Galiano Island, British Columbia, Canada is situated in the Georgia Strait, midway between Vancouver and Victoria. Although it is easily accessible by ferry, it is a world away from cities, traffic, noise and stress. A variety of accommodations, restaurants and services will make you comfortable as you enjoy hiking, beachcombing, birdwatching, kayaking and sailing, fishing and diving, exploring galleries and craft shops or just simply relaxing. Perfect for a weekend getaway or a summer holiday, Galiano is a great place to use as a base as you explore British Columbia's unique and beautiful Gulf Islands.

Galiano has been called "The Jewel of the Gulf of Georgia." The island is rich in history as it is in

beauty. Long before Dionisio Galiano came here from Spain in 1792, aboriginal people made their homes here and gathered a rich variety of foods from its forests and shores. Montague Harbour is now a Provincial Park but for thousands of years it was a major centre of aboriginal life. People of the Coast Salish nation watched eagles ride updrafts from Active Pass, saw otters swimming off the shores, shared their fishing grounds with great blue herons and watched sea lions and killer whales play in Trincomali Channel. As a visitor to Galiano, you can walk the same white shell beaches and enjoy the same sights and sounds.

Galiano is glorious in spring, especially for naturalists and bird watchers. Wild flowers flourish in the forests and above the shores, and migrating birds visit on their way to summer nesting grounds.

Fall is a time of golden light, ripe berries and the northern birds returning south. The days are still warm, the air is fragrant and rain is rare before November.

Hike to high points on the island, from which you can see the Coast Mountain Range, Mount Baker, the Gulf and San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island and even the Olypmic Peninsula 60 miles away. Or hike the length of the eastern coast (about 25 kilometers). Galiano beaches are clean and safe. The water is cool but can be quite pleasant on a late incoming tide.

Active Pass and Porlier Pass offer excellent scuba diving and sports fishing.

Galiano's protected western shoreline has numerous islands, beaches and small coves below high cliffs. Explore these in a kayak, canoe, rental boat or on a sailing cruise. Visitors are welcome at the Golf & Country Club's well-maintained course.

Galiano has more than its share of sand, white shell and pebble beaches.

There are seven parks. A new 141-acre park has been created at Dionisio Point Provincial Park (accessible by water only). It includes spectacular mature forests, rocky points, sandy beaches and a tidal lagoon. The community and its supporters have purchased several areas as ecological reserves: first, Mt. Galiano and Mt. Sutil and, more recently, Bodega Ridge, whose rocky Bluff is unique in Western Canada. These eco-sensitive areas will be kept as forests in perpetuity by the Galiano community for the enjoyment of all.