My Canadian Travel Diary: Whistler

When we see that summer is about to end, we want to take a trip to enjoy the last days of heat and that’s when it appears on the calendar Labor Day!

Firstly, why do we celebrate the Labor Day?

Labor Day in Canada is celebrated on the first Monday of September. Originally it gave the workers the opportunity to campaign for better working conditions or payment. The day is now part of a long weekend for many Canadians. Fortunately, this year the long weekend was accompanied by a sunny climate in the province, which benefits when doing outdoor activities.

Taking all this as background, I decided to take a trip to one of the places you should visit in British Columbia, I talk of Whistler. City located approximately 125 km north of Vancouver, it is visited annually by more than two million people, mainly for skiing and snowboarding and, in summer, mountain biking in Whistler Blackcomb. Whistler has been voted one of the top destinations in North America by major ski magazines since the mid-1990s. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Whistler organized most of the events.

How to get to Whistler

There are several ways to get to Whistler from Vancouver. Among the most common and accessible are:

Bus: There are options ranging from the $ 35 CAD idea and round trip.
Car: Whether it’s yours or you rent it gives you more flexibility in the schedules and freedom to what you want to do. You can find car rental options in rental companies or car sharing (such as Car2Go or Evo).
Rideshare: There are several websites, including Poparide, where drivers and hitchhikers can meet and share the cost of getting to Whistler and other destinations.

**You can also arrive by air, train or taxi, but you must be willing to pay a little more for these alternatives.

In my case, compare the prices and it was better for me to rent a car for 2 days.

Where to stay

As it is a tourist city, you can find different types of accommodation depending on your preferences and budget. I recommend for holidays, and more if it’s a long weekend, book accommodation in advance.

I stayed in a hostel located in the Olympic Village, which was about 20 minutes by bus from Whistler. The bus fare for that weekend was free, so I did not have to spend extra on transportation.

What to do

During the summer you have many activities to do here, from exploring the mountains to doing some extreme sport. This long weekend, I decided the followings:

Rafting on the river Elaho-Squamish

Rafting is one of the few “extreme” activities I do and I enjoy it a lot. For me, it is a mixture of adrenaline and at the same time total relaxation. Go down the river appreciating the landscape of the mountains is priceless.

The Elaho River is a c.70 km long river beginning in the Coast Mountains northwest of the towns of Whistler and Pemberton, British Columbia. It is a tributary of the Squamish River and is known for its whitewater rafting and kayaking as well as for the intense alpine scenery lining its route.

The trip started from Whistler, where I had to take a bus of the company in the main square of the city “Mountain Square”. There on the bus, I met people from United States to China, and the instructors were from different places in the world: Argentina, Slovenia and New Zealand. Then they took us to the place where we had to put on the rafting suits and leave our backpacks.

Already in the river, they separated us in groups and gave us instructions about how to do rafting in a safety way. It is important to pay attention to the instructions, since it is better to be prepared in case of any risk situation that occurs during the activity.

What else to say… Landscapes, adventure and adrenaline. At the end of the activity, the company where I bought the service offered a Canadian barbecue lunch.

In Whistler you can find several rafting companies that offer this type of adventure trip. Totally recommended. Unforgettable experience.

More information in: Rafting companies in Whistler

Walking through enchanted forests in Vallea Lumina

Old stories tell that wonderful things happen near Whistler. Among the trees, in the shadow of the mountains, the legends say that there is a hidden valley where the dust of stars falls from the sky, filling all living beings with its pure light.

This is the introduction that Valle Lumina gives us, to know the enchanted forests, full of lights and music and finally prove that the legends of Whistler are true.

I bought the tickets online, and at 9pm I was waiting for an approach bus to go to the place where the activity took place. When you arrive you see camping environment, with very happy music and people roasting marshmallows in the bonfires.

A ranger explains the route and the rules of the place with great courtesy. The great thing is that there are stations where you can drink water in glasses or fill your bottle, and thus avoid feel thirst while you are walking.

The place is magical and spiritual, it will be because of the atmosphere they create that you feel like in a fantasy movie where you can see trees that speak, people that sing and spirits that are liberated. Having the final message that the forest has life.

After the tour you can stay taking a hot chocolate or roasting marshmallows next to the campfire that is in the compound and listening to music in the middle of the forest.

An encounter with nature that leaves you speechless.

More information at Vallea Lumina.

Breakfast with a mountain view

Within so many activities, you need a good breakfast to recharge your batteries. In the square that is in Whistler you can find options for every taste and budget. I decided on some hotcakes with maple syrup and fruits, overlooking the mountains.

More information at Best Breakfast place in Whistler.

Appreciate the road Sea-to-Sky Highway

And last but not least… Appreciate Canadian nature.

The Sea-to-Sky 99 highway, which runs from Vancouver to Pemperton, is characterized by landscapes full of forests, the Pacific Ocean, rivers, and waterfalls. Enjoy every second and you can make small stops at the tourist spots that are in between: Horseshoe Bay, Porteau Cove Provincial Park, Britannia Beach, Shannon Falls Provincial Park, and Squamish, among others.

More information at https://www.hellobc.com/road-trips/sea-to-sky-highway-route/

Every week I will be posting stories about my experience in Canada, so do not miss the next post 🙂