British Columbia summer fun

Arrive

Air Canada (website: www.aircanada.com) serves British Columbia (BC), as do many other airlines from worldwide destinations. Vancouver airport (website: www.yvr.ca) is the main hub.

Why now?

Summer in sunny BC offers endless outdoor activities amongst fantastic natural scenery.

See

• Gaze at the azure waters of Lake Okanagan and the stunning vistas of the surrounding vineyards in this area known as BC's playground. At the northern tip of the Okanagan Valley, Shuswap Lake offers resort-like summer weather and excellent boating opportunities.

• Watch out for grizzly bears, sometimes found wandering the forests or fishing for salmon in streams and rivers, in areas such as the Kootenays, northern Rockies, and northwestern BC.

• Survey vast tracts of untamed lakeland, forest and wilderness in the Cariboo. The arid, desert-like terrain is best known for its ranch accommodation.

Do

• Find out why Vancouver is often called ‘Lotusland' by other Canadians, with its temperate climate and laid-back and natural lifestyle. As well as its cultural and cosmopolitan centre, the city prides itself on its outdoorsy attitude.

• Choose any number of outdoor activities: hiking, sea kayaking, in-line skating, sailing or mountain biking.

• Cruise the fjords of the famous Inside Passage, possible by charter yacht, ocean kayak, ferry or cruise ship.

Taste

The cuisine of the province is enhanced by English traditions, while the Pacific Ocean yields a lip-smacking variety of seafood. King crab, oysters, shrimp and other shellfish, as well as cod, haddock and salmon are smoked, pan-fried, breaded, baked, canned or barbecued, and complemented by local vegetables. And don't forget to round it all off with Victoria creams, a famous chocolate delicacy derived from a recipe dating back to 1885, and exported worldwide from British Columbia. The original confectioners shop is situated in Victoria on Vancouver Island.

Did you know?

Vancouver is one of the largest centres for film and TV production in North America. The city has stood in for many US cities, including locations in the first five seasons of The X-Files, but there have been no well known films that actually portray the city as itself.