The Duncan area is the main commercial core with smaller villages on the outskirts of the city core like Maple Bay, Genoa Bay, Glenora, and the Cowichan River area. The Cowichan Valley is an ideal landscape for any and many outdoor enthusiasts all year round. The Duncan area is a popular destination for kayaking, tubing, hiking, golfing, sailing, fishing, scuba diving, mountain biking, cycling and visiting artist studios and art galleries.

Refer to Eco-Tourism Attraction Business Listings for contact information of participating businesses.

1. Winery and Vineyards: The south Cowichan Valley is growing in size and reputation as one of the prime areas in British Columbia for wines and ciders. The valley is the home to many award winning wineries and vineyards with many of then selling to international markets. The Cowichan Valley fields are fortunate to be rich in soil and enjoying great weather conditions for the grapes to flourish. Many of the wineries are eager to share their brewing crafts and offer tastings and tours. Cowichan Valley wineries and vineyards are locally cherished and celebrated.
   [ more info on Cowichan Valley wineries and vineyards ... ]
   
   
2. Sea Kayaking: Cowichan Valley is a main launching point on Vancouver Island to access the southern Gulf Islands by kayak. Examples of some of the more popular Gulf Island kayaking tours are the full day Saturna Winery kayaking tours. Also in big demand… the sunset paddle tours, the Gulf Islands National Park kayaking tours and the overnight Gulf Island kayaking beach camping tours. Because of the number of Gulf Islands and the close proximity of all the islands to each other, the multi-day tours and trips are considerably shorter paddling distances then some of the other popular kayaking destinations offered on Vancouver Island.
   [ more info about kayaking the southern Gulf Islands... ]
   
   
3. Native Heritage: Quw'utsun Cultural and Conference Centre is full of native history, artisan exhibits and artifacts depicting the large influence the native population has on the Cowichan Valley area.
   
   
4. Totem Tour: Follow the painted footsteps in and around the Downtown city core of Duncan to experience the culture of the local native people's heritage from the hands of the great native carvers of the over 70 Totem Poles celebrating the area. While in the area visit many of the trendy shops and restaurants.
   
   
5. Golfing: 18 hole courses and 9 hole courses scatter the surrounding area. Open most of the year. Each course offering it's own challenges and unique scenery. Practice up on your technique for replacing divots. This is more then a walk in the park.
   
   
6. Road and Mountain Biking: Because of the abundance of nearby coastal communities the paved roads that span out over the Cowichan Valley lead you on a journey along seaside bays, in and out of ocean inlets, and around lakes bypassing farmers fields. Mountain bike adventurers will like the trails leading down and around Mt. Tzouhalem.
   
   
7. Hiking and Walking: A good mixture of trails in the area including short oceanside walks along the beaches of Maple Bay to mountain top scenery laden hikes on Mount Tzouhalem and Mt. Prevost. There are long hikes also available such as the Cowichan River to Skutz Falls excursion aptly named the Cowichan River Trail.
   
   
8. Hang Gliding: The Cowichan Valley is surrounded by some prime mountains for hang gliding. Two of the most popular mountain jump off points are at Mount Prevost and Mount Tzouhalem. Often on a clear day you can see many of them with the bright colors of their wings in the sky high above the Cowichan Valley.
   
   
9. Scenic Drives: Maple Bay Rd leads you to the oceans edge in Maple Bay where the small beach, piers, and sailboats await. The curves around the rock walls and along the ocean bays along Genoa Bay Rd. is a must see of marinas and scenery. Just south of Duncan is the the Cowichan Bay scenic loop drive exploring the fishing village of Cowichan Bay or venture out on the lakeside loop drive in the quiet village of Shawnigan Lake.
   
   
10. Boating: The unique marinas in Maple Bay, Crofton and Genoa Bay including the outlying marinas in Cowichan Bay and Mill Bay leaves the motor and sail boating community many options to pull up for the night before they venture out among the many surrounding islands.
    
    
11. Old Downtown: Historic buildings, the towering clock of City Hall, the trendy shops, the Railroad Museum and the abundance of Totem Poles decorate the downtown core. Park your car, pack a camera, grab some cash and set out on foot to fully experience the alleys and side streets of the downtown core.