Galiano, Saturna, Salt Spring: Island-hopping close to home

Galiano, Saturna and Salt Spring — three of the southern Gulf Islands — each has a distinctive personality that can entice visitors to become residents

As I stepped off the ferry onto the foot passenger ramp at Sturdies Bay on Galiano Island, a small scene unfolding ahead captured exactly what I’ve come to love about the southern Gulf Islands. A woman travelling alone was greeted by two friends at the dock. They embraced, and then one of them turned to me with a warm smile and offered a “free hug.”

It was a fleeting moment, easy to miss, yet it seemed to say everything about this unhurried, laid-back community, where openness and kindness toward strangers feels like second nature. Whenever I visit the southern Gulf Islands, I’m struck by the welcoming atmosphere, a friendliness that often feels missing in the city. It’s a place where you can easily connect with locals and immerse yourself in the community, or simply retreat into nature and enjoy solitude.

I lingered on the ramp, pausing to photograph a seal surfacing near the dock, and found myself wondering why it had taken me so long to return. My last visit was three years ago, a surprisingly long stretch, given how easy it is to reach the islands, especially from Victoria. Located between Vancouver Island and the B.C. mainland, the southern Gulf Islands can be reached within half an hour to three hours, depending on your island destination, making most places accessible for day trips.

Visitors usually come by ferry from Victoria’s Swartz Bay or Vancouver’s Tsawwassen terminal, by car, bike, or as walk-ons, while others arrive even quicker by floatplane. My ferry trip from Swartz Bay took under 1.5 hours, including a quick transfer on Mayne Island for the final 25-minute crossing to Galiano — the start of my three-day, island-hopping city escape. The return ferry trip to Swartz Bay, via Salt Spring Island, was just 35 minutes.

While there are five main islands in the southern Gulf Islands — Galiano, Saturna, Salt Spring, Pender and Mayne — time was limited, so I focused on the first three, saving Pender and Mayne for another trip. What I discovered is that while each island may share a mild climate, lush ecosystem, and a connection to the Salish Sea, each has a distinctive personality. Galiano, about 27 km.

long from tip to tip and 1.6 km. wide at its narrowest, is known as a foodie destination with cosy cafés, and quaint restaurants interspersed through this long and narrow island. It also offers some of the best cliffside hiking in the archipelago, along with kayaking tours departing from Montague Harbour Marina.

Exploring the region’s protected waters, dramatic sandstone formations and abundant marine life feels like stepping into another world. Saturna, which I reached by a private water taxi aptly named Wet Coast Marine, is the furthest and most secluded of the southern islands and, as a result, is the least busy. It also boasts one of the best land-based viewing spots for orcas at East Point, part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.

Salt Spring Island is the largest and most developed of the southern Gulf Islands and is an arts and culture hub, particularly evident during the Salt Spring Saturday Market when artisans, farmers and bakers show off their creations. The rule here is that every vendor must “make it, bake it, or grow it” to participate. This popular market, which runs April through October, is a visual feast, and as I wandered the many stalls set up in Ganges’ Centennial Park, I was amazed by the variety of goods for sale and tempted by many.

My top picks were a crochet summer hat, by Heather Reimer, and a ceramic planter featuring a pirate-like fellow with an eye patch, by Kathleen Raven. Creativity, conversation and a sense of fun seem to be everywhere here, and perhaps is what draws so many visitors to stay for good. Take Molly Wilson and her husband Zack Hemstreet, for instance.

They own Lost Field Farm (formerly Bullock Lake Farm), now in its 15th year growing organic produce and flowers on Salt Spring. Wilson, originally from California and Hemstreet from Vermont moved to Salt Spring after Molly took a side trip to visit friends on Salt Spring, while on an environmental research project in B.C. “I arrived on Salt Spring on Thanksgiving Day and pulled into my friend’s farm.

It was 4 o’clock, October with golden light. They were setting the table with everything they’d grown and all the guests were arriving. And I thought, ‘Oh my god, this is the life I want.’

It was very powerful,” she said. Clearly enchanted by that sunset meal, Molly and her husband soon became locals, moving to Salt Spring, buying a small farm and starting a family. Their children are now 11 and eight years old.

Besides farming and maintaining a well-stocked farm stand, Lost Field Farm also hosts weddings and offers seasonal floral workshops. Molly also partners with other local entrepreneurs on events, like the luncheon I attended on her property by local chef Haidee Hart, the founder of The WoodShed, a curated food shop in upper Ganges. I knew our group was in for something special when Hart stopped by while we were busy arranging our own floral bouquets, arriving with an appetizer of triple cream Brie topped with rosemary and honey, paired with a local wine.

That first bite was a hint of the al fresco lunch to come: halibut in a delicate broth, fresh asparagus and squash, roasted cauliflower, new potatoes, and rosemary focaccia bread followed by a pavlova crowned with strawberries and cherries. The entire menu was locally grown and organic, much like the memorable meal that first inspired Wilson to make a move to the island. For me, it was a truly magical experience to share delicious food with friends, both new and old, in a peaceful, idyllic setting beneath the trees.

It’s easy to see how someone could follow Wilson’s lead and find themselves calling the southern Gulf Islands home. IF YOU GO Here’s my guide on where to stay, eat and do: Galiano Island The Galiano Oceanfront Inn Spa is just a five-minute walk from the Sturdies Bay Ferry Terminal. All 10 villas and 10 suites offer expansive waterfront views.

The hotel also has a car rental for guests, which our group found helpful to get around. My favourite spot on the island is Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park, with its white-shell midden beach and tidal lagoons surrounded by forests. At nearby Montague Harbour Marina, a favourite restaurant is The Crane and Robin, which captures the local spirit.

I smiled when I spotted its patio chalkboard menu describing “dippies for chippies (beloved by hippies).” With fanfare like this, I couldn’t resist ordering the smoked carrot hummus and pickled beet and dill hummus. Near the north end of the island, a 25-minute drive from the hotel, The Pink Geranium is a charming, cedar-shingled cafe and general store, surrounded by towering trees.

It proved to be an excellent breakfast stop, and the avocado toast was among the best I’ve had. At the Galiano Oceanfront Inn Spa, the award-winning Atrevida Restaurant offers refined, mostly West Coast cuisine with a focus on seafood. The Arctic Char, with strawberry mango salsa and seasonal vegetables, was a highlight.

Saturna Island For quiet beaches and untouched forests, Saturna Island is a perfect escape, with about half of the island protected within the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. I visited on a day trip that included wine tasting and lunch at Sage Hayward Vineyards.

The vineyard dates back to 1990s, but after years of neglect, its new owners arrived in 2020 and had to clear blackberry bushes from the vines. Its goat mascot pays homage to the island’s feral goats, believed by some to have arrived after a nearby shipwreck. If you dine at its bistro be sure to order the “Sailing the Seas of Cheese” wood-fired oven pizza, which uses an in-house fermented sourdough as its base, topped with fresh mozzarella, Mt. Moriarty cheese from Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, Comox brie and jalapeño honey.

Salt Spring Island Despite being the island with the largest population (11,635) and the widest selection of shopping opportunities, you won’t find any large, mainstream retail chain stores. Instead, the island inhabitants take pride in a retail scene made up almost entirely by independent, locally owned businesses. An artisan food hub worth visiting is the Merchant Mews on Upper Ganges Road, where you will find unbelievably good baked items at Francis Bread, farm-to-table meals and gourmet items at The Woodshed Provisions and small-batch jams and condiments at Saltspring Kitchen Co. to name a few of the businesses located here.

For accommodation, I stayed at Harbour House Hotel, a newly renovated property in the heart of Ganges Village, featuring bright West Coast suites. Another favourite activity on my getaway was at Solace Organic Spa, where guests enjoy a private spa experience set beneath a forest canopy. We spent four hours unwinding by the fire and moving through a self-guided hydrotherapy circuit that included a hot tub, cold plunge, and sauna.

Kim Pemberton was hosted by Southern Gulf Islands Tourism, which did not review or approve this article. For more photos and videos of Kim’s time on the southern Gulf Islands, follow her on Instagram @kimstravelogue.