Tofino

Cox Bay surf, Long Beach and Meares Island cedars over three days

Allow three days for Tofino's beaches, rainforest and Clayoquot Sound. Take a surf lesson at Cox Bay or Chesterman Beach, cycle the multi-use path into Pacific Rim National Park Reserve to walk Long Beach at low tide, and take a water taxi to Meares Island for its old-growth cedars. Add a boat trip to Hot Springs Cove.

Day one, morning: book a surf lesson at Cox Bay or Chesterman Beach; schools supply the thick wetsuit you will need. Afternoon: pedal the multi-use path south into Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and walk Long Beach at low tide, when the sand is firm and wide. Stop at the Kwisitis visitor centre at the south end for the park's exhibits. Evening: dinner at 1909 Kitchen on Campbell Street, on the marina patio if the weather holds.

Day two: a boat day. Whale-watching trips and the run up to Hot Springs Cove in Maquinna Marine Provincial Park both leave the harbour in the morning; the hot springs trip takes most of the day, including a boardwalk walk through the forest to the pools. Back in town, collect gelato at Chocolate Tofino on the highway.

Day three, morning: take the water taxi across to Meares Island and walk the Big Tree Trail among red cedars that were growing long before Europeans reached this coast; the boardwalk is slippery when wet. Afternoon: wander Naa'Waya'Sum Gardens, twelve acres of forest, shoreline and garden on the Pacific Rim Highway. Evening: walk the Tonquin Connector Trail to Tofino Brewing Co. for a tasting, then catch sunset on Chesterman Beach.

Fish tacos, spot prawns and a booked table at 1909 Kitchen

Tofino, a town of about 2,500, eats seafood: Dungeness crab, wild salmon, halibut and, in a short May to June window, BC spot prawns. The most Tofino meal of all is a fish taco, 1909 Kitchen is the dinner to book, and a brewery on Industrial Way just south of town pours its own beer.

For a town of about 2,500 people, Tofino eats remarkably well, because chefs come here to surf and stay to cook with what the ocean and forest provide.

The most Tofino meal of all is a fish taco eaten standing in a car park. Tacofino started here as a single orange food truck before spreading to Vancouver, and its original truck remains a lunchtime stop for surfers coming off the beach. For a proper dinner, 1909 Kitchen at the marina cooks over a 1,000-degree wood-fired oven, forages from the shoreline and will cook your own catch if you bring it in. Wolf in the Fog, in the village centre, is the other serious table in town, and both need booking in summer. The Beachfront Bistro at the Tin Wis is the easy option if you are staying near MacKenzie Beach.

Sweet things and drinks round it out. Chocolate Tofino makes truffles, a much-loved honey lavender gelato and a thick hot chocolate that earns its place on a wet day. Tofino Brewing Co., on Industrial Way just south of town, pours its own beer; walk or cycle there on the Tonquin Connector Trail. Groceries cost more than on the east side of the island, so stock up in Port Alberni if you are self-catering.

Storm season, whale festival and the dry July window in Tofino

Visit Tofino in July or August for the driest weather, or from November to January for storm watching. November averages close to 500 mm of rain and January almost as much, with highs of only 8C, when big Pacific swells break on the headlands at Chesterman and Cox Bay. Gray whales pass on their spring migration.

Tofino is one of the wettest places you are likely to visit, and the climate figures shape every plan. Yet this is exactly when storm watchers book the beachfront lodges at Chesterman and Cox Bay: big Pacific swells break on the headlands, rooms cost far less, and the beaches are empty. Many restaurants and tour operators close or shorten their hours, so check before you drive out.

Spring is the season for whales. Thousands of gray whales pass the coast on their northward migration in March and April, and the Pacific Rim Whale Festival in mid-March fills Tofino and Ucluelet with art shows, films and talks. Rain falls from about 330 mm in March to 150 mm in May, and highs climb from 10C to 15C.

Summer is short and busy. July and August are the driest months at around 70 to 90 mm, with highs of about 19C and lows near 11C, so a fleece is useful even then, and fog can blanket the beaches in the morning before burning off. This is when the free beach shuttle runs, the surf schools are full and accommodation prices peak, especially from July to the Labour Day weekend. September keeps much of the summer weather with fewer crowds; by October the rain is back at over 300 mm.