Excursions

There will be whale watching tours and trips to Butchart Gardens available during the conference. If you have signed up for whale watching, please read the additional information on this page. Also, the Monday morning coffee and Victoria city bus tour information can be read here.

Tours to go whale watching can be booked for $95 per person (this includes a box lunch), and this option will be available when you register for the conference. Please note: there are a limited number of positions available in our group booking, and availability will be on a first-come basis.

Whale watching can be booked in either a covered boat, or in a zodiac.

The covered boat is more comfortable, has outside viewing decks and heated inside cabins, washroom facilities, and can carry more people at a slower speed out to the whale watching site.

For those who enjoy travelling in the open air, zodiacs are also available. A zodiac is a high speed open boat which accommodates 12 passengers per vessel. These are ridged-hulled vessels which can travel very quickly to and from the whale watching site. There are no washroom facilities and little ability to move around the moving boat. Passengers are required to wear the provided full-length cruiser suits. We have made arrangements with SpringTide Whale Watching, and more information about the tours can be obtained from their website.

The Butchart Gardens is a world famous attraction located 20 kms from the Empress Hotel. For those interested in travelling by bus to the gardens, arrangements may be made with the Empress Hotel concierge. Buses leave from the street in front of the hotel regularly through the day and into the evening. The Butchart Gardens webpage is here.