass
Save up to 38% on multi-route ferry travel passes. SailPass is a single price ticket that lets you choose from up to 20 routes to adventure along the BC coast, between the Mainland and Vancouver Island, the Northern and Southern Gulf Islands and the Sunshine Coast. Visit our cities, nature hike, cycle, tour an artist's studio or just spend some time beachcombing.  For more information on costs and itineraries, check the website

Head up the coast from Gibsons (84 km/52 mi) to Earls Cove to take the 50-minute ferry ride to Saltery Bay on the upper Sunshine Coast. Drive Hwy. 101 to Powell River, where you board an 80-minute ferry across the Strait of Georgia to Comox on Vancouver Island. A scenic highway flanks the east coast of the island, taking you through charming beachside communities.

Driving south to Nanaimo (107 km/66 mi) you can board another ferry (95 minutes) and cross the Strait of Georgia back to Horseshoe Bay on the mainland, having completed one circle tour.

If you still want more of Vancouver Island, continue south to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, at the southern tip of the Island.  From Victoria, drive the pastoral Saanich Peninsula, past lakes and cottages and the picturesque town of Sidney, to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal. From here you can return to the mainland (90 minutes) at Tsawwassen, or board a smaller vessel for an island-hopping adventure to one of the Southern Gulf Islands. This scenery surpasses any in the world for its raw beauty and unspoiled vistas. While aboard the ferries, keep a look out for Orca whale pods and happy groups of Dall's porpoises that look much like miniature killer whales.

BC Ferries Coast Circle Tour Itinerary