Niagara & The Rockies

AN EXCLUSIVE 18 DAY FULLY ESCORTED TOUR - PRICES START FROM £3,585

As you surely know, there are three good reasons why you should visit Canada. Scenery, scenery and scenery. And the scenery is indeed spectacular. But there is so much more to this vast country – the friendly hospitality you meet everywhere, the splendid food and comfort wherever you go – and the wonderful wildlife.

This carefully planned 18 day tour ensures you enjoy the very best of them all. You combine visits to sophisticated Toronto, Banff, the awe-inspiring Niagara Falls and take an overnight train trip on ‘The Canadian’ – an unforgettable journey through the Rockies during which you relive the almost forgotten romance of train travel, ending in what must surely be one of the most beautiful cities on the planet, Vancouver.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• Multiple night stays at every point

• City sightseeing tours of Toronto, Victoria & Vancouver

• Dinner at the CN Tower, Toronto

• Visit to Niagara Falls including a cruise on the famous ‘Maid of the Mist’

• Spectacular views from Banff Gondola Ride

• Visit to beautful Lake Louise

• Columbia Icefields & Snocoach ride on Athabasca Glacier

• Full day touring Jasper National Park, including cruise on Maligne Lake to Spirit Island

• Overnight train journey aboard ‘The Canadian’ between Jasper & Vancouver

PRE-BOOKABLE HOLIDAY EXCURSIONS FROM £23 PER PERSON

Sewell’s Sea Safari

On this adventurous sea safari you cruise aboard a rigid-hull inflatable boat through Howe Sound, North America’s southernmost fjord. You see harbour seals playing and many marine birds including the bald eagle. Keep your eyes open for loons, herons, and cormorant too.

Prices from £48 per person

Athabasca River Raft/Float Trip

This 16-kilometre raft/float trip follows the route the fur traders pioneered almost 2 centuries ago. You get incomparable views of Jasper National Park as you pass through calm stretches interspersed by small sets of rapids.

Prices from £31 per person

Evening Wildlife Safari

Frequent sightings include black bears, bull elk, bighorn sheep and osprey. You have access to binoculars and a spotting scope, and your knowledgeable guide tells you about the threats to wildlife and how the National Park helps protect it.

Prices from £23 per person

Niagara Falls Helicopter Flight

There is no more thrilling way of seeing the full majesty of Niagara Falls than by helicopter. You get a breathtaking view of Niagara of the magnificent scenery, seeing all the most spectacular sights - the Niagara River itself, Whirlpool Rapids, Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls, the American Falls and the unrivalled Horseshoe Falls. As a souvenir of this high flying adventure you receive a certificate of flight.

Prices from £64 per person

EXTEND YOUR HOLIDAY 3 NIGHTS FROM £465 PER PERSON

Celebrity Mercury

7 nights - Celebrity Mercury

• 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 £1,445 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 - Fairmont Château Whistler

• All transfers.

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

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

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

Prices from £465 per person

Day 1 Departure from London Heathrow

Your adventure starts at Heathrow where you meet your Tour Manager and companions whilst enjoying complimentary drinks and snacks in the Executive Lounge before your scheduled Air Canada flight to Toronto. Arrive into Toronto later that same day and enjoy a welcome drink in the evening.

Meals: Inflight

Hotel: Fairmont Royal York

Day 2 Toronto

Toronto was once seen as a little dull. Today this lakeside city ranks as the world’s fourth best city to experience culture, behind only London, Paris and New York. It is bright, lively – and full of good things, as you discover on your morning tour, which takes in Queen's Park, trendy Yorkville and the Harbourfront. Relax this afternoon before your dinner at the revolving restaurant at the top of CN Tower. Beside award-winning cuisine you get a sensational view of Lake of Ontario – right across to the U.S. – and the city from the world's tallest freestanding structure.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Fairmont Royal York

Day 3 Toronto

Now comes the first of many unforgettable moments: your full day visit to Niagara Falls. You start by looking round Niagara-on-the-Lake – Canada’s original capital, with its serene waterfront setting and old world charm. There are actually three Niagara Falls – but since 1846 there’s only been one way to view them – on the famous 'Maid of the Mist'. On your cruise you get to "soak" it all in – experience that spray and thunder up close. You have plenty of time to take photos before returning to Toronto.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Fairmont Royal York

Day 4 Toronto to Banff

This morning you fly way out west to Calgary. You’re driven through the rolling foothills and imposing front ranges of the Rockies to the mountain resort town of Banff – centre of Canada's oldest national park, which is home to 53 different mammals, including elk, bighorn sheep, black and grizzly bear, wolf, coyote, caribou, and mountain lion.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Banff Park Lodge

Day 5 Banff

Today you enjoy a full day touring the National Park. 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. Then comes Johnston Canyon, where you walk along a pathway winding through the canyon and its sparkling waterfalls, followed by the stunningly beautiful Lake Louise. Set against the stark backdrop of Victoria Glacier, Lake Louise is probably the most photographed scene in the Canadian Rockies, and we suspect you won’t be able to resist taking a few shots before you return to Banff.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Banff Park Lodge

Day 6 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 a deer roaming round.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Banff Park Lodge

Day 7 Banff to Jasper

Today takes you along the Icefield Parkway. Framed by glaciers it is one of the most scenic highways in all Canada. 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). Then a stop at Athabasca Falls before arriving at your hotel for next three nights.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Château Jasper

Day 8 Jasper

Jasper is the largest, wildest and most forbidding of all the parks with 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: Château Jasper

Day 9 Jasper

Today is a free day to discover Jasper – the little town in the big park, as they call it. There are many options – wildlife tours, fishing, hiking or golf. But here you really are close to nature. We doubt you’ll find many other places where elk are regularly seen, wandering through backyards and even down the main streets of downtown. There’s the occasional bear too. Don't forget to take your camera as you stroll around. The snow-capped mountains and unique quality of light in the area make for very impressive photographs.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Château Jasper

Day 10 Jasper to Vancouver

Take it easy this morning, before you board 'The Canadian' for your overnight journey to Vancouver. Take in the scenery from the domed observation lounge as you go through the wild Thompson and Fraser River valleys and see the Cariboo and Rocky Mountain Ranges – which, back in the 1860’s were gold rush country. Then, enjoy your dinner on this classic train, and sleep to the rhythm of the rails!

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Train: The Canadian

Day 11 Vancouver to Victoria

Breakfast is served before you arrive in Vancouver. Here you board a British Columbia Ferry to Vancouver Island. Cruise through the Gulf Islands before arriving into Swartz Bay and transfering to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Laurel Point Inn

Day 12 Victoria

This morning you tour Victoria – and for a small city, it has a lot to offer – museums and art galleries, even a castle. Your tour includes the inner harbour, Thunderbird Park and its totem poles and Beacon Hill. This gorgeous park is one of the world’s best - with bridges, streams, many ducks and other birds. If you love gardens, our visit to the 50 fragrant acres of Butchart Gardens in the afternoon will be a real treat.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Laurel Point Inn

Day 13 Victoria

Your last day in Victoria is free to spend as you please. Why not tour the wineries? – Canada makes excellent wine.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Laurel Point Inn

Day 14 Victoria to Vancouver

This morning you return to Vancouver, where you spend your last three nights in Canada.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Sheraton Wall Centre

Day 15 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 16 Vancouver

Your day in Vancouver is free - maybe relax in one of the city's many botanical gardens or – if you didn’t do so in Victoria, hop on a boat and go whale watching. It’ll certainly give you an appetite for your farewell dinner at the Top of Vancouver Restaurant, with splendid views over the sea and the city’s twinkling lights.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Sheraton Wall Centre

Day 17 Vancouver

In the afternoon take your Air Canada flight to Heathrow.

Meals: Breakfast, Inflight

Day 18 Arrival into London Heathrow

Arrive into London Heathrow this morning and bid farewell to your newly made friends.

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.