general information
Find below answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.
Where are the Southern Gulf Islands?
The Southern Gulf Islands sit in the Salish Sea between southern Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia, Canada, at the southern end of the Strait of Georgia. The five main islands are Salt Spring, Pender, Mayne, Galiano and Saturna. They are about 90 minutes by ferry from Vancouver’s Tsawwassen terminal and 35 minutes to two hours from Swartz Bay near Victoria, depending on the island.
What is there to do in the Southern Gulf Islands?
Each island has its own character. Salt Spring is known for its Saturday market, farm stands and artist studios. Galiano has cliffside hiking at Bodega Ridge and Bluffs Park and paddling in Montague Harbour. Pender offers sheltered kayaking, small vineyards and pastoral landscapes. Mayne has protected bays, a Japanese garden and quiet cycling roads. Saturna is the least developed, with whale watching from East Point and trails through the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.
How to get to the Southern Gulf Islands?
BC Ferries sails to all five islands from Tsawwassen near Vancouver and Swartz Bay near Victoria. Salt Spring also has a short route from Crofton on Vancouver Island to Vesuvius Bay. Seair Seaplanes flies from Vancouver International Airport’s south terminal to all five islands, with Salt Spring bookable online and the others by phone. Harbour Air flies year-round from downtown Vancouver and YVR South to Ganges Harbour on Salt Spring. Visitors arriving by private boat will find public docks and marinas on every island.
What’s the weather like in the Southern Gulf Islands?
The Southern Gulf Islands have a cool Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. They lie in the rain shadow of the Vancouver Island Ranges and Washington’s Olympic Mountains, making them among the driest places on Canada’s Pacific coast. Summer highs average 22 C to 25 C and winter temperatures rarely drop below freezing. September and early October are often the calmest months of the year, and April and May bring long days and lush foliage before the summer crowds arrive.
How many Southern Gulf Islands are there?
There are five main inhabited Southern Gulf Islands that welcome visitors. Salt Spring, Pender, Mayne, Galiano and Saturna. Hundreds of smaller islands and islets surround them, and some sources include Gabriola, Thetis and Penelakut Islands under the same name, though those are reached from different ferry terminals and have their own visitor services.
Pender Island
Where is Pender Island?
Pender Island is in the Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada, in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland. It sits south of Mayne and Saturna Islands and east of Salt Spring, about 40 minutes by ferry from Swartz Bay near Victoria and two hours from Tsawwassen near Vancouver. The island is roughly 25 kilometres north of the Canada-U.S. border.
Are there bears on Pender Island?
No. There is no resident bear population on Pender Island or any of the Southern Gulf Islands. Wildlife you will see includes black-tailed deer, raccoons, river otters, bald eagles and harbour seals, and orcas and humpback whales pass through the surrounding waters. Cougars very occasionally swim across from Vancouver Island but sightings are rare.
How big is Pender Island?
Pender Island covers about 37 square kilometres in total. North Pender is the larger at roughly 27 square kilometres, and South Pender is about 10 square kilometres. Around 2,400 people live on the island year-round. Driving end to end takes about 30 minutes.
Is Pender Island one or two islands?
Two. North Pender and South Pender were a single island until 1903, when the federal government dredged a canal at Port Browning so steamships could pass through. A one-lane wooden bridge has connected them since 1955. Most services, the ferry terminal and the shopping centre are on North Pender. South Pender is quieter and home to Mount Norman, Gowlland Point and Poets Cove
How do I get to Pender Island?
BC Ferries sails to Otter Bay on North Pender from Swartz Bay near Victoria and from Tsawwassen near Vancouver. Reservations are recommended on the Tsawwassen route and on summer weekends. Seair Seaplanes flies from Vancouver International Airport to Port Washington on North Pender. Boaters can moor at Port Browning, Poets Cove or Otter Bay marinas. Poets Cove in Bedwell Harbour is a Canada Border Services Agency port of entry, so boaters arriving from the U.S. clear customs there, including NEXUS and CANPASS holders.
What is there to do on Pender Island?
Hike Mount Norman, the highest point on the island at 244 metres, for views across the Swanson Channel. Watch for orcas from Gowlland Point or Brooks Point on South Pender. Kayak from Port Browning or Hope Bay, or paddle to Beaumont Marine Park. Visit the Pender Island Farmers Market, go for a tasting at Sea Star Vineyards, Twin Island Cider, or Bee Wild Distillery or and play the free disc golf course at Golf Island Disc Park.
Where to stay on Pender Island?
Pender Island has a full-service resort with a spa and marina at Poets Cove on South Pender, waterfront cabins and pub at Port Browning Marina, cottages and glamping at WOODS on Pender, several bed and breakfasts and licensed vacation rentals. Campers can book Prior Centennial Campground in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve or paddle to backcountry sites at Beaumont Marine Park. Rates drop after Labour Day and most accommodations stay open year-round.
GALIANO Island
Where to camp on Galiano Island?
Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park is the main campground on Galiano Island, with drive-in and walk-in tent sites above a white shell beach, plus mooring buoys and a dock for boaters. Sites book through BC Parks and fill on summer weekends, so reserve early or aim for May, June or September. Dionisio Point Provincial Park at the island’s north tip has walk-in sites reachable only by boat or kayak.
What restaurants are on Galiano Island?
Galiano Island has a small restaurant scene for a population of about 1,400. Near the Sturdies Bay ferry terminal, Atrevida at the Galiano Oceanfront Inn serves West Coast fare and Oxeye Cafe builds its menu around local food. Crane and Robin sits on the water at Montague Harbour, Lola’s serves Filipino-inspired West Coast dishes and the Valley Grill does casual pub food on the lawn. Most restaurants reduce hours from November to March and several close midweek in winter, so check ahead.
How to get to Galiano Island?
Galiano is the closest Southern Gulf Island to Vancouver. BC Ferries sails from Tsawwassen to Sturdies Bay in about 45 minutes on direct sailings, and from Swartz Bay near Victoria in one to two hours depending on stops at other islands. Reservations are strongly recommended on the Tsawwassen route. Seair Seaplanes flies from Vancouver International Airport to Montague Harbour. Boaters can moor at Montague Harbour Marina or the provincial park dock.
Where to stay on Galiano Island?
Galiano Island has a waterfront inn and spa at Sturdies Bay, log cabins at Bodega Ridge, cottages and bed and breakfasts scattered along the island, and licensed vacation rentals. Campers have Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park. Accommodation is limited, so book well ahead for July and August or visit in spring and fall when rooms are easier to find and rates are lower.
Are there bears on Galiano Island?
No. Galiano Island has no bears. Watch instead for black-tailed deer, river otters, bald eagles and harbour seals, with orcas and humpbacks passing through Active Pass and Trincomali Channel. From October through spring, hundreds of Steller and California sea lions migrate into the area and haul out on the rocks around Porlier Pass at the island’s north end, where you can hear them barking from shore.
What to do on Galiano Island?
Hike the ridgeline trail at Bodega Ridge Provincial Park for views across Trincomali Channel, climb Mount Galiano to 341 metres, or walk the bluffs above Active Pass in Bluffs Park to watch ferries and whales. Montague Harbour has a white shell beach and west-facing sunsets, and kayakers can paddle from there to Wallace Island or along the sandstone galleries at Retreat Cove. Visit the Saturday market at Lions Park in summer, browse Galiano Island Books at Sturdies Bay.
Where is Galiano Island?
Galiano Island is in the Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada, in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland. It is the northernmost of the five main Southern Gulf Islands and the closest to Vancouver, with Active Pass separating it from Mayne Island to the south and Trincomali Channel from Salt Spring to the west.
How long is Galiano Island?
- Galiano Island is about 27 kilometres long and rarely more than two kilometres wide, covering roughly 58 square kilometres. Driving from Sturdies Bay at the south end to Dionisio Point at the north takes about 45 minutes, though the final stretch is gravel and the park itself is boat access only.