The Canadian Rockies

Welcome to Vancouver! Your Tour Director is on hand late this afternoon to answer any questions.

This morning, an included city tour highlights Stanley Park, Chinatown, the harbour, beaches, and more. The rest of the day is at leisure; your Tour Director can suggest ways to further explore the city. Maybe take a water taxi to Granville Island with outdoor markets, street musicians, and waterfront cafés or, visit historic Gastown with its steam-powered clock.

Our journey begins in British Columbia’s fertile valleys and continues through rich mountain forests to Okanagan Lake. Travel along the lake to the resort city of Kelowna, beautifully situated on the lake shore and surrounded by orchards and vineyards.

Motor north through the Okanagan Valley, famous for its peaches and vineyards. Climb up 4,379-foot-high Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park. Take a break at the pass, perfect for photos of the rugged mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls. Enter Yoho National Park and ascend Kicking Horse Pass at 5,332 feet. Reach Banff National Park, Canada’s first national park, known for its unparalleled mountain scenery nestled in the heart of the magnificent Canadian Rockies. An orientation tour highlights Banff’s unspoiled beauty.

Enjoy the day exploring Banff, one of Canada’s favorite year-round resorts, and home to 53 species of mammals. The most commonly seen are deer, elk, and big horn sheep. Hike, golf, horseback ride, shop in the townsite, or relax at the hot springs. Perhaps treat yourself to a once in a lifetime experience on an optional helicopter ride for spectacular views of the Canadian Rockies!

First, to Lake Louise, its turquoise waters a perfect natural mirror that reflects the surrounding mountains and glaciers. Precipitous gorges, snowcapped summits, and lakes of exquisite blues and greens come into view as the motorcoach continues northward into Jasper National Park. A highlight today is a stop at the Columbia Icefield to ride the Ice Explorer, an all-terrain vehicle that travels on ice measuring 750 feet thick! From ice to flowing water, take the opportunity to glide down the Athabasca River this afternoon on an optional scenic float trip. Enjoy an orientation tour of the town of Jasper upon arrival.

Today is free to enjoy everything Jasper has to offer—from quaint shops to meandering wildlife. Find serenity of the glacial blue waters of Maligne Lake and Spirit Island* with an optional narrated cruise revealing the history, geology, flora, and fauna of the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies. *This optional excursion begins operating in late May/early June.

Leave Jasper and follow the Fraser River to the base of Mount Robson, the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies, peaking at 12,972 feet. Continue following the Yellowhead Highway south along the North Thompson River—a route pioneered by fur trappers. Overnight in the mountain resort village of Sun Peaks.

Head south, following the once treacherous Cariboo Wagon Trail. Via Lillooet, “Mile 0 of the Gold Rush Route,” your motorcoach will follow the shores of Seton and Duffey Lakes with a late-afternoon arrival in Whistler.

Spend the day in the alpine resort of Whistler, nestled at the base of breathtaking Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains. Enjoy free time to explore many sites of the 2010 Winter Olympics held here. Your own adventures await with a choice of optional excursions, including a flightseeing tour by floatplane over the glacial peaks, or a Ziptrek Adventure through an old-growth temperate rainforest.

Set sail across the Strait of Georgia, known for its Mediterranean-type climate. Afternoon sightseeing includes world-famous Butchart Gardens, and then a tour of the beautiful city of Victoria featuring Bastion Square, Thunderbird Park with its unusual collection of totem poles, and the inner harbour.

A day at leisure gives you the chance to discover this splendid city, including the Royal British Columbia Museum, shopping on Government Street, or a leisurely stroll around the harbor. Or get back to nature on an optional Wildlife and Whale-Watching Expedition while cruising the pristine waters of the San Juan and Gulf Islands, seeking whales, porpoises, seals, and eagles.

A scenic ferry crossing to the mainland, where the trip ends at Vancouver International Airport. Please schedule flights after 2:00 pm.