Aerial view of Vancouver Island, British Columbia (© edb3_16/Getty Images)

This is not your usual coastal holiday spot, unless your idea of a getaway includes hiking through rainforests and spotting black bears from the trail. On Vancouver Island, the Pacific crashes into cliffs and the fog rolls in covering the long-standing trees. This rugged landmass off British Columbia's southwest coast has long been home to Indigenous communities, including the Nuu-chah-nulth, Coast Salish and Kwakwaka'wakw peoples. The island's colonial past began in the mid-1800s with the Hudson's Bay Company and the British Crown establishing settlements like Fort Victoria.