Canadian Rockies & Vancouver

Day 1: UK/Banff
You’ll depart on your scheduled flight to Calgary and transfer to the resort town of Banff for a three-night stay. With its mountainous surroundings, hot springs and stunning National Park scenery, Banff is a natural starting point for your Rockies adventure.

Day 2: Banff
This morning, head off on an included sightseeing tour of Banff. It will include attractions such as the classic Hoodoos of Bow Valley – imposing spires of rock, carved by wind and water, standing guard over the Bow River. Don’t miss Surprise Corner, either – so named because, as you drive out of Banff, the view suddenly opens out into a fantastic mountain vista, featuring the famous picture-postcard Banff Springs Hotel on your right. You’ll be glad you brought your camera. This afternoon, you might choose to take to the air to see the Rockies by helicopter, or simply enjoy some leisure time in this beautiful location. And this evening, you can choose to experience Oh Canada Eh – a dinner show and award-winning musical celebration of Canada.

Day 3: Lake Louise
Today, you can take a full-day optional excursion to Lake Louise, described by many writers as the most beautiful place in Canada – a glacial, jade-green lake, high in the mountains surrounded on all sides by towering peaks. If you prefer, spend a day at leisure exploring Banff at your own pace.

Day 4: Jasper
Head north along one of North America’s most majestic highways this morning as you make your way to Jasper. 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. You’ll stop at the Great Columbia Icefield, where there’s the chance to take an Ice Explorer ride across the Athabasca Glacier, before arriving in Jasper for a two-night stay.

Day 5: Jasper
Take things at your own pace today as you explore Jasper, a former railroad town and now the focal point of its own breathtakingly beautiful national park. Optional excursions on offer include a tour of the town, a visit to the spectacular Maligne Lake and a nature walk with experienced guides. Depending on the season, you could also try dog-sledding, a winter ice-walk or an adrenaline-fuelled River Raft Tour on the stunning Athabasca River.

Day 6: Kamloops
Travel over Yellow Head Pass, crossing the provincial border from Alberta to British Columba. You will also journey around Mount Robson today, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, before rejoining the beautiful Trans-Canada highway and arriving at the town of Kamloops for an overnight stay.

Day 7: Vancouver
After a drive through the rugged scenery of Fraser Canyon, you’ll arrive on the Pacific coast for your three-night stay in bustling Vancouver. Surrounded by mountains and forest, Vancouver has one of the most beautiful settings of any city in the world.

Day 8: Vancouver
Your included half-day tour of Vancouver takes in Chinatown as well as the cobbled streets of Gastown, the city’s oldest neighbourhood. You’ll also visit the remarkable 1,000-acre Stanley Park, with its famous totem poles, and of course, the magnificent harbour. You can also enjoy an optional half-day excursion to Vancouver’s Northshore, featuring the spectacular Capilano Suspension Bridge. Take a cable car ride up Grouse Mountain for breathtaking views of the city, Vancouver Island and the snow-capped mountains of Washington State, USA, beyond.

Day 9: Vancouver
Today, you might like to take our popular excursion to Victoria, on Vancouver Island, which has preserved much of its British Victorian heritage. This full-day optional trip includes a ferry across to the island and visits the impressive Butchart Gardens, Parliament Building and Empress Hotel, where Rudyard Kipling was a frequent visitor.

Day 10: Vancouver/UK
Enjoy all that Vancouver has to offer at your leisure until it’s time to leave for your afternoon flight.

Day 11: UK
Arrive in the UK.

Please note
This holiday includes walking in areas of rough ground, gradients and steps.

Accommodation throughout is in hotels of a comfortable standard, typical of the hotels you will stay in are:

Rundlestone Lodge in Banff
Amethyst Lodge in Jasper
Hotel Five Forty in Kamloops
Best Western Plus Downtown in Vancouver
Hotel standards are very good in Canada. All guest rooms feature en suite facilities, TV, telephone and coffee-maker. There is a restaurant and/or bar in each of these hotels.

Hotels will be confirmed in your final documents.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Included excursions and visits

Banff tour (half day)
Vancouver tour (half day)

With 50 years’ experience in arranging escorted tours to exciting destinations across the globe, Travelsphere have built an excellent reputation founded on quality and value.

By choosing a Travelsphere escorted holiday you can travel with confidence, knowing that every aspect of your holiday has been carefully planned and arranged from start to finish. Further to this they are ATOL bonded and members of ABTA.

Travelsphere’s thorough planning of travel arrangements, itineraries and accommodation combined with the unique insight of their knowledgeable Tour Managers and Local Guides will enable you to experience the culture, traditions and hidden away places less accessible to other travellers.

Our Opinion
“Travelsphere are one of the biggest names in the Escorted Tour market. Finely tuned over the last 50 years their tours have been tried, tested and refined by thousands of customers.”