Welcome to the Cowichan region

The Cowichan region extends from the top of the Malahat to just beyond Ladysmith in the north and offshore to the Gulf Islands: Valdes, Thetis, and Penelakut (formerly Kuper Island) on Vancouver Island’s east coast. It runs west to Shawnigan and Cowichan lakes, the Cowichan, Chemainus and Koksilah valleys, and the Carmanah and Walbran valleys and Nitinat Lake as well as the south part of the Pacific Rim National Park.

The size of the region is 3,730 square kilometers or 1,440 square miles and consists of four municipalities: Duncan, North Cowichan, Lake Cowichan and Ladysmith and more than a dozen other small villages and hamlets, each with its own unique character.  The region’s recreation options are limitless.  Whether one wants a leisurely stroll or a strenuous mountain hike, a casual paddle or white water kayaking, golfing, fishing or cycling the Trans Canada Trail, swimming in one of the many lakes or rivers or diving in the cold waters of the ocean, it and more are available.  There is a lively and diverse music scene, many theatres, galleries, and museums, festivals and galas.

The Cowichan (Quw’utsun) takes its name from Hul’q’umi’num, the language of the Coast Salish.  It translates variously as “basking in the sun” or “warm back” or as it is most often called “the warm land”.  It is a fitting name for an area that contains some of the richest agricultural land on the West Coast and that boasts a maritime, Mediterranean climate with warm dry summers and mild, moist winters, an area where farmers and avid gardeners can grow vegetables all year long.

The region is home to dozens of large and small farms, wineries, cideries, and craft breweries, even a tea farm.  There are many excellent cafes and restaurants featuring local produce and farmers’markets that operate all year round where you can buy everything from gourmet lettuce to artichokes, from sizzling hot sauces to jams, hand crafted soaps to lotions and potions, from juice to fine wine, warm fresh bread to scrumptious pies and pastries – even delectable gluten free, vegan or dairy free goodies. 

In short, the Cowichan region is a wonderland, a warm area of varied topography nestled between Victoria and Nanaimo.