Post-Conference Tour

As a service to those who wish to see the stunning landscape and interesting sights on Vancouver Island following the conference, Envoy Travel. has organized a post-conference tour. It includes visits to the Parliament Building in Victoria, the capital of BC; the Royal British Columbia Museum; Emily Carr’s house; the Victoria Art Gallery; Abkhazi Garden; Craigdarroch Castle; and Butchart Gardens. A performance of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” is also part of the itinerary.

For more information, please contact Envoy Travel.

Envoy Travel is a third-party service provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Simon Fraser University. Simon Fraser University is not responsible for, and accepts no liability in respect of, any tours arranged through Envoy Travel.

Victoria and Vancouver Island: Canadian Art, Splendor, and Heritage Tour Itinerary

Day 1/June 9: VANCOUVER–VICTORIA

• Departure from Vancouver at 3:30 pm with coach service to Tsawwassen.
• Board a BC Ferries vessel at 5 pm for a 90-minute passage to Swartz Bay.
• Continue with the coach service to Victoria and check in to Hotel Chateau Victoria.
• Welcome group dinner at 8 pm on the top floor of the hotel restaurant, Vista 18, which offers contemporary Northwest cuisine and sweeping vistas over the harbour and Beacon Hill Park.

Hotel Chateau Victoria
Located at 740 Burdett Avenue, this recently refurbished hotel is within walking distance of all major sights in the Victoria Harbour.

Day 2/June 10: VICTORIA

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• A guided walking tour of downtown Victoria, which includes a visit to the Parliament Building and the Royal BC Museum, featuring the special exhibit “Race to the End of the Earth.”

Race to the end of the Earth
“Race to the End of the Earth” recounts one of the most stirring tales of Antarctic exploration: the quest to be the first to reach the South Pole in 1911–1912.

The exhibition explores the epic adventures of Norwegian Roald Amundsen and Captain Robert Falcon Scott of the British Royal Navy on their respective 3,000-kilometre (1,800-mile) journeys from the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf to the Pole and back.

“Race to the End of the Earth” features photographs, paintings, and original artifacts from Amundsen’s and Scott’s expeditions, placing visitors in the midst of Antarctic exploration and research at the dawn of the last century.

Day 3/June 11: VICTORIA

• Private group tour of Emily Carr House.
• Private group tour of Victoria Art Gallery, featuring Emily Carr and a special exhibition titled “On the Edge of Nowhere.”
• From Emily Carr House, transfer to Abkhazi Garden, where we will have an opportunity for lunch (not included).
• Transfer from the Garden to Craigdarroch Castle and walk from there to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.
• Return to hotel by 4 pm.
• Attend a performance at the Royal & McPherson theatres society at 8 pm to see “Uncle Vanya” by Anton Chekhov.

Emily Carr
Although Emily Carr described herself as an “isolated little old woman on the edge of nowhere,” her work has an appeal that is universal in its expressive messages. With this exhibition, the VAG is now the premier destination on Vancouver Island to visit and learn about Emily Carr through her paintings.

“On the Edge of Nowhere” will include a historical survey of Carr’s artistic career, featuring pieces in all the media and styles she explored and perfected. It will also focus on Carr’s influences and inspirations, such as European modern art, members of the Group of Seven artists, First Nations artists, Carr’s spirituality, and her interest in developing an art that speaks of her personal experience and her connection to the West Coast landscape.

Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya”
The play portrays the visit of an elderly professor and his glamorous, much-younger second wife, Yeléna, to the rural estate that supports their urban lifestyle. Two friends, Vanya, the brother of the professor's late first wife, who has long managed the estate, and Astrov, the local doctor, both fall under Yeléna's spell, while bemoaning the ennui of their provincial existence.

Sonya, the professor’s daughter by his first wife, who has worked with Vanya to keep the estate going, meanwhile suffers from the awareness of her own lack of beauty and from her unrequited feelings for Dr. Astrov. Matters are brought to a crisis when the professor announces his intention to sell the estate, Vanya and Sonya's home and raison d'être, with a view to investing the proceeds to achieve a higher income for himself and his wife. (from Wikipedia)

Day 4/June 12: VICTORIA–NANAIMO

• Leave Victoria after breakfast and visit the magnificent Butchart Gardens for a leisurely two-hour walk and a visit to the gift shop.
• Continue along the scenic East Coast with a stop is at the Quw’utsun’ Cultural Center in Duncan.
• Native salmon barbeque lunch.
• Visit the center grounds with a guided cultural interpretive tour.
• Stop in Chemainus to enjoy the murals and browse art galleries and shops.
• End the day in Nanaimo and stay the night at the Best Western Plus Dorchester Inn.

Chemainus, BC
Chemainus is an island city made famous by the world’s largest display of outdoor murals.

Duncan, BC
Duncan is a must-see for admirers of native arts and crafts operated by the Cowichan tribe, the largest Aboriginal band in British Columbia.

Day 5/June 13: NANAIMO–VANCOUVER

• In the morning, walk from the hotel to the downtown seaplane terminal located across the street.
• Return to downtown Vancouver Coal Harbour or to Vancouver International Airport by seaplane.

If applicable, plan your flight home from Vancouver Airport no earlier than 12 pm.

Included services

• Bus transportation in a comfortable deluxe motor coach from Vancouver Coast Hotel to Victoria and from Victoria to Nanaimo
• Seaplane transportation from Nanaimo Harbour to Vancouver’s Coal Harbour/Vancouver Airport
• Four nights’ accommodation in double or single rooms with private bath, shower, WC, TV, and Internet
• Meals: Four breakfasts, one lunch, and two dinners (starters, main, and dessert)
• Local tour guide for half-day or full-day excursions (as described) in Victoria and surroundings
• Admission fees and guides to the Royal BC Museum, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, and Emily Carr House, Craigdarroch Castle, Abkhazi Garden, Butchart Gardens, and Quw’utsun’ Cultural Center
• Evening performance at Royal McPherson theatre society
• All applicable hotel and sales taxes

Pricing

Based on double occupancy, the cost is $927 per person. Single occupancy is an additional $440. Sales taxes and other applicable taxes are included in the package price.

Reservations and payment

Deposit $90 per person within seven days of the tour (non-refundable). Final payment is due 45 days prior to departure.

1. Please make cheques and money orders payable to Envoy Travel. They also accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Your payment is not deemed made until it is received by Envoy Travel.
2. Your tour reservation will be confirmed on receipt of a non-refundable/non-transferable deposit (as outlined above), which must be within seven days of booking.
3. Full and final payment is due no later than 45 days prior to departure unless otherwise specified.
4. In order to secure space booked, Envoy Travel should be advised of your credit card number when making the reservation.
5. Credit card bookings: Your authorization to use your credit card number for deposit and/or final payment indicates your compliance with our booking terms and conditions, whether or not you have actually signed the appropriate draft. Verbal or online authorization of your credit card confirms your reservation. For security purposes, we are required to collect the passenger's credit card billing address as well as three-digit CVC2 code (MasterCard), three- digit CW2 code (Visa), or four-digit CID code (American Express).
6. Envoy Travel reserves the right to cancel the reservation and impose cancellation charges should payments not be received within the above specified periods.
7. Any special meal requirements will be made on a REQUEST basis only. Envoy Travel CANNOT guarantee special meal requests, nor will it assume any responsibility or liability if passengers' special meal requests are not fulfilled.

Cancellation and corresponding fees

• If you cancel more than 45 days prior, a cancellation fee equal to your deposit paid will be charged. It will not be refunded, nor can it be credited to any other booking.
• Notice of cancellation must be made directly to Envoy Travel.

The following scale of charges will apply when notice of cancellation is given after the booking is confirmed:

Number of days prior to tour departure	Cancellation fee
45 days or more	C$90 non-refundable deposit
22–44 days	30% of total price
8–21days	65% of total price
1–7 days	100% of total price
Departure day or later/no-show	100% of total price

Envoy Travel strongly recommends purchasing travel insurance to cover loss of your investment in the unforeseen event of a trip cancellation.

Tour cancellation

Envoy Travel reserves the right to cancel the tour in accordance with operating requirements or circumstances beyond its control. If cancellation is made any time prior to departure of the tour, Envoy's only liability will be to refund to the passenger the amount it has received for the tour booking.

Envoy Travel | 20385 64 Avenue, Langley BC, V2Y1N5 | 604-599-5444

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