9 Day Escorted Tour
This coach tour through the Canadian Rockies between Calgary and Vancouver has a maximum of just 28 guests^ for a more intimate touring experience. With the option of adding the Rocky Mountaineer, this is one of our most popular guided coach tours.
Visit: Vancouver | Sunpeaks | Jasper | Athabasca Glacier | Icefields Parkway | Lake Louise | Banff
You’ll see the very best of the amazing Rockies scenery on this tour, with every guest guaranteed a window seat. From the coastal city of Vancouver to the mountain retreat of Sun Peaks and Jasper; the awesome majesty of the Athabasca Glacier to the stunning beauty of Lake Louise, Peyto and Emerald Lakes. Look for moose, elk and mountain sheep along the Icefields Parkway; shop in Robson Street’s designer shops or wander the heart of Banff. This tour has it all.
Tour Highlights
Vancouver, Canada’s most livable city
Sun Peaks and Jasper, idyllic Alpine villages
Lake Louise, Jewel of the Rockies
Ride on the Athabasca Glacier
Small groups - so every seat is a window seat^
Day 1: Vancouver
Arrive in the cosmopolitan city of Vancouver and transfer to your downtown hotel. Get acquainted with your travelling companions at a welcome to Canada dinner this evening. (D) Hotel for 2 nights: Rosedale on Robson
Day 2: Vancouver
Vancouver is one of the most captivating cities in Canada, with its multicultural fusion and spectacular mountain and ocean setting. A city tour includes Stanley Park, Chinatown, English Bay as well as some prestigious residential areas of Vancouver. Visit Capilano Park and experience the suspension bridge, the tree top adventure and the cliff walk, plus Salish First Nations culture. (B)
Day 3: Vancouver - Sun Peaks
Today travel the fertile Fraser Valley through the Coastal Mountains and into the rugged BC Interior. Your destination is Sun Peaks, a cozy European-style four season resort town with tons of great restaurants and shops in strolling distance. (B) Hotel: Sun Peaks Grand Hotel
Rocky Mountaineer Option: Instead of traveling by land on days 3 & 4, experience one of the greatest rail journeys in the world on board the Rocky Mountaineer.
Day 4: Sun Peaks - Jasper
An unforgettable highlight today is a River Safari ride through Grizzly Bear Valley, right in the heart of the world’s only inland temperate rainforest. Observe bears and other wildlife in their natural environment, without the constraints of gates and cages, from the safety of a boat mid river, presenting the optimum opportunity for the perfect snapshot. Today’s journey takes you into the great Canadian Rockies. A stop is made at Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, as you head to the quaint mountain town of Jasper. Hotel for 2 nights: Chateau Jasper.
Day 5: Jasper
Start the day with a ride up Whistler Mountain on the Jasper Tram and enjoy breakfast at the top. A full day of sightseeing follows including a gentle walk down Maligne Canyon to see how the water has carved spectacular crevices out of the mountain. A short drive takes you to Maligne Lake, the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. This evening enjoy an optional float trip down the Athabasca River. (B)
Day 6: Jasper - Lake Louise
Today drive one of the world’s most spectacular highways, the Icefields Parkway. Visit the powerful and breathtaking Athabasca Falls, then arrive at the vast Columbia Icefields whose waters feed three oceans. Visit the Interpretive Centre, then have the experience of a lifetime - a ride on the Ice Explorer for a close up look at Athabasca glacier. At the summit of Bow Pass see the beautiful baby blue waters of Peyto Lake and the rugged beauty of the Mistaya River Valley before arriving in Lake Louise, jewel of the Rockies surrounded by glistening glaciers and towering mountain peaks. (L) Hotel: Deer Lodge
Day 7: Lake Louise - Banff
Explore the western part of the mountain chain and cross the Continental Divide into Yoho National Park. Visit Takakkaw Falls and Emerald Lake, filled with glacial run-off water that makes it glisten with the blue-green hue of an emerald. Then travel the famous Bow Valley Parkway, where wildlife sightings are common. Stop at Johnston Canyon for an easy walk through a deep rugged canyon littered with waterfalls, then arrive in Banff, home of Canada’s first national park. (L) Hotel for 2 nights: Ptarmigan Inn.
Day 8: Banff
Explore Banff on a sightseeing tour with stops at Cascade Gardens and beautiful Bow Falls, then ride the gondola up Sulphur Mountain for an unparallel view of the mountains and valley below. Also included is time at Cave & Basin National Historic Site, which tells the story of the hot springs that drew visitors to Banff in the first place. Tonight enjoy a farewell dinner with newfound friends. (B, D)
Day 9: Banff - Calgary
Transfer to Calgary for your journey home or onward travel arrangements (B)
This itinerary is also available in reverse from Calgary to Vancouver. The itinerary may vary slightly but inclusions and durations are the same.
Rocky Mountaineer
Experience the most spectacular train trip in the world on board the Rocky Mountaineer’s Journey Through the Clouds from Vancouver to Jasper on Days 3 & 4 (Days
6 & 7 westbound) with an overnight in Kamloops.
Day 3: Vancouver - Kamloops
Travel onboard the Rocky Mountaineer through the Fraser Valley and the scenic Fraser Canyon, past Hell’s Gate where you will watch water cascade past the canyon’s walls. On leaving the Fraser Canyon follow the Thompson River to the city of Kamloops. (B, L)
Day 4: Kamloops - Jasper
Travel into the snowy peaks of the Monashee and Cariboo Mountains. Pass by Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies at 3954 metres (12,972ft),
before entering Jasper National Park. Arrive in Jasper early this evening where you rejoin the coach tour.
(B, L)
Calgary Stampede Extension
Kick up your heels and yee-haw your way through three days of fun at the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, the Calgary Stampede.
Package Includes:
3 nights accommodation
Ticket to afternoon rodeo with souvenir program
Ticket to evening chuckwagon races and show with souvenir programme
2 days entrance to Stampede grounds
2 day train pass to reach Stampede grounds
Calgary Tower Elevation Pass
Calgary Stampede souvenir T-shirt and carry bag
Skyride over the Stampede grounds
Alaska Cruise Extension
Add an Alaska cruise before your tour, or after it if travelling from Calgary, to make the ultimate Rockies and Alaska experience. Depending on your chosen cruise
we may need to add extra nights to your itinerary in Vancouver; we’ll be happy to advise on hotels and costs.
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