Best of the Great Canadian Rockies - GUARANTEED! - from $2495.00 CAD + tax

Themes: Tours & Vacations

Highlights

• Calgary City Tour / Calgary Tower
• Banff Sightseeing
• Cascade Gardens / Bow Falls
• Johnston’s Canyon / Continental Divide
• Lake Louise / Morraine Lake
• Yoho National Park / Takakkaw Falls
• Emerald Lake
• Peyto Lake / Columbia Icefields
• Ice Explorer Ride / Athabasca Falls
• Jasper Sightseeing / Jasper Tramway
• Maligne Canyon Walk
• Mount Robson / Sun Peaks Resort
• Vancouver City Tour
• Capilano Suspension Bridge
• Stanley Park / Gastown
• Whistler Village
• Victoria City Tour
• Butchart Gardens
• Airport Transfers
• 7 meals: 4 breakfasts, 1 lunches, 2 dinners
• Baggage Handling
• Professional Tour Director
• Deluxe Motorcoach

Destinations: Alberta: Calgary, Alberta: Banff, Alberta: Jasper, British Columbia: Sun Peaks, British Columbia: Vancouver, British Columbia: Whistler, British Columbia: Victoria

Day 1:

Depart home city and arrive in the cosmopolitan city of Vancouver. The rest of the day is at leisure. Enjoy a get acquainted dinner this evening. (D)

Day 2:

Travel via BC Ferry from the mainland of British Columbia to Vancouver Island. A short drive brings you to Victoria, the capital city of the Province of BC. Enjoy a city tour of this elegant old world city and see the spectacular gardens and unique Victoria era architecture. There will be time to walk along the harbour, visit the parliament buildings or shop at nearby British stores. Take an optional whale watching tour to see orcas, gray, humpback and other whales as well as hundreds of Stellar and California Sea Lions. (B)

Day 3:

No visit to Victoria would be complete without a stop a the beautiful Butchart Gardens to stroll through the famous gardens and elaborate fountains. Return to the mainland via ferry and travel the Sea to Sky Highway that follows the valley of the Cheakamus, which plunges over a considerable escarpment at Brandywine Falls. Arrive in the mountain resort of Whistler, home to jagged peaks, glistening lakes and lush coastal forests. Browse through the boutique shops and saunter through the "pedestrian only" village of Whistler. See some of the venues and sites made famous during the 2010 Winter Olympics!

Day 4:

Return back to the exciting city of Vancouver, delight in a city tour that includes Stanley Park, Chinatown, English Bay, as well as some prestigious residential areas of Vancouver. Visit Capilano Suspension Bridge and breathe in the cedar - scented rainforest air as you make your way across Vancouver's famous landmark.

Day 5:

Continue east towards the Cariboo Plateau offering breathtaking and varied scenery. Arrive at Sun Peaks Resort, a cozy European-style village complete with bell tower. The narrow streets are great for strolling and are lined with restaurants and shops exuding warmth and hospitality. (B)

Day 6:

Follow the North Thompson, a beautiful blue-green river, weaving through heavy forest of Cedar, Fir and Spruce. Travel west past Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies and arrive in the quaint mountain town of Jasper. This evening enjoy an optional float trip down the Athabasca River.

Day 7:

Begin today with a gentle ride up Whistler Mountain into Jasper National Parks alpine tundra 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 and you arrive at Maligne Lake, the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. (B)

Day 8:

Today, with cameras ready, drive one of the world's most spectacular mountain highways through the Icefields Parkway. See unsurpassed mountain scenery paralleling the Great Divide with opportunities to see elk, moose, goats, sheep and possibly a bear. Visit the powerful and breathtaking Athabasca Falls. Not to be missed is the experience of a lifetime - a ride on the Ice Explorer at the Columbia Icefields for a close up look at Athabasca glacier. Continue south, stop at the summit of Bow Pass to see the beautiful soft baby blue waters of Peyto Lake and the rugged beauty of the Mistaya River Valley. (L)

Day 9:

This morning travel the famous Bow Valley Parkway. Stop at Johnston Canyon for an easy walk through a deep rugged canyon littered with waterfalls. Then pass where the forest parts to reveal outstanding views of the fortress-like Castle Mountain. Continue to Lake Louise known as the Diamond in the Wilderness and one of the most photographed places in the world. See the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise surrounded by glistening glaciers and overlooking the crystal clear lake. Visit the nearby Morraine Lake, a crystal clear blue-green lake in a valley hemmed in by ten lofty mountain peaks. Cross the Continental Divide where the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean divide and into Yoho National Park with some of the most sublime scenery in North America. Visit Takakkaw Falls, (higher than Niagara Falls) and Emerald Lake, filled with glacial run-off water that makes it glisten with the blue-green hue of an emerald. (B)

Day 10:

Explore Banff on a sightseeing tour with stops at Cascade Gardens, one of Canada's finest historic landscapes and beautiful Bow Falls located near the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, a symbol of Rocky Mountain magnificence for more than a century. Great viewpoints exist along footpaths on both side of the river. Watch the towering mountains disappear as you travel east to Calgary, the Heart of the New West, nestled in the foothills of Canada's Rocky Mountains. Enjoy a farewell dinner at the hotel with new found friends. (D)

Day 11:

Discover Calgary on a city tour including Downtown, Chinatown, Au Claire Market and the Kensington District. Take a short elevator ride to the top of the Calgary Tower and see an unsurpassed view of the Rocky Mountains to the west. Be sure to walk "out into space" by venturing onto the new glass floor and look directly below at the heart of the city. Transfer to the International Airport in the afternoon for your return flight home.

Select departures will operate in reverse; see Rates & Dates section for details.

Note: Prices shown are per person and based on occupancy category

• Departures of May 18, June 8, July 13, August 24 & September 14 will operate in reverse direction, beginning in Calgary and ending in Vancouver.
• Rates are subject to 5% GST.

Payment

A non-refundable $200 deposit per person is payable upon booking with the remaining balance due 75 days prior to departure.

Cancellation Terms

In the event of cancellation, the following penalties will apply:

- Between 75 days to day of departure and after departure: 100% of the total tour price will be retained.

Cancellation Insurance is available and strongly recommended.

Itinerary Variations

If unforeseen circumstances beyond our control necessitate changes, we reserve the right to vary itineraries/accommodations and substitute the best alternative available.

Please click here to view our complete Terms & Conditions and do not hesitate to contact us should you require clarification or additional information.