Victoria’s Inner Harbour is the busiest working harbour in Canada.
Looking
out on an average day, you’ll see yellow and green harbour ferries
zig-zagging between shorelines, the M.V. Coho en route to and from Port
Angeles, the Victoria Clipper making the rounds from Seattle, luxury
yachts, kayakers, fishing vessels and dozens of harbour seals sharing
the water.
Perhaps the most common sight among all that traffic
is seaplanes, diving in every 15 minutes at peak hours from downtown
Vancouver, Whistler, Seattle and various sightseeing tours around the
Capital Region.
Harbour Air Seaplanes operates a fleet of
DeHavilland Turbine Single Otter, Twin Otter and Beaver aircraft out of
the Inner Harbour at Ship Point, providing one of the most tempting
launching pads to see Victoria from above. Harbour Air offers four
unique charter tours to visitors and long-time residents curious for a
different perspective of the area.
For $104, take a 20-minute
flight that offers unique views of the grand houses dotting the shores
of Oak Bay and Gonzales Bay and get awestruck by the Olympic mountains
across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
For another $50 ($166 total),
fly over the world-famous Butchart Gardens and the Saanich Peninsula
after a low-level tour of the Victoria waterfront and offshore islands.
Kids 11 and under fly for half the adult price, so don’t leave them at
home.
If you want to get up close at Butchart Gardens, opt for
the fly and dine tour ($272) from Harbour Air. Your flight drops you off
at the gardens, where a three-course meal is waiting, as is a leisurely
evening walk through floodlit gardens.
More ambitious trips
include the Vancouver day trip ($377), where visitors can see the sights
of Gastown, English Bay and Chinatown. Find the latest deals and tour
offers at harbour-air.com.
Seattle-based Kenmore Air (visit kenmoreair.com) also offers seaplane flights between Victoria and Seattle.
Story and Photo: http://www.vicnews.com