An island off the island, for people who want the day to slow down
The Southern Gulf Islands lie in the rain shadow between Vancouver Island and the mainland, drier and sunnier than either. Salt Spring is the largest and the one with a real village — Ganges, whose Saturday market from spring to autumn draws the whole strait — plus farm stands, cheese, cider, studios and Mount Maxwell's view over the archipelago. Pender, Mayne, Galiano and Saturna are smaller and quieter, with pieces of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve on each.
Getting between the islands is the trip. Ferries run on irregular schedules that are worth studying the night before; a car is useful on Salt Spring and optional on the smaller ones if you are cycling. Private boat charters from Sidney and guided kayak tours from the Saanich Peninsula are the ways to see the islands from the water without a ferry timetable.
On Viator the inventory is thin — a private Salt Spring day tour from Victoria, a Gulf Islands boat charter, a paddle from Canoe Cove — so treat this as a self-drive or ferry-and-bicycle destination that the odd tour supplements.
Getting there
BC Ferries from Swartz Bay serves Salt Spring, Pender, Mayne, Galiano and Saturna; a separate route from Tsawwassen on the mainland stops at several of them. Salt Spring has three terminals. Reserve vehicles on summer weekends. Foot passengers and cyclists usually walk on.
What departs from here
The Salt Spring private tour picks up in Victoria and takes the ferry; boat charters leave from Van Isle Marina in Sidney and the kayak tour from Canoe Cove in North Saanich. No tours currently depart from the islands themselves.
Staying
A day trip from Victoria is realistic for Salt Spring; a night or two rewards the smaller islands. Inns, B&Bs and cottages, with a celebrated country-house hotel on Salt Spring.
Season
The Salt Spring Saturday Market runs April to October. Summer ferry reservations are essential for vehicles. Winter is quiet and many studios close mid-week.
Know before you go
Ferry schedules dominate the day and vehicle sailings sell out. Very little on Viator; most experiences are booked direct or are simply the islands themselves.
