The Best Getaways For Glamping In British Columbia
Before presenting a list of the best getaways for glamping in British Columbia to pick from. Here is what you should know and expect when you set your foot in this famed Canadian province. Glamping presents a spectacular experience with excellent accommodation and facilities that offer the ultimate comfort. Ideally, with many cooking options, fantastic scenery, and wildlife encounters.
That is what glamping in British Columbia offers to visitors and campers who want to stargaze under its majestic night sky — at the same time, brewing coffee in their cappuccino machine.
British Columbia What To Expect When Glamping
British Columbia (BC) is on the western border of Canada. To the west of BC is the Pacific Ocean, and to its east is the province of Alberta. Going up north, BC shares borders with the Northwest Territories and Yukon, and going down to the south, it shares a border with the US.
BC has a very diverse geography, so expect stunning scenery in all directions. The north features swampy, moist forest, while the lower west coast is thick with temperate forest.
You can find the Peace River Valley in the northeast. The region grows 90% of BC’s oats, barley, and wheat grain. In the mainland or southwest region is the Fraser Valley, an agricultural area. The region produces most of the fruits and vegetables supplied to the province.
British Columbia is a place that has a few towns and roads, and there are many more people that live in the south. The northern part of the province is far less populated than the southern section.
People in BC are very diverse and speak many languages. You can find people from all over the world in this province.
British Columbia is primarily known for:
Its mountains.
The Strait of Georgia.
This strait separates Vancouver Island from the mainland.
Vancouver City.
One of the largest cities in Canada. Being close to the water, Vancouver is a great source of fresh and inexpensive seafood.
The University of British Columbia.
One of the finest academic and research institutions in the world.
Stanley Park.
A giant peninsula of greenery, located right beside Vancouver downtown.
Whistler.
A world-renown skiing destination.
Okanagan Valley.
A major source of fruits and wine.
So, consider this diversity of different regions when choosing a camping destination in BC. You have many options where to camp in this part of the world that is bigger than France and Germany combined.
For now, here is a list of the top glamping getaways throughout BC, a Canadian province that spans a total area of 364,764 square miles. British Columbia has a lot of options when it comes to glamping. Meaning there is always something to cater to different needs and preferences. There are options for sea adventures, or discovering the hidden secrets of the forests, or for both.
“Now I see the secret of making the best person: it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.”
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort (★★★★★)
First on the list is Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge. Synonymous with off-the-grid affluence, this getaway retreat, like other similar properties, was closed during the pandemic.
However, the hiatus allowed the owners to complete a dream makeover worth $1.6 million finally. It is back in operation with its brand-new look.
image credit: Clayoquot Wilderness Resort
The main attraction of Clayoquot is its remote location, being set on the banks of its namesake inlet, the Clayoquot Sound, a body of water that has many islands and inlets. Clayoquot can only be accessed by helicopter, seaplane, or boat.
With the ability to offer guests an immersion in the wilderness and proximity to endemic wildlife, Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge is one of the best accommodations in Canada if you want to set your tent facing an old-growth forest or onto an inlet that runs into the vast expanse of seawater.
Glamping Accommodation
Enjoy gourmet dining, wines, spirits, beers, massage, signature guided experiences, laundry service, horse-drawn wagon shuttle, and more. Clayoquot invites visitors to stay in the lodge as their home away from home.
Accommodation packages vary.
- Three-night stay if arriving Thursday and departing Sunday
- Four nights if coming Sunday and leaving Thursday
- Seven or ten nights if arriving on a Sunday or a Thursday
Dining Options
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge are celebratory, reflecting the natural surrounds of Vancouver islands.
Breakfast highlights include freshly-caught fish ceviche and the famed Bedwell Burger, while at dinner, savor their seafood stars consisting of prawns, octopus, and scallops caught from local waters.
Glamping Activities
Check out different package options available:
- relaxing 60 minute massage,
- kayak or canoeing adventure,
- exploration of heights by helicopter,
- horseback riding.
If you want an experience encountering bears and whales in the wild, they offer that experience, too.
The Flow Wilderness Retreat (★★★★★)
The Flow Retreat offers a relaxing atmosphere for its guests. Being boat-access only and with no road or vehicle access provides a complete off-the-grid experience. They also offer outdoor showers and private cabin accommodations.
When you are there, make sure to experience their luxury kayaking tour. Their guides are excellent and know the area and all the sites to see very well.
image credit: Flow Wilderness Retreat
Glamping Accommodation
The Flow Wilderness Retreat offers comfortable cabin accommodation in a pristine forest meadow setting. All cabins have either a single or queen-size bed, mattresses with duvets, and a porch with seating.Dining Options
The Flow Retreat offers fresh local cuisine consisting of greens and vegetables, fresh meats, and local seafood. They also provide meals that cater to special dietary needs, such as vegan, wheat, dairy sensitivity, etc.
For coffee and tea people, they have a self-serve beverage bar that is open night and day, so if you are an early bird, you can be sure there is a fresh, hot drink waiting for you.
Glamping Activities
You will be hiking, swimming on the beach, and looking for sea life. When you get back after the tour, you get to soak in a tub filled with warm, refreshing water.
So, go with the flow with a retreat resort service that offers comfortable accommodation, wines together with gourmet meals, professional guides, kayaking instruction, and top-of-the-line gears and equipment.
When you are there, make sure to ask about a trip to Maurielle Island in the Discovery Islands. Be enthralled with the surrounding emerald-green waters!
Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort (★★★★★)
Located between the Canadian Rockies and Vancouver, this family-owned and operated resort, the luxury Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort, offers a ranch and an eco-retreat. The resort is encapsulated by raw wilderness spanning 80,000 acres.
For the rider, the ranch is known for its legendary equine experience, with which you can learn the unique horsemanship of the west from the groundwork to riding.
image credit: Siwash lake Wilderness Resort
Glamping Accommodation
The best Canadian glamping accommodations are at Siwash Lake in the wilds of British Columbia. At Siwash Lake Wilderness Resorts, you can experience an ultra-private, exclusive guest experience. They only accommodate up to 16 visitors at a time.
When you book, some of your best accommodation options are the Siwash Suite and the Frontier Suite. These are both log-built suites that survived a devastating wildfire in 2017. These suites come with spacious accommodation.
Dining Options
The resort promises satisfying meals for the discerning food enthusiast. You can dine off-grid with wine and food grown on their site or foraged from meadows nearby.
You will have various options for meals to eat and dining venues to satisfy your desire for scenic views at night. Have a private alfresco dinner or a family experience in the dining room in the Ranch House.
Glamping Activities
Activities your family can do in the resort include:
- hiking,
- wilderness survival,
- water sports,
- hatchet throwing, and
- 3D cross-country archery.
Woods on Pender (★★★★☆)
Woods on Pender offers a one-of-a-kind luxury glamping experience on the beautiful Pender Island. Memories Restaurant formerly owned the wooded, 7.3-acre property.
Since it was fully renovated and expanded in 2015, the Woods on Pender has become the apex of contemporary camp experience, a fantastic juxtaposition of the comfortable amenities and the rustic feel of the outdoors.
image credit: Woods on Pender
Glamping Accommodation
Just a stone’s throw away from the Otter Bay Ferry Terminal and seaplanes, Woods on Pender features a nine-room motel, as well as four other different accommodations – the Shasta Airflyte, four Bunkie cabins, three Rustic cabins, and eight Airstreams.
The resort also features their farm-to-table restaurant and new food truck they use to deliver freshly-picked fruits, vegetables, and other tasty local foods that you will surely love to munch on.
Dining Options
COFFEE + KITCHEN is the restaurant on-site in Woods on Pender resort. This restaurant only serves farm-to-table food handcrafted using healthy, local ingredients. They also have an onsite greenhouse where they grow and pick herbs and edible flowers.
Group bookings can be accommodated. They can host up to thirty people on a cedar deck for a long table meal.
Glamping Activities
You and your family can do many things in and around the area, such as:
- paddleboard yoga,
- kayaking,
- beachcombing,
- whale watching,
- visiting museums,
- boat tours, and
- trail hiking.
Wya Point Resort (★★★★)
If you love to gaze at the mightiness of the Pacific Ocean on a camping retreat most of the time, one option is the Wya Point Resort, an upscale seasonal resort situated along the ocean that you love.
Set on a 600-acre rainforest, Wya Point is close to the Pacific Rim National Park (2 km) and central Ucluelet (5 km).
It features 1- and 2-bedroom timber-framed lodges that offer fireplaces, cozy lounges, kitchens with dining areas, scenic ocean views, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
There are many hiking trails throughout the property, where parking is complimentary, and campground and RV sites are also available.
image credit: Wya Point Resort
Glamping Accommodation
Guests have three accommodation options. They can choose to book:
a campsite,
a yurt, or
a luxury lodge.
Yurts are semi-permanent tents that consist of an angled assembly or latticework of wood for walls, ribs, a door frame, and a steam-bent wheel. A yurt’s roof structure is usually self-supporting, but the big ones may have interior supports that hold the entire system up.
Dining Options
Beachfront yurts are open all year round, featuring a gas stove for heat, cedar chairs and decks, linens, and kitchen essentials. While their lodges and yurts have daily housekeeping, guests are advised to come with food and potable drinking water.
Glamping Activities
This resort is situated amid an old-growth forest and the pristine beaches of Ucluelet First Nation peoples. Adventures to enjoy include:
- surfing (rentals and lessons),
- fishing charters,
- whale watching tours, and
- the Ucluelet Aquarium.
Wild Havens (★★★★☆)
Wild Havens stands true to its name. It offers a haven for any event you might plan to do outdoors. Whether it is the venue for your wedding or just anything to do in your backyard, their rental canvas tents can enhance the experience.
The company operates its pop-up glamping tent rentals within British Columbia, including South-Central Interiors, Vancouver Island, and the Sea to Sky.
It is funny that they offer an elopement package, offering deluxe accommodation for people planning to elope. The couple will be sleeping in style on a bed with a memory foam mattress with this package.
image credit: Wild Havens
Glamping Accommodation
Accommodation packages are deluxe and furnished. The deluxe package is recently upgraded and includes a wooden bed frame, a memory foam mattress, linens, and a portable power station.
Wild Havens recommends their medium tents to sleep two people and large tents to sleep, three people. If you need a huge one, you can get a tent that sleeps five people or more. Extra beds can be rented for an additional charge.
Dining Options
Wild Havens does not provide meals with their packages. Tent renters shall provide food for themselves and other amenities not covered by the package.
Glamping Activities
The activities available will depend on the camping getaway site you have chosen to go glamping.
Salty Pear (★★★★☆)
Salty Pear’s creators on Saltspring Island, are Jorge and Annika Siemsen. They are a couple who moved from Vancouver in 2016 to achieve the vision of a community-oriented life amidst nature.
The husband, Jorge, is an architect from Brazil. He restored the 1938 farmhouse, decided to live there, and turned the property into what it is now. Jorge designed and built the art gallery space that is now part of Salty Pear Farm and B&B.
image credit: Salty Pear
Glamping Accommodation
You will spend your weekend in a caravan, which is small but a flawlessly thought-out space. Enjoy using the comfy bed, toaster oven, fridge, electric kettle, outdoor dining table, fire pit, and plenty of plug points.
The caravan sits on a little wooden deck where you can enjoy the mesmerizing panoramic view up above you at night. Guests find the bathroom a small space. It is shared with the loo. However, it is clean and functional.
Overall, it will be a glamorous camping experience, where the frogs will usher you to restful slumber, and the birds will sing their beautiful songs to wake you up in the morning.
Dining Options
The neighboring organic farm is the source of their fresh eggs, and they provide guests granola, milk, and coffee in the morning. A campfire and a picnic table will help create for you the camping vibe.
Glamping Activities
Location-wise, the Salty Pear is prime. Enjoy a ten-minute walk to town through Mouat Park or walk to the Ganges along forest paths. The amenities include complimentary use of their wood-burning barrel sauna.
Fossil Beach Farm (★★★★★)
The Fossil Beach Farm is a heritage farm passed down from generation to generation. After almost 100 years of being privately run and out of public view, the farm now welcomes guests.
The long-established function of Fossil Beach Farm is the production of heirloom fruits and nuts and the raising of free-range cattle grazing nearby. Now, the way of life is packed with adventures of cider making, curated events, and boutique accommodation.
The best features of this resort are its unique waterfront Hornby Island accommodation, farm-to-table BBQ, cider, and beautiful sunset.
image credit: Fossil Beach Farm
Glamping Accommodation
Fossil Beach offers fully-furnished glamping tents nestled on the bank of the waterfront beach and between trees. A cider house provides guests with private washrooms and showers, while the farm’s cookhouse offers a place to share meals and celebrate life.
The tents are situated on the bank of Fossil Beach, where you can view one mile of oceanfront at low tide. Tents come with furniture, solar lighting, and bedding.
Dining Options
Join other guests in the picnic area and tasting room, where everyone can sample and enjoy fermented ciders. They have been fermenting on this farm for a long time.
When the farm’s Cidery shop opens, guests can enjoy farm-to-table BBQ. Alternatively, dining options outside the farm include;
- Thatch Pub,
- The Breeze Restaurant, and
- Ship & Shore Marine.
These places offer excellent service and food.
Glamping Activities
Fossil Beach Farm offers glamping in their fully furnished bell tents overlooking the sea and fresh fermented cider. Their tasting room offers five different ciders.
The surrounding area and the deck offer seating and tables from where you can catch sight of the sun beaming its glorious rays as it bids the day goodbye.
Rockwater Secret Cove Resort (★★★★)
Rockwater Secret Cove is a getaway you can share with your close friends and colleagues to energize and get back your focus. It is situated right on BC’s beautiful Sunshine Coast.
Your tent cabin hangs spectacularly over the ocean. Fall asleep to the sound of the ocean waves for a peaceful night’s sleep. This experience is available from all of the resort’s 38 oceanfront rooms, cabins, suites, and tents.
The resort also features an outdoor swimming pool, a lounge, and a restaurant. This place is an ideal getaway for weddings and corporate retreats.
image credit: Rockwater Secret Cove Resort
Glamping Accommodation
Rockwater Secret Cove features accommodations to match the aspirations and desire for discovery in all of us. The resort is a gift to be shared with loved ones, whether you stay in a Tenthouse suite that overlooks the Malaspina Strait or in a Poolside suite.
All accommodation types include a huge jetted tub and heated tile floors. A fireplace will keep you warm all night. Check out their Upper House package, designed to host larger groups traveling together.
Dining Options
You can order your meals to your tent and fill your table with tasty food perfectly portioned for your group. The resort has a strong reputation for dining quality and superiority on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Their culinary team focuses on freshness using the best of the island’s produce.
Glamping Activities
On-site, enjoy the swimming pool or soak up the sun on the pool’s deck. Sunshine Coast adventures at Rockwater would be mountain bike riding, hiking trails, and kayaking along the shoreline.
Ruby Lake Resort (★★★★☆)
This resort sits in paradise, nestled between the enchanting Ruby Lake and the fascinating Caren Range Mountains. The property is a sanctuary for birds, and you will see both wild and tame animals, including squirrels, raccoons, deer, otters, beavers, and more.
The resort has an onsite restaurant that offers authentic Italian cuisine, but you should watch out for the expensive food price tags. Nonetheless, their pleasant restaurant staff will go out of their way to provide service.
image credit: Ruby Lake Resort
Glamping Accommodation
Whether you are looking for family fun or a romantic getaway, Ruby Lake resort has their Safari tents or rustic cabins offered to guests out for a wilderness retreat.
The resort’s top room amenities include mountain views, a kitchenette, and a refrigerator. Other popular amenities include free parking and kids’ activities.
Dining Options
The resort’s Italian restaurant, Trattoria Italiana, offers authentic Italian dishes. They believe in sourcing their food products locally, but most of the vegetables and herbs they use in cooking are grown right there on their property without pesticides or chemicals.
The fresh-cut flowers they adorn their dining tables with are also sourced from the resort’s garden.
Note the annually recurring events they feature, where they present different chefs, each with their unique recipe. They also showcase seafood tasting and wild mushroom feast events slated in specific months of the year.
Glamping Activities
Ruby Lake resort is surrounded by cycling, hiking, and walking trails. Nearby is one of British Columbia’s charming lakes for swimming and boat paddling. They also offer yoga classes. Rental boats are available.
Choosing The Best Getaway For Glamping In British Columbia
You have a lot of options for glamping in British Columbia. Including various options to suit different needs and preferences. There are options for sea adventures or discovering the hidden secrets of the forest, or for both.
There is no limit to what you can do glamping in British Columbia. This Canadian province is heaven on earth for the outdoor enthusiast.
“The mountains are calling, and I must go.”
John Muir
