Picturesque B.C. island named 'best-kept secret' by major U.S. publication
B.C.’s Southern Gulf Islands are back in the international spotlight, with Galiano Island the latest destination to soak up the adulation.
Influential fashion and lifestyle magazine Vogue recently published a piece about Galiano Island, declaring it “the Pacific Northwest’s Best-Kept Secret.”
The widest gulf island is renowned as a natural paradise, with incredible hiking and stunning sights to discover.
According to author Siobhan Reid, Galiano’s astonishing biodiversity is but one reason the island is “fast becoming one of Canada’s most alluring eco-getaways.”
Galiano Island Tourism
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“[Galiano Island is] a place that draws birdwatchers and executives from companies like lululemon and Estée Lauder alike, and where young creatives are moving in search of quiet, nature, and community,” wrote Reid. “Which is saying something for a place roughly the size of Manhattan yet home to only about 1,400 year-round residents.”
Reid highlighted meeting Canadian naturalist Andrew Simon, founder of grassroots initiative Biodiversity Galiano.
She also visited Bodega Ridge, a luxury long-cabin accommodations complete with marble bathrooms and modern kitchens.
Bodega Ridge (BC Lodging & Campgrounds Association)
The Vogue article also highlighted acclaimed restaurants such as Lola, Pink Geranium, Oxeye, The Crane, and Robine, as well as Pilgrimme.
“Food has an outsized importance on such a lightly populated island as Galiano, home to standout restaurants,” gushed Reid.
Galiano Island is a popular destination for British Columbians and travellers from around the world, with whale and nature watching, arts shows, and festivals bringing guests back.
Galiano Island Tourism
Nature-lovers can walk the Bodega Ridge Provincial Park trail, which offers spectacular ocean views for most of its length.
Also check out the sandstone formations at Dionisio Point Provincial Park. If you visit when the tide is low enough, you could go inside the sea cave.
Canadian music superstar Shawn Mendes took a trip to Galiano in 2022, before a concert at Rogers Arena.
In an Instagram photo series, you can see Mendes riding shotgun in the cockpit of a Harbour Air plane. He also shared some images of himself with friends overlooking stunning blue waters surrounded by lush green rainforests — the kind of swimming spot that B.C. is renowned for.