Wonders of the Canadian Rockies

Trendy restaurants, a lively nightlife scene and all the honky tonk fun you could ever want, fun loving Calgary is ready for you! After settling into your hotel, meet up with your Travel Director, then head out to discover the city for yourself. Need a good coffee to wake yourself up after a long flight? Then the neighborhoods of Inglewood and Kensington should be high on your agenda on your Canadian Rocky Mountains value tour.

Begin the day with an Iconic Breakfast in Heritage Park Historical Village, where you will be met by an interpreter for an overview of Gasoline Alley Museum, the world's largest public collection of antique vehicles and oil- and gas-related artefacts. Then hit the road in the direction of Lake Louise, one of the most beautiful lakes in North America. The journey is part of the adventure so enjoy watching the changing landscape from the comfort of your seat as the craggy, snow-capped peaks of the Rockies come into view. Continue towards Banff, famed for its world-class national parks, emerald-green lakes and dramatic vistas. You’ll get a taste of all this and more on a sightseeing tour along Tunnel Mountain Drive. Take in sights such as Cascade Mountain, Mt. Rundle, Bow Falls, and the surreal, nature beaten hoodoos rock formations, which have gained their unusual, twisted shapes over years of erosion from water and wind.

Rise and shine! Start the day with a selection of tempting helicopter flights (weather dependent). In Banff, take a sightseeing tour along Tunnel Mountain Drive ticking off Cascade Mountain, Mt. Rundle, Bow Falls and the surreal hoodoos. Spend the rest of the day your way with a range of Choice Experiences to tempt. Choose Golf with a view at Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course or join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience Plant Medicine Walk with a First Nations Local Specialist. Or, in Canmore, get up on four wheels with an e-bike food tour. Tonight, you can opt to end the evening with a Gondola ride and dinner with a view.

The Rockies, ancient glaciers, mountain lakes and sweeping valleys… it could only be the iconic Icefields Parkway. Make your way up to the Columbia Icefield for a ride on the giant Ice Explorer across the Athabasca Glacier before trekking across the ice for your first sip of fresh glacial water. Visit Athabasca Falls and continue to Jasper, the perfect spot to get back to nature. Tonight, you could choose to see the "From Jasper With Love” energetic, live theater performance.

As the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, explore exactly as you like with Choice Experiences. Spot wildlife as you float down the Athabasca River. Have your heart set on beautiful Maligne Lake? A boat cruise around the largest glacially fed lake in the Canadian Rockies could be perfect for you. If you’re looking to get active, choose to see the park on a guided nature hike. Food-lovers can join a Jasper Food Tour or three-course dinner followed by a twilight wildlife tour & interpretive “Horns and Antlers” talk at Becker's Chalets not offered to the general public. There’s so much to choose on this action-packed day of your Canadian Rocky Mountains value tour!

Ahh, Jasper. Your time here isn’t over yet! Your journey through the park takes you past towering pines, surging rivers, waterfalls and alpine meadows. The crowning glory will no doubt be your first glimpse of Mount Robson, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most prominent mountain in the North American Rockies and the highest point in the Canadian range. Next up: Sun Peaks.

Today you will drive to the coast where you will board a ferry bound for Vancouver Island. After docking at Swartz Bay and making the short drive into Victoria, you’ll no doubt be struck by the English influence of the city. An introductory sightseeing tour will take you along the waterfront district and into the downtown area, passing the Parliament Buildings, Government Street and through Beacon Hill Park so you can really get your bearings. Keen to explore even further? Victoria has more cycle routes than any other Canadian city, so the best way to get around is undoubtedly on two wheels.

The blooms and blossoms of world-famous Butchart Gardens is a gardener’s paradise. Stroll through this 55-acre showcase of gardens to see why it has been named a national historic site of Canada. The rest of the day is yours to explore Victoria your way. Take in the Olympic Mountains, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, James and Sydney Islands and the Saanich Peninsula on the Victoria Panorama seaplane tour. Or, wildlife fans will want to join a Victoria Whale Watching cruise keeping an eye out for the “locals.”

Framed by dramatic vistas on all sides, Vancouver is known as a nature haven and adventure hub. It’s the type of place where residents (and visitors) can ski in the morning and then go for a swim in the ocean in the afternoon. Arriving by ferry, kick off your stay with a tour of historic Gastown, vibrant Chinatown and the green jewel in the city's crown, Stanley Park. Tonight, why not choose to celebrate an amazing end to your Canadian Rocky Mountains tour with a three-course dinner at a local restaurant? Enjoy!

No doubt leaving with happy memories of warm Canadian hospitality and glorious glacier fed lakes, your trip will come to an end today. Depart at leisure today and bid a fond Canadian Farewell.