Vancouver Island

Hidden gems on Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island’s landscape features unique geological formations and unconventional landmarks. Explore the Hole-in-the-Wall rock opening near Port Alberni and the deep tectonic fissure known as The Abyss. In Coombs, the Old Country Market is distinguished by its sod roof where goats graze, while Victoria offers the 1908 tradition of high tea at the Fairmont Empress. These sites showcase the island’s mix of natural oddities, historic social rituals, and architectural curiosities like the spherical treehouses suspended in the coastal rainforest.

Hidden Gems — Map

Wpcpey / CC BY-SA 4.0

A

Tea at the Empress

Established in 1908, this traditional high tea service at the Fairmont Empress features a custom tea blend and honey produced by on-site apiaries. It is served in the Lobby Lounge of this historic Edwardian-style hotel.

Gillian from Toronto, Canada / cc-by-sa-2.0

B

Old Country Market - Goats on Roof

This Coombs market features a sod roof where live goats graze during the summer months. The interior houses an international deli, an import shop, and a bakery.

Corey Doughty / CC-BY-SA

C

Hole-in-the-Wall

A large circular opening blasted through a shale rock wall near Port Alberni, originally created to accommodate a 1960s water pipeline. It now serves as a scenic waterfall along a forest trail.

D

Free Spirit Spheres

Free-spirited souls should come to see (or sleep overnight) the small spheres hanging from the trees in the middle of a coastal rainforest.

E

The Abyss

A deep, narrow fissure in the earth’s surface located along a hiking trail south of Nanaimo. This geological crack was likely caused by tectonic shifts or an earthquake.

User HighInBC on en.wikipedia / pd

F

Thunderbird Park

Thunderbird Park is a park in Victoria, British Columbia next to the Royal British Columbia Museum.

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