Latest news with #HarbourAir
CTV News
21-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Port says dredging of Vancouver's Burrard Inlet underway, a project touted by Carney
A Harbour Air seaplane takes off past the Seaways Athens oil tanker as a marine layer hangs over Burrard Inlet, in Vancouver, on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)
NZ Herald
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
How to spend a weekend in Victoria, Canada
Nestled on to the southern tip of Vancouver Island, the British Columbia capital is an easy 30-minute connection from Vancouver International Airport, with one-way flights starting at C$50 ($60). I contemplated taking the ferry from Vancouver, where I spent my first night, but decided travelling solo on birthdays grants licence to splurge, so booked an almost door-to-door Harbour Air seaplane (starting at C$99 one-way) to the Empress from its sister property in downtown Vancouver, Fairmont Pacific Rim. Recently hosting Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the Pacific Rim is the perfect gateway to Fairmont Empress, with an art gallery, rooftop pool and cosy lobby lounge with music, sushi and exotic cocktails. It's also popular with Hollywood actors (like Tracker star Justin Hartley, who I immediately spotted) filming in Vancouver. It's gloomy the next morning as my 14-seater seaplane skirts along the water before soaring across Vancouver Harbour, but the clouds soon part to showcase the stunning Gulf Islands, blanketed with lush forest. Swooping into Victoria's Inner Harbour with a water landing smoother than most airplane touchdowns, I stroll up to the Empress, where whale topiary paves the way to the harbourside haven. Dubbed the 'castle on the coast', the property opened in 1908 after the Canadian Pacific Railway began building chateau-style hotels to accommodate their wealthy passengers. Shirley Temple, John Travolta and Queen Elizabeth II visited the hotel, which was named after Queen Victoria (also the Empress of India), while Markle's been spotted at restaurant Q at the Empress. A 6m floral chandelier glittering with 250,000 hand-woven crystals greets me in reception. The majestic feel continues as I pass grand stairwells, Juliet balconies, antique bronze mailboxes and through wide arched hallways designed to accommodate sprawling, Victorian ballgowns. Waiting for my room, I laze the entire afternoon away in the tranquil, sun-soaked Fairmont Gold lounge, a perk of booking into the Gold Floor, described as a 'boutique hotel within a hotel'. The Empress also offers limited-time packages like Into the Lavender Haze, which was timed with Taylor Swift's Eras tour and had my room brimming with cushions, chairs, macaroons and Nespresso capsules in varying shades of purple. The theme also reflects the hotel being the home of Empress 1908 Indigo Gin, which spawned a viral Lavender Haze cocktail, made with gin, Empress honey syrup, lemon, soda and lavender. Rumour has it Sir Winston Churchill ordered gin in an Empress teapot to conceal it during Prohibition. I could do with a teapot of warming liquor during a whale-watching cruise with Orca Spirit Adventures the next day. My fingers go numb, but I'm soon distracted by Janet, a 50-year-old male killer whale who dramatically surfaces from the glassy Salish Sea. 'He's been going around Vancouver Island for years,' says our guide. 'He has quite a reputation!' Not to be outdone, two humpbacks find us, spouting and fluking as they elegantly dip in and out of the water like a synchronised slow dance. Next, we cruise around Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, home to bald eagles, shearwaters and clusters of chattering male sea lions, perched around a lighthouse like rowdy concert-goers awaiting the main act. After thawing in my sun-drenched room, I'm ready for the main act of my birthday concert at the intimate McPherson Playhouse. Situated in Old Town, the historic theatre is walkable from the Fairmont Empress and after a night of nostalgic hits, I feel safe meandering home. I stop by intriguing corner spot Earls for a Strawberry Smokeshow margarita, then find myself drawn back to the spectacular harbour, where every hour bestows an enchanting new view. At sunset, glowing amber shades rip across the sky like wildfire, before neon blue peeks through rippled clouds at dusk. By night, it's like the palatial Parliament Buildings have been magically etched on to the black sky in neon lights. I might have thought twice about late-night sauntering after learning Victoria is the most haunted place in Canada during a Gray Line Victoria hop-on, hop-off tour the next morning. The double-decker bus also cruises through Canada's oldest Chinatown, a lantern-lined blur of restaurants, shops and North America's narrowest commercial street – the 0.9m-wide Fan Tan Alley. Further south is the David Foster Harbour Pathway, a 5km walkway named after the Grammy-winning Canadian musician behind hits by Michael Jackson and Celine Dion. The path snakes around to Ogden Point, where a 762m breakwater features an Instagram-worthy mural by local artists. After admiring llamas and peacocks in Beacon Hill Park, we ride through hip, English-inspired Oak Bay Village. Our driver mentions Victoria's prized Butchart Gardens and I briefly regret not venturing 30 minutes north to the tourist spot, however it dawns on me that simply riding around Victoria is like a glorious gardens tour, with picture-perfect florals around every corner. The Fairmont Empress' grounds alone are bursting with yellow trumpet flowers, orange marigold and pink dahlias, plus a honeybee colony and herb gardens, which are foraged for eateries like Q Bar. It's here, while devouring a Cod Crunch burger, that I'm told how the Fairmont Empress will transform into a Christmas wonderland come December with Santa's Sips cocktail nights, lavish decorations and a giant display of mistletoe. It's no wonder countless Christmas movies have been filmed in the neighbourhood. My Empress birthday was unforgettable, but as my seaplane departs back to Vancouver, I'm already set on returning for a movie-like Empress Christmas.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
6 wild experiences in Canada's British Columbia
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). It's impossible to resist the call of the wild in British Columbia. This Canadian province on the Pacific has a 17,000-mile coastline lined with mountainous fjords and studded with around 6,000 islands, most of which are uninhabited. Rainforest-fringed shores rise sharply to jagged peaks, home to Canada's largest population of grizzlies. Take it all in with floatplane flightseeing, high-altitude hiking, remote kayaking and overnights at wilderness lodges built on Indigenous lands. Hop aboard a Harbour Air floatplane and let the Pacific Ocean be your runway. Following a remote mail route of yesteryear, a classic De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver will carry you low over BC's Gulf Islands — scattered between the mainland and Vancouver Island — and coastal communities. Three-hour flights take off from Vancouver and call into Maple Bay and Salt Spring Island in the Strait of Georgia. How to do it: Harbour Air offers flights from C$257 (£144) per person. Witness the marine life of the Sechelt Inlet glow on a night kayak. You'll learn about one of Earth's largest mass migrations, which sees billions of small fish and microscopic plankton head up from the depths to feed at the surface. Here, 125 miles north of Vancouver, they produce a compound that emits light, creating a natural display. How to do it: Three-hour guided tours from Egmont with Matta Eco Experiences from C$130 (£73). British Columbia's ski resorts double as summer playgrounds, with chairlifts taking trekkers up to sky-scraping trailheads. In the Kootenay Rockies, Fernie Alpine Resort has lifts rising to 6,890ft. Hikes range from easy, one-hour loops through old-growth forest to the challenging six-hour Polar Ridge Walk, with 360-degree views across Rocky Mountain terrain, home to bears, moose, bobcats and wolves. How to do it: Guided half-day hikes with the local tourist board cost from C$241 (£135) for two. Clip in for an adventure on Mount Nimbus's via ferrata, one of North America's longest and highest, with iron rungs at 3,281ft and a 196ft-long steel-rope suspension bridge. It's accessible from Bobbie Burns, a wilderness lodge in the Rockies complete with a fine-dining restaurant. From here, BC's backcountry is all yours to explore. How to do it: Four days from C$4,495 (£2,519) per person, including full-board lodging, daily heli-excursions and transport. Welcome to British Columbia's northernmost reaches: the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area, 6.4 million hectares of wetlands, folded mountains, glaciers, hot springs and waterfalls. Nicknamed 'Serengeti of the North', it's home to black and grizzly bears (the Cree word maskwa means 'bear'), moose and mountain goats. Discover it on guided horseback tours, riding beneath hoodos (tall, thin stratovolcanoes) in the territory of the Kaska Dena, Treaty 8 and Carrier-Sekani peoples. How to do it: Overnights at Northern Rockies Lodge from CAN$240 (£132), room only. Bespoke activities organised via Muskwa-Kechika Adventures. Paddle along the Babine River spotting bald eagles, catching fish and goggling at grizzlies feeding on salmon. Home to some of the world's largest wild steelheads and rainbow trouts, this waterway in British Columbia's remote north is a smorgasbord for bears, with narrow canyons and thickly forested banks making for exceptional wildlife watching. And with sections of challenging grade 4 rapids to navigate, the big mammals aren't the only excitement. How to do it: Six days with Canadian Outback Rafting costs from C$3,999 (£2,240) per person, including full-board camping, guides, all kit, park permits and transfers from the town of Smithers. Published in the April 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK)To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
National Geographic
30-04-2025
- National Geographic
From floatplanes to via ferrata, these are British Columbia's wildest experiences
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). It's impossible to resist the call of the wild in British Columbia. This Canadian province on the Pacific has a 17,000-mile coastline lined with mountainous fjords and studded with around 6,000 islands, most of which are uninhabited. Rainforest-fringed shores rise sharply to jagged peaks, home to Canada's largest population of grizzlies. Take it all in with floatplane flightseeing, high-altitude hiking, remote kayaking and overnights at wilderness lodges built on Indigenous lands. Harbour Air floatplanes allow the Pacific Oceans to be your runway. Three-hour flights take off from Vancouver and call into Maple Bay and Salt Spring Island in the Strait of Georgia. Photograph by Getty Images; Franckreporter 1. Take off in a floatplane Hop aboard a Harbour Air floatplane and let the Pacific Ocean be your runway. Following a remote mail route of yesteryear, a classic De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver will carry you low over BC's Gulf Islands — scattered between the mainland and Vancouver Island — and coastal communities. Three-hour flights take off from Vancouver and call into Maple Bay and Salt Spring Island in the Strait of Georgia. How to do it: Harbour Air offers flights from C$257 (£144) per person. 2. Night kayak into bioluminescent waters Witness the marine life of the Sechelt Inlet glow on a night kayak. You'll learn about one of Earth's largest mass migrations, which sees billions of small fish and microscopic plankton head up from the depths to feed at the surface. Here, 125 miles north of Vancouver, they produce a compound that emits light, creating a natural display. How to do it: Three-hour guided tours from Egmont with Matta Eco Experiences from C$130 (£73). Hikes in the Rockies range from easy, one-hour loops through old-growth forest to the challenging six-hour Polar Ridge Walk, with 360-degree views across Rocky Mountain terrain. Photograph by Katie Goldie 3. Go lift-hiking in the Rockies British Columbia's ski resorts double as summer playgrounds, with chairlifts taking trekkers up to sky-scraping trailheads. In the Kootenay Rockies, Fernie Alpine Resort has lifts rising to 6,890ft. Hikes range from easy, one-hour loops through old-growth forest to the challenging six-hour Polar Ridge Walk, with 360-degree views across Rocky Mountain terrain, home to bears, moose, bobcats and wolves. How to do it: Guided half-day hikes with the local tourist board cost from C$241 (£135) for two. 4. Conquer the ultimate via ferrata Clip in for an adventure on Mount Nimbus's via ferrata, one of North America's longest and highest, with iron rungs at 3,281ft and a 196ft-long steel-rope suspension bridge. It's accessible from Bobbie Burns, a wilderness lodge in the Rockies complete with a fine-dining restaurant. From here, BC's backcountry is all yours to explore. How to do it: Four days from C$4,495 (£2,519) per person, including full-board lodging, daily heli-excursions and transport. Nicknamed 'Serengeti of the North', the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area is home to black and grizzly bears (the Cree word maskwa means 'bear'), moose and mountain goats. Photograph by Getty Images; Peter Adams 5. Horse-ride in the Muskwa-Kechika Welcome to British Columbia's northernmost reaches: the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area, 6.4 million hectares of wetlands, folded mountains, glaciers, hot springs and waterfalls. Nicknamed 'Serengeti of the North', it's home to black and grizzly bears (the Cree word maskwa means 'bear'), moose and mountain goats. Discover it on guided horseback tours, riding beneath hoodos (tall, thin stratovolcanoes) in the territory of the Kaska Dena, Treaty 8 and Carrier-Sekani peoples. How to do it: Overnights at Northern Rockies Lodge from CAN$240 (£132), room only. Bespoke activities organised via Muskwa-Kechika Adventures. 6. Ride the rapids on 'Grizzly River' Paddle along the Babine River spotting bald eagles, catching fish and goggling at grizzlies feeding on salmon. Home to some of the world's largest wild steelheads and rainbow trouts, this waterway in British Columbia's remote north is a smorgasbord for bears, with narrow canyons and thickly forested banks making for exceptional wildlife watching. And with sections of challenging grade 4 rapids to navigate, the big mammals aren't the only excitement. How to do it: Six days with Canadian Outback Rafting costs from C$3,999 (£2,240) per person, including full-board camping, guides, all kit, park permits and transfers from the town of Smithers. Published in the April 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK) To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
