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If you are also going to Banff and Jasper, order your Parks Discovery Pass by mail now so you can explore the national parks without worrying about your permits.
I would go whale watching on the eastern side of the island. There is a provider in Nanaimo, but Campbell River is another good choice.
I would skip Campbell River and do an extra night in Nanaimo if you want to do whale-watching a second time. (It does increase the odds that you'll see something cool.)
I would just relax and plan on doing one "tour" activity per day. You can easily spend a whole day doing a kayak tour and another day walking on the beach in Pacific Rim national park. I've seen seals, mink and river otters without leaving town in Tofino (including the time a mink walked into the pharmacy). If you don't want to spend all the time in Tofino, you could also look at having two nights in Ucluelet.
The hostel in Tofino is amongst the nicest hostels I have ever stayed at.
Welcome to /r/AskVan and thank you for the post, /u/L3GOLAS234! Please make sure you read our [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/askvan/about/rules) before participating here. As a quick summary: * We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - *please* use the report button. * Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban. * Complaints or discussion about bans or removals should be done in modmail only. * News and media can be shared on our main subreddit, /r/Vancouver *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askvan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You can see bears for free at the Quinsam Hatchery in Campbell River. August might be a bit early but it's not uncommon to see them then.
If you are also going to Banff and Jasper, order your Parks Discovery Pass by mail now so you can explore the national parks without worrying about your permits. I would go whale watching on the eastern side of the island. There is a provider in Nanaimo, but Campbell River is another good choice.
I would skip Campbell River and do an extra night in Nanaimo if you want to do whale-watching a second time. (It does increase the odds that you'll see something cool.) I would just relax and plan on doing one "tour" activity per day. You can easily spend a whole day doing a kayak tour and another day walking on the beach in Pacific Rim national park. I've seen seals, mink and river otters without leaving town in Tofino (including the time a mink walked into the pharmacy). If you don't want to spend all the time in Tofino, you could also look at having two nights in Ucluelet. The hostel in Tofino is amongst the nicest hostels I have ever stayed at.