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Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands
Place in British Columbia, Canada

Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands

Salt Spring Island or Saltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada, and Vancouver Island.

Plan a trip to Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands→From Vancouver
Get in

Getting to Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands

BC Ferries, toll-free: +1-888-223-3779. Car ferries connecting the larger of the Southern Gulf Islands (Galiano, Mayne, Pender, Salt Spring, and Saturna) with Vancouver (Tsawwassen) ferry terminal in Delta and Victoria (Swartz Bay) ferry terminal near Sidney. Free reservations are strongly recommended, especially in the summer and can be made online or by phone.

  1. 01
    Salt Spring Island
  2. 02
    Saltspring Island
  3. 03
    Salt Spring Island
  4. 04
    Ganges Marina

    161 Lower Ganges Rd,.

See

Worth seeing

Artist Studio Tour, get the Salt Spring Studio Tour map on ferry. This is a self-guided tour of over 30 different artist studios. The hours and days vary from artist to artist. This is also a very good map of Salt Spring Island. Artists studios vary from painters, sculptures, potters to speciality cheese makers. Most artists studios are open May to September, some are available year around.

  1. 01
    Sacred Mountain Lavender

    401 Musgrave Rd (5 min from Fulford Harbour),.

Do

Things to do

Kayak to nearby

  1. 01
    Russell Island

    Russell Island is part of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve and features gorgeous examples of second-growth Douglas fir, arbutus and Garry oak trees.

  2. 02
    Beachside

    163 Fulford-Ganges Rd, toll-free: +1-888-KAYAK-67 (52925-67).

  3. 03
    Mount Maxwell Park

    Contains one of the highest points on Salt Spring Island, offering excellent views of Vancouver Island, the other Southern Gulf Islands, and the Lower Mainland.

  4. 04
    Salt Spring Centre of Yoga

    Attend a yoga retreat, yoga teacher training program or other spiritual event.

  5. 05
    Salt Spring Island Golf Club

    805A Lower Ganges Rd,.

Eat

Where to eat

Most of the eateries on the island are in Ganges.

  1. 01
    Embe Bakery

    174 Fulford-Ganges Rd, embebakery@gmail.com.

  2. 02
    Express Sushi2go

    120-170 Fulford Ganges Rd, expresssushi2go@gmail.com.

  3. 03
    House Piccolo

    108 Hereford Avenue (A short walk uphill (inland) from Lower Ganges Road, in a small blue house.), housepiccolo@shaw.ca.

  4. 04
    Tree House Cafe

    106 Purvis Ln (Ganges),.

  5. 05
    Al's Gourmet Falafel & Fries

    Mon-Fri 11AM-4PM, Sat 10AM-4PM (at market), Sun closed.

How locals move

Getting around Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands the local way

Three separate BC Ferries terminals reach Salt Spring depending on where you start (Swartz Bay, Crofton or Tsawwassen), buses meet the boats, and getting to Galiano, Mayne, Pender or Saturna often means backtracking through Swartz Bay first.

  1. 01
    Fulford Harbour – Swartz Bayferry

    Salt Spring Island (Fulford Harbour) to Victoria (Swartz Bay), Vancouver Island

    Where
    Fulford Harbour terminal at the south end of the island; use this crossing only if you are coming from or via Victoria/Swartz Bay, not Vancouver
    When
    About every 2 hours from 7AM to 9PM most of the year, roughly every 1h40m in summer
    Fare (2026)
    Return CA$12.75 adult passenger, CA$6.40 child 5-11; standard vehicle CA$37.70 return
    Takes
    35 minutes
    Season
    Year-round
    Booking
    Walk-up loading; the fare tariff for this route lists no reservation fee, unlike the Tsawwassen mainline routes, but whether reservations are offered here could not be confirmed

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2024) · bcferries.com (2026-06) · confidence high

  2. 02
    Vesuvius Bay – Croftonferry

    Salt Spring Island (Vesuvius Bay) to Crofton, Vancouver Island (near Duncan)

    Where
    Vesuvius terminal on the island's north-west side; this is the crossing to use from the Cowichan Valley/Duncan side of Vancouver Island, not Victoria
    When
    Almost hourly from about 7:30AM to about 10PM
    Fare (2026)
    Return CA$12.75 adult passenger, CA$6.40 child 5-11; standard vehicle CA$37.70 return (same tariff band as Fulford-Swartz Bay)
    Takes
    25 minutes
    Season
    Year-round
    Booking
    Walk-up loading; no reservation fee listed on this route's tariff sheet

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2024) · bcferries.com (2026-06) · confidence high

  3. 03
    Long Harbour – Tsawwassen (Southern Gulf Islands route)ferry

    Salt Spring Island (Long Harbour) to Vancouver (Tsawwassen), stopping at other Southern Gulf Islands

    Where
    Long Harbour terminal on the island's east side; this is the direct link toward Vancouver, but the ship also calls at Galiano, Mayne, Pender and/or Saturna depending on the sailing, so check the routing before boarding
    When
    About twice a day
    Fare (2026)
    One way CA$10.30 adult passenger regular fare (CA$5.15 off-peak-period prepaid), CA$31.20-40.70 standard vehicle depending on peak/off-peak
    Takes
    Crossing time varies with routing and can take up to 3 hours each way
    Season
    Year-round; off-peak weekday fares run mid-October to mid-March
    Booking
    Reservations recommended, especially in summer, online or by phone; the whole route sits behind a Queue-it waiting room on bcferries.com so the live schedule page can be slow to load

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2024) · bcferries.com (2026-06) · confidence high

  4. 04
    Southern Gulf Islands inter-island ferry (Galiano, Mayne, Pender, Saturna, Salt Spring)ferry

    Local BC Ferries sailings linking the smaller Southern Gulf Islands to each other and to Salt Spring, mostly by way of Swartz Bay

    Where
    Same vessels and terminals as the Swartz Bay routes; island-to-island travel commonly means sailing to Swartz Bay first and catching a second boat back out, so read the printed timetable's routing column, not just the times
    When
    A handful of sailings a day per island pair; timetable is notoriously hard to read because one sailing can serve several islands in sequence
    Fare (2026)
    One way CA$6.80 adult passenger, CA$3.40 child 5-11; standard vehicle CA$14.65 one way
    Takes
    Varies by island pair and routing, often over an hour once a Swartz Bay change is involved
    Season
    Year-round; winter schedules are thinner and a missed connection can mean a long wait
    Booking
    Walk-up loading; no reservation fee listed on this route's tariff sheet

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2024) · bcferries.com (2026-06) · confidence medium

  5. 05
    BC Transit Salt Spring Island Transit Systembus

    Six routes radiating from Ganges to each of the three ferry terminals and to Fernwood

    Where
    Stops at all three ferry docks and around Ganges; route 2 serves Fulford/Swartz Bay, route 3 serves Vesuvius/Crofton, route 4 serves Long Harbour
    When
    Timed to meet ferry arrivals and departures; most routes about every 2 hours, the least frequent 3-4 times a day
    Fare (2022)
    CA$2.25 cash fare
    Takes
    Varies by route; Ganges to Fulford Harbour or Vesuvius is 15-25 minutes
    Season
    Year-round; does not reach Ruckle Provincial Park, Mt Maxwell or the Sacred Lavender farm
    Booking
    None, pay on board

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2022-04) · confidence medium

  6. 06
    Gulf Islands Water Taxiwater taxi

    Ganges Harbour (Salt Spring) to Canoe Cove, Sidney, plus charter runs around the Southern Gulf Islands

    Where
    Launches from the Ganges Harbour dock; book ahead by phone or through the operator's website
    When
    On demand / scheduled runs, exact timetable not published on the page fetched
    Fare
    Not confirmed from the source fetched; no fare table found on the operator's site
    Takes
    Not confirmed from the source fetched
    Season
    Year-round, described as a regular commuter and charter service
    Booking
    Charter/scheduled service, contact operator to book

    Sources: gulfislandswatertaxi.com (2026-09) · confidence low

  7. 07
    Harbour Air Vancouver – Gangesseaplane

    Vancouver Harbour (downtown) and Vancouver International Airport's South Terminal to Ganges Harbour, Salt Spring Island

    Where
    Ganges Seaplane Dock, about 200m from the Tourist Information Centre; check in at the small terminal, not at the dock itself
    When
    Scheduled daily service; exact times not confirmed from the pages fetched
    Fare
    Not confirmed from the sources fetched
    Takes
    Under an hour
    Season
    Year-round
    Booking
    Book online; arrive 40 minutes before departure to check in at the terminal

    Sources: harbourair.com (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2022-04) · confidence medium

  8. 08
    Seair Seaplanes Vancouver Airport – Gangesseaplane

    Vancouver International Airport's south terminal to Ganges Harbour

    Where
    Ganges Seaplane Dock in downtown Ganges
    When
    Not confirmed; operator's own site could not be fetched (blocked by an Incapsula challenge)
    Fare
    Not confirmed
    Takes
    Not confirmed
    Season
    Not confirmed
    Booking
    Book through the operator; site could not be checked directly

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2022-04) · confidence low

  9. 09
    Bring your own bicyclebicycle

    Island-wide; free foot-passenger loading on all three ferry terminals

    Where
    Load with foot passengers at any terminal; no bike hire shop confirmed on the island from the sources fetched
    When
    Anytime a ferry runs
    Fare
    Free foot-passenger loading for bikes on the ferry; no per-trip charge confirmed
    Takes
    Varies; hills make cross-island rides slow
    Season
    Year-round; roads are narrow, hilly and twisty
    Booking
    None

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2024) · confidence medium

  10. 10
    Hitchhiking around the islandhitchhiking

    Anywhere on Salt Spring's road network

    Where
    Stand on the roadside with a thumb out; avoid the stretch of road where traffic is exiting a ferry onto the island
    When
    A pickup within 5-10 minutes is described as typical
    Fare
    None, no money changes hands
    Takes
    Varies by destination
    Season
    Year-round, described as commonly practised locally
    Booking
    None

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2024) · confidence medium

Not yet confirmed: No fare table or timetable could be found on the Gulf Islands Water Taxi's own site (Squarespace, no schedule/fare page located); ask at the Ganges Harbour dock or by phone before relying on it.; The school-boat service mentioned in local accounts (a water taxi running students between the outer Southern Gulf Islands and school on Salt Spring or Vancouver Island) could not be confirmed from any source fetched; ask BC Transit or the school district.; Seair Seaplanes' own site returned an Incapsula bot-challenge page on every fetch attempt, so its Salt Spring schedule and fares are unconfirmed beyond the Wikivoyage mention.; Whether Fulford Harbour-Swartz Bay, Vesuvius-Crofton or the inter-island Southern Gulf Islands ferry take vehicle reservations at all could not be confirmed; their tariff sheets, unlike the Tsawwassen mainline routes, list no separate reservation fee line, which is suggestive but not a direct statement that reservations are unavailable - ask BC Ferries or check at the terminal.; Summer market-day crowding in Ganges (mentioned in the research brief) could not be confirmed or dated from any source fetched.; Live BC Ferries schedule pages sit behind a Queue-it waiting room (bcferries.com/routes-fares/schedules/*); this matches docs/13-api-inventory.md. The third-party bcferriesapi.ca/api/ endpoint (also listed there) currently returns live sailing data keyed by terminal code for FUL-SWB, LNG-HSB, SWB-FUL/SGI/TSA and TSA-DUK/SGI/SWB, but did not return a Vesuvius (VES) or Crofton (CRO) entry at the time fetched - it looks like a rolling short-term window rather than a full schedule, so treat gaps in it as 'not in this window', not 'no service'.; Could not identify BC Transit's Salt Spring Island GTFS operatorId by brute-force probing bct.tmix.se/Tmix.Cap.TdExport.WebApi/gtfs/?operatorIds=<n> (tried 1-70; none matched Salt Spring's route names) - docs/13-api-inventory.md's GTFS entry only confirms Sunshine Coast (18) and Powell River (29), and Salt Spring's operator id should be treated as still unmapped rather than assumed absent..

The field note on Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.