Grand Canadian Rockies

AN EXCLUSIVE 19 DAY FULLY ESCORTED TOUR - PRICES START FROM £3,795

Quite simply, if you love nature, you’ll love Canada. So spectacular is the scenery, so diverse the wildlife and so vast the country that it’s hard to take everything in. But nowhere is more remarkable than the Rockies.

This 19-day Grand Canadian Rockies tour takes you through this majestic region – in style. Soaring mountains, swirling rapids and abundant wildlife – you have time to observe, time to savour, time to enjoy and time to relax. You see the very best the region can offer you. It’s an unspoilt world – a vast, largely untamed wilderness many have almost forgotten, and some have never known. If roaring waterfalls, emerald lakes, alpine meadows and snow-capped peaks appeal to you – they’re all here.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• Leisurely stays at the beautiful Fairmont Château Lake Louise & Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

• City sightseeing tours of Calgary, Banff, Vancouver and Victoria

• Spectacular views from Banff Gondola Ride

• Full day touring Banff and Yoho National Parks

• Columbia Icefields & Snocoach ride on Athabasca Glacier

• Full day touring Jasper National Park

• Cruise on Maligne Lake to Spirit Island

• Scenic ferry crossing from Vancouver to Vancouver Island

• Life-size murals at Chemainus

• Butchart Gardens, Vancouver Island Pyramid Lake, Jasper National Park

PRE-BOOKABLE HOLIDAY EXCURSIONS FROM £40 PER PERSON

Discover Grizzly Bears

Visit a grizzly bear refuge and watch ‘Boo’ the bear at play. Other stops include Lake Louise, the Spiral Tunnels and Takakkaw Falls, Canada’s second highest waterfall. At Kicking Horse Mountain ride on a gondola to take delicious mountain-top lunch at Canada’s highest restaurant.

Prices from £85 per person

Grouse Mountain Sunset Tour

After a trolley tour through Stanley Park, and over Lions Gate Bridge you board the famous Skyride - North America’s largest aerial tram system - on a one-mile journey to the top of Grouse Mountain 3,700-feet above sea level. Astounding views of city, sea and mountains.

Prices from £40 per person

Victoria Scenic Flight

A great way to see downtown Victoria and the Strait of Juan de Fuca with the Olympic Mountains in the distance. You take a seaplane flight and get glorious views of the buildings ringing the harbour and the grand houses on the rugged coastline. Never landed on water? it’s unforgettable.

Prices from £59 per person

Victoria Whale Watching

This is an exhilarating 50 to 80 kilometre adventure. You race over the waves seeking orcas, minke whales, grey whales, porpoises, harbour seals and other marine wildlife. You’re on a 14 metre ocean cruiser or custombuilt Zodiac boat that combines great stability with high speed. It’s an exhilarating way to go whalewatching in a way that’s very safe – but really close up You also get comments from a certified marine biologist and naturalist.

Prices from £51 per person

EXTEND YOUR HOLIDAY 4 NIGHTS FROM £545 PER PERSON

Celebrity Mercury

7 nights - Celebrity Mercury 2A Balcony cabin

• Return transfers.

• 7 nights 2A balcony stateroom onboard Celebrity Mercury with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

• Daily activities and entertainment onboard (some may be at an additional cost).

Why not cruise to Alaska through the spectacular Inside Passage? Dotted with countless islands and lined with small towns and tiny villages. It is home to Tlingit, Haida and Tshimshian Indian cultures and the art of totem pole carving. Russian settlers have also left their icons and onion-domed churches.

Prices from £1,559 per person

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort

4 nights - Wilderness Resort

• Return transfers (including floatplane transfers).

• 4 nights Deluxe Guest Tent at Clayoquot Wilderness Resort with breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with snacks and beverages.

• Daily guided activities.

• 2 hour spa treatment. This is the perfect pairing of high adventure and soft beds.

Take a seaplane to four nights of wildlife viewing, salt water-guided fishing, and a Walk the Wild Side Tour, spa treatment (2hours), and activities like hiking, kayaking, canoeing, horseback riding, and mountain biking – with all meals and drinks included.

Prices from £4,775 per person

Whistler

3 nights - Whistler

1 night - Vancouver

• All transfers.

• 1 night Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, Vancouver.

• Train journey from Vancouver to Whistler onboard the Whistler Mountaineer (Coast Classic).

• 3 nights Fairmont Room at Fairmont Château Whistler with breakfast.

This spectacular 3-hour rail journey takes you from the Pacific Ocean to the heart of the Canadian Rockies. You travel past seascapes, over deep valleys, looked down on by towering snow-capped peaks of British Columbia … all viewed through the large picture windows of your classic rail car.

Prices from £545 per person

Day 1 Departure from London Heathrow

Before your scheduled flight with Air Canada to Calgary departs from London Heathrow, you are treated to complimentary drinks and snacks in the Executive Lounge as you meet your Tour Manager and companions. Then sit back and enjoy your first taste of friendly Canadian hospitality. You land in the late afternoon and make your way to your hotel for the next two nights.

Meals: Inflight

Hotel: Marriott

Day 2 Calgary

If there’s one phrase associated with this lively young city, it’s the Calgary Stampede - the world's largest outdoor rodeo. Today you visit the famous Stampede Grounds at the Pengrowth Saddledome – and Heritage Park – to see how the West once was. Fur traders, railway workers and prairie town folk – all the features of western Canada’s past, are superbly recreated in Canada’s largest living historical village. In the afternoon, explore or relax before getting together with your travelling companions over drinks before dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Marriot

Day 3 Calgary to Banff

Take time to enjoy your breakfast before you get introduced to the Rockies as you first see the towering Three Sisters, Fairholme and Rundle Ranges. Their peaks are a prelude to your stay in Banff - one of Canada’s loveliest resorts. You see the cascading Bow Falls – featured in the 1953 Marilyn Monroe film The River of No Return – Hoodoo Lookout and Surprise Corner, both with astonishing views of the country - then ride the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain for a vista of Banff that is if anything even more sensational. Later in the afternoon you reach your hotel where you stay for the next 3 nights.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Banff Park Lodge

Day 4 Banff

You have a whole day to stroll round this lovely alpine town. You really are close to nature, so don’t be surprised if you see deer roaming round.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Banff Park Lodge

Day 5 Banff

Another day to relax. You’ll be surprised how much there is to see – art galleries, museums, stores and boutiques – and scores of good places to eat. You could even play a round of golf – or just take it easy and stroll by the banks of the Bow River.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Banff Park Lodge

Day 6 Banff to Lake Louise

After breakfast you leave for Lake Louise travelling to Johnston Canyon, which is one of the most spectacular sights here – and you realise why when you walk along the pathway that winds through the canyon and its sparkling waterfalls. Next you enter the spectacular Yoho Valley, seeing the Emerald Lake – named for its special colouring. From here you travel to Lake Louise for your 2 nights at the world famous Fairmont Château Lake Louise. For many the nights spent here and at the equally renowned Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge are the high point of this tour.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Fairmont Château Lake Louise

Day 7 Lake Louise

Set against the stark backdrop of Victoria Glacier – probably the most photographed scene in the Canadian Rockies – Lake Louise is sheer heaven. Take a day to look round and enjoy all it has to offer!

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Fairmont Château Lake Louise

Day 8 Lake Louise to Jasper

Today takes you along the Icefield Parkway. Framed by glaciers it is one of the most scenic highways in all North America. Pause at Peyto Lake with its iridescent blue-green waters to marvel at the view before moving on to the Columbia Icefield. Here you ride a “snocoach” with giant wheels on the Athabasca Glacier. Then it’s on to Sunwapta Falls (“Turbulent Waters” in the original Indian language – you’ll see why) for lunch. Then a stop at Athabasca Falls before arriving at your hotel for next three nights.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hotel: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Day 9 Jasper

Jasper is set amidst some of the Rockies’ most rugged peaks, and this morning you see some remarkable sights. They include the spectacular Pyramid and Patricia Lakes and Maligne Canyon whose narrow gorge and limestone walls fall 50 metres. You take a boat trip on Maligne Lake to Spirit Island before returning to Jasper for a quiet afternoon and evening.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Day 10 Jasper

Today, discover Jasper – the little town in the big park, as they call it. There are many options – wildlife tours, fishing, hiking or golf. Or just relax in the most beautiful surroundings imaginable.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Day 11 Jasper to Sun Peaks

You leave Jasper to traverse one of the most scenic areas in a region where everything is scenic. A high point – literally – is Mount Robson which at 3,954 metres (over 12,000 feet) is the Canadian Rockies' topmost peak. Then it’s along the banks of the turbulent Thompson River to the resort town of Sun Peaks where we stay overnight.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Delta Sun Peaks Resort

Day 12 Sun Peaks to Vancouver

Now you follow the route pioneered by gold seekers seeking their fortunes over a century ago – the Cariboo goldfields. After passing through the awesome Thompson and Fraser Canyons – white water rafters’ heaven – you reach the total contrast of Vancouver and the lush west coast. You are guests of the Sheraton here you stay for the three nights.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Sheraton Wall Centre

Day 13 Vancouver

This morning, discover one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Your tour takes in Stanley Park with 1000 acres of majestic evergreens and 10 kilometres of Pacific seawall, Lion's Gate Bridge, Gastown, Chinatown, Prospect Point and the meticulously manicured Queen Elizabeth Park. The rest of your day is at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Sheraton Wall Centre

Day 14 Vancouver

Your day in Vancouver is free - maybe relax in one of the city's many botanical gardens or hop on a boat and go whale watching.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Sheraton Wall Centre

Day 15 Vancouver to Victoria

Today its north to Horseshoe to take a Ferry to Vancouver Island. Then you follow the picturesque coastal road to Victoria on Vancouver Island for your final three nights in Canada.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Laurel Point Inn

Day 16 Victoria

This morning you will see one of Canada’s most spectacular floral displays in Butchart Gardens. There are over fifty acres of gardens including the fragrant rose garden, the relaxing Japanese garden, the unique sunken garden, the Italian garden – and more. A treat for all your senses! Then back to Victoria with time to explore, strolling the Inner Harbour and Olde Town districts. And if you missed the chance to go whale watching in Vancouver, here’s another opportunity.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Laurel Point Inn

Day 17 Victoria

Your final day in Victoria is free to spend as you please. This evening enjoy a farewell dinner – there’ll be so much to talk about.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Laurel Point Inn

Day 18 Victoria

Today you go back to the mainland, and Vancouver airport, where you depart on your Air Canada flight to Heathrow.

Meals: Breakfast, Inflight

Day 19 Arrival into London Heathrow

Your Canadian adventure finally ends when you land at Heathrow today. Time to say goodbye to your travelling companions, and – who knows? – make plans to keep in touch.

Meals: Inflight

Destination introduction

Slow-talking Mounties, grizzly bears, the Rockies – every country calls up its own special images. Canada has them all – but you’ll never realise why it is often rated the country with the best quality of life on earth - until you go and pass a little time there.

Did You Know? – Canada has more lakes that the rest of the world combined.