Vancouver city

Vancouver is surrounded by water on three sides and you have mountains views from almost everywhere. This gives the city a special clear atmosphere that together with it’s huge green spaces makes it a very pleasant place to stay. It is also a very cosmopolitan city full of people and businesses from around the world and a mild climate ideal for outdoor activities.

Because the duration of my trip was limited I could only spend  two days exploring the city. The cheapest and more comfortable option was to stay in an International Youth Hostel situated in the heart of Downtown and with free breakfast every morning!. Although I visit other parts of the city I’ll focus on  Stanley Park and Vancouver Aquarium, two places with a wildlife interest.

Stanley Park is a 400 hectares park surrounded by the natural west coast and close to Downtown. It is an ideal place for naturalists as it is rich in wildlife and majestic trees. More than once you forget you’re in a big city park because of it’s grandeur. As I said the place is so huge that renting a bike or taking the free Shuttle Bus are not bad ideas. Once there, you have a long list of possible wildlife sightings as well as plant observations. Among the most common mammal species are: The Douglas’, Grey and Flying squirrel, the Raccoon, the American Mink, the Little Brown Bat, the Striped Skunk, the Harbour seal and less common  but still possible the Coyote and the River otter. It is also a perfect place for bird watching with sightings of bald eagle, Double-Crested and Pelagic Cormorant, Guillemot, Great Blue Heron, Canada goose, American coot, Wood Duck, Greater and Lesser Scaup and much more (See Stanley Park website for a complete list). For plant fans there is a good variety of giant coniferous trees such as the Western Red Cedar, the Western Hemlock, the Douglas and Grand Fir, the Wsteren Yew and the Sitka Spruce and also various species of decidous trees, shrubs, herbs and wetland. During my short stay in the park I got to see the underlined animal species above so I think that if you stay a bit longer you would get to see much more!.

Vancouver Aquarium is situated within Stanley Park and is a good educational starting point before exploring the Vancouver Island wildlife. But why am I talking about an aquarium in a wildife blog? Well, because this one is totally different from the ones we are normally used to. The shows are short and made just for educational purposes as there are talks in every one. Furthermore, you’ll find  different marine British Columbia regions very  well represented in separate aquariums and lots of kid talks and shows.  Once there, you’ll see belugas (a newborn calf), Pacific White-sided dolphins, otters, Stellar sea lions, Harbour seals, salmons, sharks, tropical frogs, snakes, cocodriles and much more.

Apart from what it’s displayed, the Vancouver Aquarium carries out different research and conservation programs in collaboration with renowned scientists such as Dr. John Ford and Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard among others.  So, I strongly recommend visiting the aquarium webpage so you can decide if it’s worthwhile!