Canada Guide
Southern British Columbia
The Okanagan
The vine- and orchard-covered hills and warm-water lakes of the Okanagan, located in south-central British Columbia, are in marked contrast to the rugged beauty of the region's more mountainous interior, and have made the region not only one of Canada's most favoured fruit-growing areas but also one of its most popular summer-holiday destinations. However, unless you want (occasionally) rowdy beach life or enjoy mixing with families on their annual holiday, you'll probably want to ignore the area altogether in summer. Three main centres – Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton, ranging from north to south along the hundred-kilometre-long Okanagan Lake – together contain the lion's share of the province's interior population. All have fairly unpleasant downtown cores that embrace concrete, cars and unbridled construction, with an array of accommodation and tacky attractions for the summer hordes. As ever in BC, however, things improve immeasurably if you can slip away from the towns and head for the hills or quieter stretches of lakeshore.