DAY 1
Depart on your scheduled flight to Calgary. On arrival transfer to your hotel for an overnight stay.
DAY 2
Once a frontier post of the North West Mounted Police and now world-famous for its annual Stampede, Calgary is an ideal location for your first taste of Canada and its way of life.
An included morning sightseeing tour of the city includes Fort Calgary, the Saddledome Stadium and the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics.
This afternoon drive to the town of Banff for a three night stay in the Banff National Park; a natural starting point for your Rockies adventure. Upon arrival you will be taken on an included sightseeing tour of Banff. This takes you to Surprise Corner, the Hoodoos and the Bow River.
DAY 3
Free in Banff. An interesting programme of optional excursions will be available to ensure that you see as much as possible of the spectacular Rockies scenery.
DAY 4
Full day optional excursion to Lake Louise. Many writers have described Lake Louise as the most beautiful place in Canada – a glacial, jade-green lake, high in the mountains surrounded on all sides by towering peaks.
DAY 5
Depart Banff and head north along one of North America’s most majestic highways. At times, the Banff-Jasper Highway reaches nearly 7,000ft above sea level, whilst the great mountain ranges flanking both sides of the highway soar to more than 11,000ft. A stop will be made at the Great Columbia Icefield where there will be the opportunity to take an Ice Explorer ride across the Athabasca Glacier. Early evening arrival in Jasper for a three night stay.
DAYS 6 & 7
Free in Jasper, a former railroad town and now the focal point of its own breathtakingly beautiful national park. Jasper is ideally situated for excursions to the surrounding area, and optional excursions will include Whistler’s Mountain Aerial Tramway and a visit to Maligne Lake, a unique and most spectacular sight. Perhaps enjoy a nature walk in Jasper with experienced guides. On another excursion, the more adventurous can join the unique Athabasca River Raft Tour, shooting the rapids on a two hour adventure down the glacial river – don’t worry, it’s not as dangerous as it sounds! (subject to season).
DAY 8
The start of a memorable two-day journey begins as you board the Rocky Mountaineer train in Jasper and settle into your roomy reclining seat in air-conditioned comfort. An on-board commentary ensures that you will miss nothing as the train forges its way through the grandeur of the Rockies. The superb scenery continues past the snow-capped peaks of the Monashee Mountains. The North Thompson River is crossed several times before the railway follows it all the way to Kamloops. Upon arrival in Kamloops, transfer to your hotel for an overnight stay.
DAY 9
This morning you will re-board the train and continue your journey from Kamloops to Vancouver, following the Thompson River. Eventually the Thompson merges with the Fraser River, which the train follows nearly all the way to Vancouver. After the town of Hope the rugged canyons give way to the fertile fields of the Fraser River Valley. On arrival in Vancouver transfer to your hotel for a three night stay.
DAY 10
Vancouver has one of the most beautiful settings of any city in the world. It is surrounded by mountains, forests and beautiful islands. As Canada’s third largest city, it is a busy seaport and important centre for the fishing and timber industries. This morning you will depart on an included introductory half day tour of the city during which you will visit Chinatown, Gastown, the remarkable 1,000 acre Stanley Park with its famous totem poles and the magnificent harbour.
There is certainly plenty to see and do in Vancouver. An optional half day excursion will be available on Vancouver’s Northshore featuring the spectacular Capilano suspension bridge and a cable car ride up Grouse Mountain for breathtaking views of the city and the snow-capped mountains of Washington State (America) and Vancouver Island. Perhaps the most popular excursion is to Victoria, capital of British Columbia, where much of its British Victorian heritage is still preserved. The full day trip includes a ferry across to the island, and visits the marvellous Butchart Gardens, Parliament Building and the fabled Empress Hotel. What’s more, for those of you with friends or relations in the area, our stay in Vancouver allows plenty of time to stop by and say hello.
DAYS 11 & 12
Free in Vancouver, until afternoon transfer on Day 12 to the airport for your return flight to the UK.
DAY 13
Arrival in the UK.