Afternoon: ARRIVALS & CHECK-IN: Independent arrivals and transfers to the program hotel in Victoria, BC after 3:00 pm. Please note that rooms are not generally available until mid to late afternoon.

Dinner: Welcome dinner at the hotel.

Evening: INTRODUCTIONS: Following dinner, you will meet for introductions, a review of the program and site orientation.

Lodging: Royal Scot Hotel and Suites

Meals Included: Dinner

Note: Please note: During your guided walk of Old Town and the Inner Harbour, participants should expect to walk just over 2 miles and stand for short periods of time (10 minutes) for interpretation en route. During your time at the Royal BC Museum, there will be benches available for participants who wish to rest during your visit.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Guided Walk of Old Town and Inner Harbour. Discover the unique past and intriguing present of Victoria with a cultural historian as we set out on foot to explore the city's rich architectural, cultural and social history. Witness the cultural diversity on a guided walk that will highlight significant landmarks - the BC Legislature, Old Town, the historic Empress Hotel and Victoria's Inner Harbour. Stroll through the oldest Chinatown in all of Canada, juxtaposed with the James Bay area, where Victorian-styled houses and manors line the streets.

Morning: PRESENTATION: This morning we will become familiar with the landscape, environment, culture, and history of Victoria. Our speaker will discuss the forces that shaped Victoria, the current personality of the city, and what the future holds. Victoria has an old-British charm where the residents are warm and welcoming and delight in showing visitors the beauty of this Seaside gem.

Lunch: Lunch on your own to explore the local fare.

Afternoon: EXCURSION: The Royal BC Museum is one of the foremost cultural institutions in the world. Through an array of unique galleries, the Museum showcases the human and natural history of British Columbia. Each exhibit tells important stories about the region and provides an intriguing window on the province's past, present and future. On a self-guided exploration, examine the history of the peoples of the Pacific Northwest as you engage in an exploration of the First Peoples Gallery. Gain insight into the First Nations cultures before and after the arrival of Europeans.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: Royal Scot Hotel and Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: EXCURSION: Depart to the renowned Butchart Gardens, a National Historic Site of Canada, with interpretive commentary en route to these spectacular gardens. Explore the fifty-five acres of stunning floral show gardens independently. Learn about Jennie Butchart who crafted this gem from a limestone quarry. Discover the beauty of her Rose, Japanese and Italian gardens.

Lunch: Lunch at Butchart Gardens.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Victoria's neighborhoods and historic landmarks en route back to Victoria. The most "British" of all cities in Canada, Victoria boasts prominent reminders of its colonial past: elegant Victorian and Edwardian-era mansions, stately hotels and impressive architecture around every corner. Learn about the fascinating history of British Columbia's capital city while exploring its beautiful and diverse architectural heritage. Visit the charming Rockland historic district, and hear about past Governors, Merchant Barons, Bankers and famous Architects who built their luxurious homes to show off their new gold rush wealth.

Dinner: Dinner on your own to explore the local fare.

Lodging: Royal Scot Hotel and Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: EXCURSION: Travel along the coast to the town of Chemainus, famous for its murals depicting the history of Chemainus Valley and Vancouver Island. Chemainus was one of the largest lumber shipping points in North America. Today, "Muraltown," is famous as a trailblazer of the open-air mural art form that has subsequently been embraced by dozens of towns worldwide.

Lunch: Lunch on your own to explore Coombs Country Market where artisanal food and crafts abound. Peruse the many art stands and enjoy locally made dishes, baked goods and cheese.

Afternoon: PRESENTATION: An introductory lecture will examine the human and natural history of the Pacific Rim National Park. The Pacific Rim region has been shaped by the power of the open Pacific, creating an internationally acclaimed area of pristine natural beauty. Later this afternoon, arrive in the pretty village of Ucluelet, located on the tip of a peninsula that stretches out into the Pacific Ocean at the south end of Pacific Rim National Park.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Cathedral Grove Coastal Forest MacMillan Provincial Park is famous for Cathedral Grove, one of the most accessible stands of giant Douglas-fir trees in British Columbia. Explore the network of trails meandering through towering ancient Douglas-firs, some of which are more than 800 years old. Learn about the rich biodiversity of the West Coast rainforest and hear about the efforts to protect the old growth forests.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: The Canadian Princess

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Pacific Rim National Park/Kwisits Interpretive Centre/Long Beach - Beach Walk

Note: Please note: During your time in Pacific Rim National Park, participants should expect to walk up to 2 miles over uneven, forest terrain. While on your Long Beach field trip, participants should expect standard beach terrain including soft sand, and rocky areas.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Backed by the Vancouver Island Range and facing the open Pacific Ocean, Pacific Rim National Park presents the rich natural and cultural heritage of Canada's west coast. Its cool and wet maritime climate produces an abundance of life in the water and on land. Lush coastal temperate rainforest gives way to bountiful and diverse intertidal and subtidal areas. These natural wonders are interwoven with the long and dynamic history of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations and European explorers and settlers. With an expert local guide, explore this fascinating coastal region and learn about the First Nation’s Peoples and the local wildlife that inhabits the area.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: EXCURSION: Visit the Kwisits Interpretive Centre (formerly the Wickaninnish Interpretive Centre), overlooking the shores of the Pacific. Operated by Parks Canada, the center is dedicated to the natural and cultural heritage of Pacific Rim National Park. Examine the First Nations canoes, tools and various works of art.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Long Beach - Beach Walk. Discover the dramatic influence of the ocean on the human history of the west coast; Native people, lighthouse keepers, shipwreck survivors, homesteaders, prospectors and missionaries all have traveled along these trails and beaches. Stroll along the hard-packed sand of Long Beach, where you may catch sight of sea lions, seals, schools of porpoise and pods of Orca whales.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: The Canadian Princess

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Please note: For your whale watching field trip, participants must be able to board the water vessel independently. Depending on the type of vessel provided, participants should be able to climb up and down a few steps into the water craft with ease. Ship crew/staff will be available to assist, if needed.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Whale Watching. During a morning exploration of the coastal waters of Tofino, set out in search of some of the ocean’s most opulent creatures. Grey and humpback whales, transient orcas, sea otters at play, seals, porpoise and sea lions all wait to be discovered as you cruise the open waters with your expert marine guide. Each year the Gray Whales make the longest annual migration of any mammal, travelling about 5,000 miles/8,000 kilometres in each direction from their breeding and calving lagoons in Baja, Mexico to their summer feeding grounds in the Bering and Chukchi Seas off Siberia. About 22,000 of these great whales parade past the shores of Tofino and Ucluelet from early February through late April with resident Gray whales feeding in Clayoquot Sound and Barkley Sound through November.

Lunch: Lunch on your own to explore local fare.

Afternoon: FREE TIME: Enjoy a relaxing afternoon exploring the seaside oasis of Tofino. Visit a local garden, explore one of the many local hiking trails or simply take a relaxing stroll through some of the downtown shops.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: The Canadian Princess

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Relax and enjoy the scenic journey back to Victoria stopping at points of interest along the way.

Lunch: Lunch en route to Victoria.

Afternoon: FREE TIME: Enjoy some free time to explore independently Victoria's harbor and the many downtown shops and galleries at your leisure.

Dinner: Farewell dinner in Victoria.

Lodging: Royal Scot Hotel and Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast is at 7:30 am at the hotel.

Morning: Independent departures from the hotel after breakfast. Check-out is 12:00 pm.

Meals Included: Breakfast