Go whale watching, and explore Butchart Gardens in Victoria, Vancouver Island on this day trip from Vancouver. Combine two activities into one day in the Gulf Islands, and then return to Vancouver via speedboat, cutting the return trip to just two hours.
Get picked up from any address in Vancouver at 7:30am, then transfer to the waterfront to board a whale-watching boat that's bound for Vancouver Island. Listen to a trained naturalist explain the ecosystem as you travel to Victoria on a modern, 62-foot aluminum cruiser that can carry up to 74 passengers. Make yourself comfortable in the outdoor viewing areas or heated passenger seating areas to watch for wildlife.
The waters between Vancouver and Victoria are teeming with fauna; keep your eyes open for the orcas, gray whales, porpoises, seals, and sea lions that are often spotted here. Observe bald eagles, blue herons, and a myriad of other shorebirds as you travel through the spectacular scenery of the Gulf Islands.
Arrive in Victoria and spend some free time exploring the city, then take a 35-minute bus ride to Butchart Gardens to see one of the world's finest floral show gardens. Get picked up at the gardens and transfer back to the shore for an express return to Vancouver by speedboat. After a 2-hour ride, land in Vancouver and be dropped back off at your lodgings.