British Columbia

Think of British Columbia, Canada’s westernmost province, as a spectacular adventure playground. Stand high above a river canyon before free falling on your first heart-thumping bungee jump. Take a kayak out for an evening spin, the ocean lit by the summer moon. Feel your skin tingle after a hot-stone massage in a grotto spa. Zip-trek through a forest of Douglas fir, then go caving to view crystal formations like the laughing Buddha. Whisk between Whistler and Blackcomb along the world’s highest and longest unsupported lift span— the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola— in 11 minutes. Take a flightseeing tour over the vast, preserved parks of Haida Gwaii; be awed by the surviving collection of original, majestic totem poles. Explore pristine ecosystems where some of the world’s largest predators—grizzlies, black bears and orcas—still thrive. BC has plenty of cultural sophistication, too. Let your appetite guide you on a culinary odyssey through Victoria’s colorful Chinatown , or go for traditional English tea. Mix spa and wine in the Okanagan. Window shop at the high-end designer boutiques of Burrard, Granville and Robson streets. Wind up at Vancouver’s tallest building, the new 61-storey Shangri-La Hotel; its kitchen is helmed by a Michelin three-star chef—just one of the new hotels, restaurants and lounges upping the ante in anticipation of the excitement coming to the city for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.