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. Refer to the maps section of this website.

BC Ferries SailPass helps you save money and can be used on the Circle Tour. The pass is available for four consecutive days of travel on each of 20 southern routes for just $139, including car and two adults. Or choose the seven consecutive day SailPass for $169. Additional adults (up to seven) can be added for $26 each.

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