Fr. 1.7 .: Tofino - Bears, Wolves, and the Rainforest Trail

It's Canada Day - the national holiday, and you can see more Canadian flags and symbols than usual. We also have something special planned, we're going bear watching by boat. We have to be in Tofino by 8 o'clock because this experience is only possible at low tide.

We booked our bear watching tour with Jamies well in advance - a good thing, because it's completely booked out. With 35 other tourists, we board a small boat and head to the coastal region of the Pacific.

We're on the trail of black bears searching for food in the shoreline. It's cloudy, the water is smooth, and according to our guide, these are ideal conditions. After a short time, we see the first bear and another one not far away. Both are undisturbed by the boat. They turn over almost every stone to find crabs and other creatures. We can observe them extensively. Two more bears are less patient with us and disappear into the thicket after a short time. However, a large male bear lets the boat come close to him. We observe it for a long time - simply an amazing experience.

Along the way, we also see seals and sea lions. The boat gets very excited when suddenly 2 wolves appear on the shore. To our delight, they walk towards a small beach area and we have a clear view until they disappear into the rainforest again. Even the boat guide is thrilled, something like this doesn't happen very often.

After this nearly 3-hour tour, we have a picnic on the grey sand beach and then go hiking. The Rainforest Trail is a boardwalk through the rainforest with two loops - really amazing. You get very close to the giant trees and all the plants. The calling of birds in the thicket adds to the true jungle feeling. There are many steps up and down, totaling about 2 km.

The kids are thrilled and not tired at all. Back at the vacation rental, they go searching for shells and snails in the driftwood.