Afternoon: Independent arrivals and transfers to the program hotel after 3:00 p.m.

Dinner: Welcome dinner at the hotel.

Evening: INTRODUCTIONS: Following dinner, you will meet your program staff and fellow cyclers during an introductory session to review the itinerary for your upcoming cycling adventure, cover safety guidelines and answer your questions. You will be exploring Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island by bike as you improve your physical fitness. You will cycle through lush forests and along beaches teeming with life. From stately gardens to rolling meadows to rocky shorelines, your cycling adventure will introduce you to the rugged beauty of these world-famous islands.

Lodging: Royal Scot Hotel and Suites

Meals Included: Dinner

Note: Today's cycling will total approximately 15 miles (24 kms) on asphalt; rolling with some hills.

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Cycle Greater Victoria and James Bay. Leaving directly from the Inner Harbour, your guides will lead you on an excellent ride around Greater Victoria, through the vibrant and historic Inner Harbour core, through historic James Bay. This quaint seaside village includes the childhood home of Emily Carr, one of Canada's most famous artists. From here we cycle along the spectacular Victoria waterfront, into gorgeous and idyllic Oak Bay neighborhoods. Enjoy sights such as Beacon Hill Park, Emily Carr House, "The Castle" and many serene island seascapes then return to downtown Victoria.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Old Victoria Historical Walk. Starting at the Inner Harbour, join a local expert for a guided walking exploration walking tour of Victoria. Walk through Old Town, the historic heart of Victoria. Discover why Victoria is the most "British" of all cities in Canada and boasts as you explore prominent reminders of its colonial past: elegant Victorian and Edwardian-era mansions, stately hotels and impressive architecture around every corner. Your guide will explain how state-of-the-art development projects also lead the way in New Urbanism, smart growth and sustainable community design.

Dinner: Dinner is on your own tonight to explore Victoria's vibrant downtown area where dining options are plentiful.

Lodging: Royal Scot Hotel and Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Cycle Victoria's Trails/Butchart Gardens/Galloping Goose Regional Trail

Note: Today's cycling will total approximately 25 miles (40 kms) on a combination of hard packed trails (20%) and asphalt (80%); rolling hills. No significant elevation gain or steep inclines. Hills are not long (less than a kilometer) but there are several of them.

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Saanich Peninsula. We begin by exploring a number of trails which make up Victoria's extensive cycling network, including the Colquitz River Trail, Glendale Trail and Interurban Rail Trail, a wide gravel path that follows the old British Columbia Electric Railway line. This leads us to the Highlands, on the Saanich Peninsula, a primarily residential community, rural in nature, and blessed with an exceptional abundance of scenic beauty, native plant and animal life, and public parkland.

Lunch: Lunch on your own while at Butchart Gardens gives you the opportunity to experience the various coffee shops and restaurants at your leisure.

Afternoon: EXCURSION: Butchart Gardens & Galloping Goose Trail. A special stop at the Butchart Gardens will introduce you to a truly amazing abundance of horticultural mastery and enlighten you on the history of the gardens through the Gardens Historical Perspectives which are set up at viewpoints throughout the gardens. Each year over 1,000,000 bedding plants in some 700 varieties are used throughout the Gardens to ensure uninterrupted bloom from March through October. FIELD TRIP: Leaving Butchart Gardens we quickly meet up with the Galloping Goose Trail, the local cycling trail network, which will takes us through local farms, past bird sanctuaries and over trestle bridges. The Galloping Goose Trail was once a railway line from Victoria to Leechtown, where gold had been discovered in the river during the gold rush days. The trail passes through all types of classic British Columbian terrain; coniferous forests merge to streams and rivers, passing close to beaches, above roaring rivers, and around pristine lakes. We cycle on to our destination for the evening and the Gateway to the Gulf Islands, Sidney.

Dinner: Dinner at local restaurant.

Evening: FREE EVENING: Sidney is a bustling seaside community boasting a beautiful waterfront, numerous museums, street statues and murals and a 420 foot fishing pier.

Lodging: Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Cycle to Brentwood Bay/Ferry to and Cycling Cowichan Valley/Maritime Marine Centre Museum

Note: Today's cycling will total approximately 25 miles (40 kms) on paved roads. Mostly rolling hills with a few steep inclines.

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Cowichan Valley. This morning we set out and ride from Sidney to the beautiful Brentwood Bay via the Lands End Road. From here we board a ferry known as Vancouver Islands Most Beautiful Short Cut across the Saanich Inlet to the Cowichan Valley which offers cyclists the serenity of an ocean vista against an unparalleled and picturesque backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Winding gradually along the gorgeous eastern shoreline of Southern Vancouver Island, riders will enjoy the people, unique villages, seascapes, and aboriginal cultures of Mill Bay, Cobble Hill, and ultimately, our destination for the day at Cowichan Bay. Cowichan Valley, or "Quw'utsun", meaning "the warm land" in the language of the Cowichan's aboriginal people, offers spectacular views of Saltspring Island, Mt Tzouhalem and parts of the Finlayson Arm-Goldstream Park fjord. Cruise on your bikes through seaside to the village of Mill Bay or along the idyllic Shawnigan Lake. FIELD TRIP: Merridale Estate Cidery. A favorite stop is at BC's only estate cider maker, Merridale Estate Cidery. Your private guide will lead you through the unique production facility, taking you from harvest to bottling. Then make your way into la Pommeraie for a tableside tasting and learn about the delicious art of pairing food and cider.

Lunch: Lunch at Merridale Cidery.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre. Roll on through postcard-like scenic agricultural lands, grape growing country, and local farms where fruit growers and dairy farmers produce their fresh goods daily. This afternoon we will also explore Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre. With a reputation for excellence, the Maritime Centre offers hands on courses in traditional boat building techniques and restoration. Skillfully hand-crafted models of historic ships are housed in the museum at the end of the pier.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: FREE EVENING: Enjoy the many activities and amenities at your oceanfront resort or explore the scenic seaside village of Cowichan Bay, home to a host of artists, craftspeople, and cottage industries - including some fine local wineries.

Lodging: Oceanfront Suites at Cowichan Bay

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Chemainus Walk/Cycle to Crofton/Ferry to and Cycling on Salt Spring Island/Pacific Marine Wildlife

Note: Today's cycling will total approximately 20 miles (32 kms) on mostly asphalt; rolling hills. Hills are not long (less than a kilometer) mostly rolling, but there are lots of them and a few with steep inclines.

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Chemainus & Salt Spring Island. After a delicious breakfast we transfer by van to Chemainus, where artists from around the globe were invited to paint huge heritage murals on the sides of buildings, transforming a small coastal mill town into the world's largest outdoor art gallery. You will have the opportunity to walk through this delightful gallery before cycling north along the east coast of Vancouver Island to Crofton where we board a short ferry to Vesuvius on the northwest corner of Salt Spring Island, the largest and most famous of the Southern Gulf Islands.

Lunch: Enjoy a picnic lunch en route to your Salt Spring Island hotel.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Following lunch, continue your ride on Salt Spring Island. En route, your guide will share some of the fables and folklore of the Island. After cycling the northwest loop via Mary's Lake we arrive into our destination for the evening, Ganges, which is named after HMS Ganges, the last British sailing battleship commissioned for duty in foreign waters (1857-1860) and is well known as a center for arts and crafts and has an impressive selection of shops and galleries.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: FREE EVENING: Salt Spring Island has long been known for the many artists that live and work there, including the well-known naturalist artist, Robert Bateman. Explore the town of Ganges which has eight art galleries as well as the Ganges Museum.

Lodging: Harbour House Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Beach Walk: Pacific Marine Wildlife/Cycle to Ganges/Salt Spring Island Cheese Company

Note: Today's cycling will total approximately 19 miles (30 kms) on a combination of paved roads and bike trails. This day has the biggest and steepest hills but they are very rideable (and definitely walkable). A van shuttle is also available. You have the option of cycling farther if you wish to do so.

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Pacific Marine Wildlife. Following breakfast you will be transferred by van to Booth Bay where you will explore Pacific marine wildlife with an expert marine biologist. On an interpretive beach walk learn about the area's marine wildlife with regards to food from the ocean locally and the biological and related implications of various approaches to food harvesting and aquaculture.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant in Ganges.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Spend this afternoon exploring Salt Spring Island, as you cycle the many hills and valleys this beautiful island has to offer. En route, stop and rest your legs at the Salt Spring Island Cheese Company, where you’ll be able to sample a variety of delicious cheeses before continuing on your way. As you ride along, keep watch for a variety of artist’s studios, housing various creations from pottery to stained glass. Salt Spring Island is known as a cultural haven for many artists who live and work here.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: FREE EVENING: Enjoy the many activities available on this beautiful Island.

Lodging: Harbour House Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Salt Spring Market/BC Ferry to Vancouver Island/Cycle the Lochside Trail to Victoria

Note: Today's cycling will total approximately 25 miles (40 kms) on a combination of paved roads and bike trails. A nice easy ride today.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: EXCURSION: Salt Spring Market. Take the opportunity to individually explore one of Canada's famous markets. All vendors must follow a simple mandate: "make it, bake it, or grow it," and all products must be "vendor produced and sold". Visitors are treated to local creations stemming from Salt Spring's unique brand of "island ingenuity". Highest caliber creativity and production standards make Salt Spring Island home to the greatest collection of artists in Canada. Enjoy meeting more than 140 artisans and food producers who all contribute to Salt Spring's international reputation as a hotbed of world-class artists and organic farmers.

Lunch: Enjoy many of the locally grown culinary delights found at the Salt Spring Market.

Afternoon: Following lunch a van transfer will bring us to the B.C. Ferry, where we will set sail for our return to Vancouver Island. FIELD TRIP: Lochside Trail. Following our final ferry ride, we will cycle the Lochside Trail which is a part of the Galloping Goose Regional Trail. This portion of Greater Victoria's network of reclaimed railway line and commuter trails has been transformed into a popular recreational corridor where cyclists will traverse bird sanctuaries, active farmlands, seaside trails and train trestles back to Victoria. Incredible views of the Coastal Mountains, including the massive Mount Baker volcano, make for unparalleled vistas and photo opportunities. Cruise through shoreline villages. Conclude your cycling journey in Victoria.

Dinner: Farewell dinner in Victoria.

Evening: WRAP-UP SESSION: During our closing session we'll review our week's adventures and bid farewells.

Lodging: Royal Scot Hotel and Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner