How To Get To Tofino

By Land:

By car, one must travel first from the mainland to Vancouver Island's east coast by ferry to either Victoria or Nanaimo. Tofino is 321 kilometers from Victoria and 208 kilometers from Nanaimo. Just north of Nanaimo, Highway 4 heads west to cross the spine of Vancouver Island to meet up with The Pacific Rim Highway. To get to Ucluelet, turn left (south) and proceed for 10 minutes. Turning right (north) and driving for 40 minutes will take you to the end of this highway at Tofino. The highway signage along these routes is excellent.

Overall, if you take the Horseshoe Bay Ferry from Vancouver to Departure Bay in Nanaimo, count on about a 6 hour journey including the two hour ferry voyage. From Victoria, it's about a five hour drive.

Alternatively, Tofino Bus offers scheduled transportation from Nanaimo and Victoria to Ucluelet and Tofino.

By Sea:

One option to get to Ucluelet or Tofino is to buy a passage at the Quay in Port Alberni on either the MV Lady Rose or MV Frances Barkely. These sturdy wooden packet freighters sail down the Alberni Inlet, stopping along the way to drop off paddlers and their kayaks at the Broken Group Island in Barkley Sound. They also drop mail, groceries, supplies, and the occasional passenger along the way at float homes, the Sechart Whaling Station, Bamfield and finally Ucluelet. A public bus system provides transportation back and forth from Ucluelet to Tofino.

Private arrangements can be made for water taxi: Beachcomber Water Taxi, 250-726-3444 or cell 250-726-8921.

By Air:

The Tofino-Ucluelet Airport (YAZ) is about a 15 minute drive north of Ucluelet and a 10 minute drive from Tofino. Taxis and hotel shuttles are available at the airport.

Pacific Coastal Airlines provides daily scheduled flights to YAZ from Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle.

Scheduled flights from Seattle are available from Kenmore Air Express.

For international air travelers, the nearest international airports are in Vancouver (YVR) on the mainland or Victoria (YYJ) on southern Vancouver Island. Other major airports on Vancouver Island are Nanaimo Airport (YCD) and Comox Valley Airport (YQQ).