13 Day Small Group Tour
These tours have no more than nine guests and the driver guide will design each day around guests' requests, making this the ideal choice for those looking for a more flexible escorted tour. Each day will bring new experiences and there’s a strong wildlife focus.
Visit: Clearwater | Jasper | Icefields Parkway | Lake Louise | Banff | Waterton Park| Fernie | Kimberley| Nelson | Osoyoos
Travel from Vancouver to Clearwater in central British Columbia and spend some time exploring Wells Gray Park. Next, drive into the Rockies and the beautiful mountain resort of Jasper for a 2 night stay. Enjoy a full day with your guide exploring the area. After a second night in Jasper, it's time to journey along the spectacular Icefields Parkway to Banff. From here you will visit Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and explore the amazing scenery of one of Canada's first National Parks. Leave Banff and travel to Waterton National Park for a 2 night stay. Enjoy a day searching for local wildlife and taking in the area's best sites. After your stay in Waterton, travel back through British Columbia with stays in Fernie and Kimberley, then stay for 2 nights in Nelson located in the soaring Kootenay mountains. A final night is spent in Osoyoos with a chance to visit some of the area's superb wineries before you return to Vancouver.
Your journey is onboard a small mini-van with a maximum of 9 guests and your driver-guide. This small group tour experience allows you to visit the areas the larger coach parties can't, and also gives your guide the opportunity to tailor the sightseeing to maximise the chances for wildlife viewing and to take into account any specific requests by the guests on any given day.
Tour Highlights
Experience the freedom and spontaneity of small group touring
Explore the incredible Rockies
Stunning scenery of lesser known National Parks
Day 1: Vancouver - Clearwater
Leave Vancouver and cross over the Coast Mountains to Kamloops and follow the North Thompson River to Clearwater and the Wells Gray Park.
Day 2: Clearwater - Jasper
Spend the morning exploring Wells Gray Park before heading past Mt. Robson to Jasper for a two night stay.
Day 3: Jasper
A lot depends on the weather and the wildlife today; your guide will design this day to suit the local conditions.
Day 4: Icefields Parkway - Banff
Travel the famous Icefields Parkway stopping along the way to capture the sights and sounds of placid lakes, rushing glacier water and the local wildlife. See Athabasca and Dome Glaciers as well as Peyto and Bow Lakes. End the day with a tour of Banff where you stay for two nights.
Day 5: Lake Louise / Banff
Enjoy the beauty of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake with a stroll along their shores or for the more ambitious take a mountain walk to the famous Lake Agnes Tea House; return to Banff for free time or optional tours.
Day 6: Banff - Waterton Park
Travel the east side of the Rockies to the Waterton Park, the cattle ranch land of Canada. Along the way you will see a variety of wildlife and the dry side of the Rockies. Spend two nights in Waterton Park.
Day 7: Waterton Park
Spend the day sightseeing for wildlife and enjoying the spectacular vistas in the Park and take the boat tour (weather permitting) to explore some of the less accessible walks and sites.
Day 8: Waterton - Fernie
Fernie is one of the most untouched parts of the Rockies with great and easy access. Today you will sightsee, with short walks and hikes in the mountains surrounding Fernie.
Day 9: Fernie – Kimberley
Head west today, with options along the way to see the historic Fort Steele and some natural hot springs. Spend tonight on the Indian Reserve at a hotel operated by the 1st Nations band in the Kootenays.
Day 10: Kimberley - Nelson
Travel through the winding landscape of beautiful southern BC to Nelson, a town full of heritage buildings and a friendly local population that is unlike anything in Canada. Stay two nights at the historic Hume Hotel, one of the original hotels built in the Gold Boom times.
Day 11: Nelson
This area sits amongst the soaring mountains and you will explore the hot springs and the old mining history of the Kootenays today.
Day 12: Nelson - Osoyoos
Journey through the effervescent landscape and historic sites of Western Canada’s gold and silver mining towns to the Okanagan vineyards and wineries. Visit and taste some of the wines of the 1st Nations vineyard in Osoyoos.
Day 13: Osoyoos - Vancouver
See the Fraser River and the farming area of the Fraser delta as you travel back to Vancouver where you should arrive around 6pm.
|
