Nanaimo BC, Vancouver Island:
Nanaimo, also referred to as " The Harbour City ", is characterized by marine influences throughout the community complimented by the many marinas moored along its coastline filled with yachts, sailboats and fishing vessels. Nanaimo is centrally located along the rugged inner passage of the Vancouver Island coastline peering out onto the island retreats of Protection, Newcastle and Gabriola Islands out on the Strait of Georgia.

The community of Nanaimo is sprawled out along the Georgia Strait coastline with the city core architecture resembling Nanaimo's nautical past including the Port Theatre, Nanaimo's District Museum, Art Gallery and the Bastion - North America's last remaining fort of it's kind. Nanaimo is an important hub on Vancouver Island for many north island communities because of the abundance of shopping centres located throughout the community - the largest percentage of shopping stores per capita on Vancouver Island.

The vast artistic environment of Nanaimo conjures up full days of exploration because Nanaimo is such a popular destination for some of the more popular outdoor activities like fishing, kayaking, charters, scuba diving, biking, hiking and golfing. The Nanaimo community and surrounding areas have many greens to putt. The community is also center stage with the numerous selection of art galleries, bistros, coffee shops and big box stores.

Every year Nanaimo hosts the 'World Famous Bathtub Races' during the summer. Many from around the world come to enjoy the beauty of Nanaimo and the outlying scenic landscapes of Cedar , Departure Bay, Hammond Bay, Nanoose Bay and the Jingle Pot area.

How to Get to Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, Canada:
Nanaimo is 110 km (68 mi) north of Victoria BC on Hwy 1. From Victoria take the Malahat Drive overlooking Brentwood Bay and the Saanich Peninsula at the town of Sidney BC. Along the way you will visit the Cowichan Valley with it's native influences and artistic influences and Chemainus BC with it's World Famous Murals. The quaint oceanside town of Ladysmith BC on the 49th parallel is 26 km 16 (mi) south of Nanaimo BC.

Two main ferry terminals operate out of Nanaimo. One terminal is located at Departure Bay only 50 km (31 mi) to the Vancouver mainland and Horseshoe Bay (Vancouver BC) with a sailing time of 1 hr 35 min. The other terminal is at Duke Point, near the Nanaimo Municipal Airport, and has a sailing time of 2 hrs. Nanaimo has BC Ferry service from Gabriola Island to Nanaimo BC with a sailing time of 20 min.