Vancouver is unique in the world, as a modern cosmopolitan metropolis which sits at the very edge of a huge and very wild area of forest, fjords, islands, and high mountains. From the top of one of the 3 Vancouver ski stations (Grouse, Cypress, or Seymour) one looks south across metropolitan Vancouver (2.2 million) towards the Gulf Islands, Vancouver island, Mount Baker, and the Seattle metropolis (2.6 million). To the north one sees a vast expanse of mountains, glaciers and forest, with no evidence of any humans. This area, extending 2000 km up to the arctic, only crosses 2 paved roads on the way. It is populated by cougars (pumas), grizzly and black bears, wolves, eagles, moose, elk, and countless smaller species, which occasionally descend into Vancouver.

In the winter many tourists come to for skiing. Whistler-Blackcomb, the largest ski station in North America, is 60 km north of Vancouver. In the summer (beginning May-June) even more people come for kayaking and canoeing, sailing, hiking and camping, mountaineering and rock-climbing, or just to enjoy the many km of beaches in the Vancouver area, or out in the hundreds of islands which lie between Vancouver island and the mainland.

More information can be found from Vancouver tourism, or by exploring the information on the relevant PITP webpages and links. See also our ever-expanding PITP photo gallery, and links to other photo webpages. For those visiting the UBC campus, there are many things to do, ranging from exploring the beaches to visiting the Nitobe gardens, the vast Pacific Spirit park, and the world-famous UBC anthropology museum.

For information on accommodation, both on and off campus, eating and restaurants, etc., go to the links PITP webpages.