The Okanagan Valley is one of British Columbia's leading wine regions, producing award-winning vintages. In addition to wine tastings, festivals and visits to farmers' markets, popular activities include cycling along the Kettle Valley Rail Trail by Myra Canyon, and boating on Okanagan Lake. Sunny and warm, scented with sage, with lavender fields and vineyards covering the hillsides, the long valley is indeed fed by this vast lake.
Located in the heart of Okanagan wine country, good food and drink take center stage in the city of Kelowna, along with golf, skiing and boating on the lake. Go wine or cider tasting, pick up local fruit at an orchard, go cycling, hiking or even snowshoeing in winter. Kelowna is the valley's main city, but several other towns are also worth a detour: Osoyoos, the hottest spot in Canada, Penticton, whose name means “a place to stay forever”, Oliver, Peachland, Keremeos...
Far from the bustle of Kelowna or Penticton, Naramata is a quiet, peaceful village best explored on foot or by bike. Set on a hillside, its streets wind down toward Okanagan Lake between vineyards and orchards. Many artists have settled here, and their studio doors are open to visitors. Manitou Park has a small sandy beach for cooling off in summer, and near the pier, at Wharf Park, a weekly market of local produce and crafts sets up during the summer season.
