We did it! We’re finally in BC, and it’s exactly as beautiful as we expected (and have been told!) We left Calgary on a cold morning last week and arrived in sunny Kamloops later that day. After a night in what we realized is a quite unique city, we went from Kamloops to Kelowna to settle down, we thought – but that didn’t happen!
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One day in Kamloops
Let’s take it from the beginning – first out, Kamloops. Such a charming town with beautiful surrounding hills. We only had one day to explore Kamloops, but plan on going back later this summer. Although we were a bit short on time, we still had the opportunity to see a bit of the city centre.
Maybe you’ve read last week’s post already? Then you know that I fell in love with some of the beautiful bridges in Calgary. That fascination seems to have stuck so this time I took a lot of photos of the bridges in Kamloops instead. There’s something about bridges, you know? Especially in combination with flowing water right under them. It’s just so peaceful and I really love the reflection of the bridge in the water – especially at sunsets! But, basically everything gets better at sunsets, right?
We also tried to make it to Peterson Falls but had to turn around after having walked for a while – there was still some ice left on the trails and we didn’t feel safe walking on it since it was rather steep. Well, another reason to go back later to Kamloops!
From Kamloops to Kelowna – on the bus
We took Riders Express from Calgary to Kamloops and we took Ebus from there to Kelowna. I think I prefer going by train to be honest, but, unfortunately, there’s no such option here – the train would only take us to Kamloops (and we would have had to go from Edmonton, it doesn’t pass by Calgary) and then it goes directly from there to Vancouver.
When Greyhound decided to stop running in this part of Canada, it made it even more difficult to get around – but don’t let that stop you from exploring this beautiful part of Canada!
A weekend in Kelowna
When we realized we weren’t going to settle down in Kelowna (continue reading to know why!) we wanted to get the most out of our weekend in the city. It was pretty easy for us to decide what to do – time for some hiking!
Knox Mountain Park
Fredrik and I quickly found this easy-to-get-to but very rewarding hike. It’s accessible from downtown Kelowna, around 45 minutes away by foot, and will give you amazing views. You don’t even have to go all the way to the top if you don’t want to, although I definitely recommend it, the views over the lake are still amazing. If you don’t feel like hiking or don’t have the possibility to, it’s also possible to go up by car – that will make it much easier for you to get to these lovely views!
Walk along the shoreline
My second tip for a nice experience in Kelowna is to go for a walk along the shoreline. There are several parks to visit and different beaches along the way. Even though you haven’t hiked up a mountain, you’ll still have some beautiful views and it’s a nice place to just stroll around and (hopefully) enjoy some sun!
Wineries
Of course, you have to visit a winery when you’re here! Although actually, we didn’t. The reason behind that is simply that we have plans on returning with a car this summer, which makes it all a bit easier – but make sure to check this out before leaving Kelowna and the Okanagan, you have a really good chance to taste (and buy!) some delicious wines here!
Leaving Kelowna – what’s next?
As I told you at the beginning of this post, our plans quite drastically changed – we’re not going to settle down in Kelowna. Instead, we have some quite interesting (well, I assume and hope!) weeks ahead of us in Penticton. Penticton is just about an hour away, south of Kelowna, and we’re going there to volunteer for a couple that needs help around their house and garden. In exchange for helping them for about 25 hours per week, we’ll get room and board for free. Pretty neat, huh? I’m super excited about this new adventure and I think Fredrik is too! Read more about how I like to travel for free like this and come back next week for an update on how life is in Penticton!
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