Friday, August 13, 2010

Kelowna

A Guide to Kelowna City

The city of Kelowna, standing on the picturesque valley of Okanagan in British Columbia, is also known as the K-Town. It is the largest of the cities in the valley. Famed for its amenities of a metropolis, it is full of vineyards, farms and orchards. With the perfect kind of soil and climate, Kelowna is a fine blend of both rural and urban atmosphere backed by a rich and vibrant culture. So if you are in a mood to explore both the domains with equal interest and enthusiasm, then get your backpacks ready for a wonderfully memorable journey. Exhibiting spectacular vistas of award winning wares, title fight golf courses, wineries and other bounties of natural wealth, this city is a perfect spot for tourism.

Attractions:
There are several major pulls for the tourists to buzz into Kelowna. To mention the top few, the followings come into the mind.

The Rotary Center is a significant center of art of the city. It was named as the Cultural capital of Canada for this reason. It exhibits all the major artifacts by the artisans of the city. People with artistic taste are welcome here.
The Stuart Park, established on the Waterfront Promenade on Wall Street is under development.

The waterfront Park is an arena displaying a wooden walkway, an outdoor amphitheater and a lagoon that acts as a linkage between the residential area on the north and the Tugboat Beach and the downtown and Hotel Okanagan.

The Prospera Place is a multipurpose facility with 6000 people to sit in. It houses the Rockets of the Western Hockey League.

Natural beauty:
The city is very affluent in terms of natural beauty. The panorama of clusters of rich, colorful and sweet smelling fruits hanging in clusters from the fruit trees in orchards are a feast for the eyes. They exhibit the balanced co-existence of both the country style of living as well as urbanization in a single sphere. The huge production of fruits has led to the development of wineries around the city. Thus, both rustic and urban lifestyles can be experienced in one go.

Activities:
Besides hanging out in the metropolis and the country life atmospheres, one can enjoy the fun of the various sports available. Golfing is an eminent one of them. World class golf courses are present here. You can try playing a game or two in one of these. Due to the presence of the Okanagan Lake, tourists and locals get the opportunities of swimming, boating and fishing. The mountains help in hiking and skiing. Big White, Apex and Sliver Star are the three major ski hills. So, it is a treat for people who have a knack of mountaineering and skiing.

Communication:
Kelowna, being very advanced in the field of aerospace services, is very developed in aero plane services. It is the 10th busiest airport in Canada. For the advantages of the tourists and passengers, the airport has a spacious terminal and departs 36 flights of international destinations a day. So traveling in and out of the city has been made truly convenient.


Okanagan Valley

Travel Guide: Okanagan Valley

Located at the easternmost province of Canada, British Colombia is a scenic wonderland. Surrounded by numerous valleys, this vast natural habitat attracts tourists all year round. The Okanagan Valley is one such picturesque valley that makes up British Colombia. The valley is home to some of the best landscapes found in the province. The main occupants of the valley are the Salish people, primitive natives of Canada. The valley constitutes some breathtaking orchards, vineyards, mountains, valleys, lakes, highlands, ski slopes, and trails, all combining in making this place a Tourist Havana.

Visitors: Okanagan attracts close to a million visitors all year round. British Colombia being close to US border, most tourists are from the States. The world class Skiing resorts here are the practice grounds for some of the elite American athletes. Other than Americans, Europeans too, take a plunge in the vast wilderness of the Okanagan valley. The valley offers rich mountains with amazing wildlife. Trekking and mountaineering, being the preferred choice of the Europeans, it provides ideal opportunities to practice their trades.

Mountain biking: The valley offers some the best mountain Biking trails seen anywhere on the planet. The winding roads greet you with beautiful mountains and picturesque waterfalls that surround the valley. The trail starts from Vernon in the north and ends at Keremeos near the US border.

Wildlife: If you are a nature lover then this place will greet you with open arms. The valley is home to some of the best wildlife sanctuaries in the whole of Northern hemisphere. The Vaseux Lake Provincial Park, situated 15 miles south of Penticton is home to the Vaseux Wildlife Centre. Here you will find different varieties of migrating birds. Close to the Vaseux Wildlife sanctuary is the Waterfowl sanctuary. Home to trumpeter swans, widgeons, Canada geese, wood ducks, and blue-winged teal, this habitat mainly constitutes of the local animals of British Colombia. In the winter, the frozen lake offer excellent conditions for Ice fishing. Kelowna, another wildlife park provides the opportunity to watch Kokanee salmon spawning from mid-September to mid-October. If you are planning to take the Springfield road then you might just pay a visit to the BC Wildlife migratory bird-viewing site at Bertram Creek Regional Park.

Golfing: Some of the best Golf courses within Canada are here in Okanagan valley. Kelowna is home to 15 of 37 golf courses found from Osoyoos to Vernon. The courses are surrounded by the vivid mountains that look you into the eye. Opening in the middle of March, Golf is played until the end of November. The Kelowna Springs Golf Course is the most famous of them all; it is enclosed by seven natural spring-fed lakes surrounded by close to thousand apple trees.

Diving: Paul's Tomb in the Knox Mountain Nature Park in Kelowna provides the perfect setting for divers. Divers can see to depths of up to 8metres. Scuba diving enthusiast will feel home at Otter Bay in Ellison Provincial Park in Vernon. It is also a Snorkeling park. Various objects have been sunk into the lake in order to attract fishes and other creatures.

The Okanagan valley provides the ideal backdrop to nature lovers and tourist alike. Take a dip into the vast wilderness of the Okanagan valley and discover the true beauty of Canada.

Eagle bay

The Heart of British Colombia: Eagle bay

Situated on the Shuswap Highland Peninsula, the southern shore of Shuswap Lake, Eagle bay is home to the scenic wonderland that British Colombia has to offer. This community provides the ideal backdrop for mountaineers and swimmers alike. Home to the Shuswap Lake system, this 1000 km shore line offers spectacular uninhabited beach fronts that are surrounded by white sand and rocky terrains. Mainly known for swimming, house boating and water skiing, Eagle Bay has more to offer than just its picturesque shorelines.

Shuswap, harbors the largest house-boat armada in the whole of Canada. This provides the ideal platform for tourists to spend their vacations on lake fronts surrounded by the gorgeous valleys that fill the space. Eagle bay being a popular tourist attraction, it homes up to some of the best accommodation found within Canada. The Spas and Resorts are completely built within the natural habitats. A bit away from the natural habitat you will find the small town of Sorrento, the place is flocked by popular restaurants and shopping centers, it is also home to the famous Liquor stores that British Colombia is known for.

Hiking and Mountain Biking: Eagle bay being within the both worlds of beach and mountains, provides some breathtaking mountain trails that lead you right down to the valley floor. The trails extend within the mountainous forest, cutting across bridges and undulating terrain. Professional Off-road bikers around the world flock here in early spring to experience the best Eagle bay has to offer.

Golf: Eagle bay is a popular Golfing destination. The Shuswap Lake Estates Golf & Country Club hosts tournaments and championships all year along. This professional course contains 4 beautiful lakes that are surrounded by the undulating greens and the beautiful Orchard and Apple trees.

Lakes: Eagle Bay is home to the Herman Lake, though the lake is small, the vast ecosystem surrounding the lake makes it a popular picnic spot. One will find a wide range of animals and birds flocking the vivid mountains that besiege the lake. The ivy road is the only road that lays access to the Herman Lake. The winding roads will provide you a panoramic view of the lake and its mountains before you reach the bottom. Another way of reaching the Herman Lake is by biking through off road trails. Open to the public all year long, Herman Lake provides you the ideal place for Fishing and brook trout activities.

Parks: Eagle bay houses some of the best natural parks in Canada. Situated within such a natural ecosystem, allows it house natural parks. These parks are a must visit if you plan your vacation to Eagle bay. The Cinnemousun Narrows Provincial Park, situated at the northern tip of Lake Shuswap is one of the most popular parks in the Valley. Accessible only by water, this beach front extends up to 176 hectares and provides beautiful campsites that grace the lake. Along with Cinnemousun Narrows Provincial Park, White Lake Provincial Park and Shuswap Lake Marine Provincial Park too provides ideal retreats for tourist and vacationers alike.

The rich natural habitat of Eagle bay offers you the best of Canada’s wild natural wilderness. The majestic beach fronts enclosed by the Picturesque Mountains provide the ideal surroundings for holidaying. The best way of putting across Eagle bay is, Amazing.

Friday, July 30, 2010

What you can do in British Columbia

Versatile tourist attractions of British Columbia will leave you not much time to relax. Simply the place has too much to offer- spectacular harbor of Victoria, fantastic cityscape of Vancouver and mountains of Kamloops. While Victoria offers lot of thrills of the sea, it also has many things spread out for enjoyment. Vancouver has ample of attractions starting with enjoyment of sailing, canoeing, water sports, skiing and tracking in coastal mountains. Kamloops Mountain is well known for bike riding with beautiful, easy to access tracks for riders. British Columbia cottage rental is the only befitting way to be properly installed for enjoying this place.

Go whale watching in Victoria
Having come to Victoria, you must have the privilege of seeing these largest animals of creation in their natural habitat. The city has professional companies that guide the tourists with all modern facilities to watch killer whales.

Kabuki Kab Ride
A little cab attached to a bike may not sound something attractive, but take it for granted there is some unusual attraction to feel about. Kabuki Kab Rides take you around not at a high speed, but at an enjoyable pace of movement to devour scenic beauty of the place.

Horse Drawn Carriage Ride
Step into the old world on horse drawn carriage. A ride around the city on a horse drawn carriage offers a perfect charm of roaming about the town of Victoria in leisurely manner reminding of old times. These carriages are beautiful and nicely maintained by company having rights for operating the ride in Victoria.

Butchart Gardens
The most scenic park, Butchart Gardens, offers breathtaking closeness to astounding flora both during summer and winter seasons. It has striking vegetation and wonderful spread of floral colors. No single tourist gets tired of repeating visits to this garden in Victoria.

Water sports in Vancouver
Call any sort of popular water sports, Vancouver is naturally well fortified with rivers, lakes and coastline. Go out sailing, canoeing, rafting and anything that you are fond of, Vancouver has the facility. You are assured to be accompanied with spectacular viewing of beautiful coastline with contrasting snow-clad mountains.


Fishing in Vancouver
Island of Vancouver and Kootenay Rockies are main places with ample of scope for fishing salmon as well as cod, burbot, trout and whitefish. Fishing is allowed against securing license for enjoying the sport in over 200 lakes around Kamloop Mountains.

Watching whales
March is the month of migration of whales in Pacific Rim. You can see Pacific grey whales, the humpback whales and Mink whales as well the killer whales. The sandy beaches of Tofino and Ucluelet towns, close to Vancouver, offer better watching.

Skiing in Vancouver
Vancouver has all sources for varied type of skiing. Besides normal skiing, you can go for snowcat skiing or heli skiing, snowboarding and glacier skiing in summers. A number of skiers like running across distances by ski-touring.

Kamloops Heritage Railway's Steam Train
This ghost train offers on hour journey enacting an old train robbery. The steam locomotive is a great source of enjoyment for all the ages.

Biking in Kamloops
This beautiful mountain range has large tracts for biking to fully enjoy the undulating topography passing through canyons. There is ample of place well laid for cross country biking. Kamloops Bike Ranch is an expansive bike park well groomed to satisfy adventurous and tuff bikers.

Winter activities in British Columbia

Every corner of British Columbia offers charming winter activities for whole of the family. It is a mixture of both wilderness and bustling metro life, which you can enjoy for most of the seasonal relaxation. British Columbian winter vacation will let you have access to all the activities you may have been waiting eagerly. For extracting total joy of your stay use British Columbia cottage rental to have a worry free stay. You can make your choice of available winter activities in BC out of activities like cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowmobiling, dog sledding and many others. This area is famous all over the world for sleigh rides, dog sledding, cross country skiing and ice fishing to name a few. British Columbia radiates warmth during icy winters in northern part of the continent.

Cypress Mountain, Vancouver, BC
It won’t be a justice unless the admiration of this place is recounted with being elected venue for hosting 2010 Winter Olympic Snowboarding and Freestyle Skiing events. This mountain boasts of 52 trails accessed through 9 lifts. The skiing facilities go for Night skiing and Nordic skiing besides facilities for snow tubing and snowshoeing.

Purden Ski Village
It is the best skiing and snowboarding area in central British Columbia. This mountain ski village offers 1,200 feet vertical drop of the slop. Lake View trail offers the longest run. You will get all the facility of buying or taking equipments on rent.

Dawson Creek
This is a famous cross-country skiing ground off Bear Mountain Forest trail. The renowned skiing spots around Dawson Creek area are trail in Beatton Provincial Park, which is a cross-country skiing route and Andy Bailey Provincial Recreation Area. Both skiing areas are known for fluffy powder snow.

Pine Pass
Pine Pass is another known skiing ground having powder snow. The pass is located in the wooded area called Powder King. The trail has well groomed slopes and awful drop of 2,100 feet.

West Lake Provincial Park
This park is also known for cross-country skiing, and also tobogganing and snowshoeing. This is an ungroomed trail with a big location suitable for picnic and supported with all necessary shelters.

Big Bam Ski Hill
Big Bam Ski Hill is run by volunteers from the community of Taylor for skiing. Access to the summit is provided through tow lift, the lifting height is 180 feet.

You will find several skiing areas in British Columbia. Some to name are:
1. Prince George, the cross-country skiing trail.
2. Cottonwood Island skiing trail.
3. The skiing trail of the University of Northern British Columbia.
4. Moore's Meadow skiing trail.

There are trails in Tabor Mountain and Otway, which are smaller, but enjoyable ones. In these two places you will be charged a little fee for use. The Eskers Provincial Park on Chief Lake Road and the Giscome Portage Heritage Trail are other skiing trail in Prince George area. If you consider for all skiing trails in BC, it is stunningly large in numbers, some groomed and some not.