Rockies Trail Escorted Tour
Calgary • Banff • Whistler • Victoria • Vancouver
Experience hot springs, glacial ice fields and breath taking views of soaring peaks on this escorted tour through the Rocky Mountains. Arriving in Calgary, you’ll spend your first couple of days here soaking up the sights of this fantastic city before setting off along the famous Trans Canada Highway into Banff at the foothills of the Rockies. While you spend your nights in the quaint town of Banff, the days will be spent the national park – Canada’s first national park. You’ll also visit the glimmering Lake Louise, travel along the famous Icefields Parkway and ride across the ancient Athabasca Glacier on an ice explorer as you travel towards Jasper National Park.
The scenery starts dramatically changing as you travel through Kamloops and onto Whistler. A journey along the Duffey Lake Road exposes new vistas at every turn. An optional Floatplane
Sightseeing Tour over Garibaldi Park gives you an inspiring view of a natural preserve of volcanic peaks, alpine lakes and meadows.
The mountain park settings of Banff, Jasper and Whistler then give way to the port cities of Vancouver and Victoria. Revel in the Pacific experience from awesome coastal scenery to boat cruises across blue-water straits where whales travel and bald eagles soar. Ocean, mountains and lively communities with famous Western hospitality
From €2809pp
What's Included
- Flights from Dublin to Calgary and return from Vancouver
- 9 NIGHTS hotel accommodation in tour hotels (more details below)
- 9 breakfasts and 1 dinner included
- Experienced Tour Director
- Based on 2 adults sharing travelling September 2021
- Quote Ref 52524551
Included excursions
- Calgary City Tour
- Columbia Icefield Ice Explorer Ride
- Banff and Lake Louise Tour
- Capilano Suspension Bridge
- Victoria Sightseeing Tour
- Butchart Gardens - one of the world’s great floral displays
- Vancouver City Tour
Arrive Calgary
Calgary to Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park to Jasper
Jasper National Park to Kamloops
Kamloops to Whistler
Whistler to Victoria
Victoria
Victoria to Vancouver
End of Tour
Day 1 Arrive Calgary
Arrive at Calgary International Airport. Individual transfer to your centrally located hotel. After a check-in the remainder of the day is free. The tour director will contact you in the late afternoon to give details on joining the tour. Explore the Old West at the Glenbow Museum or Fort Calgary on your own, browse through the Eau Claire Market, ride up the Calgary Tower for a great view and savour the great restaurants and dynamic nightlife.
Overnight in CalgaryDay 2 Calgary to Banff National Park
Begin the day with a city tour of Calgary. Leaving the city, travel west on the Trans-Canada Highway into the rolling foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The majestic peaks of the Canadian Rockies soon fill the horizon as you approach Banff National Park, the first of several in the Canadian national parks system. You'll soon arrive in the charming resort town of Banff.
Overnight in BanffDay 3 Banff National Park
Today you will enjoy a tour of the region around Banff. The area became Canada’s first national park in 1885 to protect its natural hot springs. An optional Helicopter Sightseeing Tour will give you the chance to see the eastern ranges of the Rocky Mountains. Alternatively you can take an optional gondola ride to spectacular Sulphur Mountain. Bring your camera! The rest of the day is at leisure to explore the surroundings of Banff, stroll along Banff Avenue, or relax and enjoy the scenery.
Overnight in BanffDay 4 Banff National Park to Jasper
Today’s journey through Banff and Jasper national parks promises to be a highlight of your Rockies Trail holiday. Shortly after leaving Banff you'll visit the famous scenery of Lake Louise, one of the most photographed lakes in Canada. Afterwards, travel north on the famed Icefields Parkway through a rugged wilderness flanked by dramatic mountain ranges. At the Columbia Icefield, board a specially constructed Ice Explorer to ride on the surface of the ancient Athabasca Glacier. Close to Jasper, you have the chance to go on an optional raft trip on the Athabasca River. Your experienced guide will point out the natural and human history as you raft through short rapids and
stretches of calm waters.
Overnight in JasperDay 5 Jasper National Park to Kamloops
Before leaving Jasper National Park this morning, you can take part in an optional Spirit Island Cruise on Maligne Lake, the most picturesque and largest glacier-fed lake in the park. You may alternately take an optional motorcycle tour of Jasper, riding in the comfortable sidecar with an unmatched view of the forests and mountains. Then, we travel west along the Yellowhead Highway and into the heartland of British Columbia. Breathtaking, unspoiled vistas await visitors in every season of the year. The route takes us along the Thompson River through the picturesque Shuswap Highlands.
Overnight in Kamloops.Day 6 Kamloops to Whistler
Expect a day of dramatic scenery changes driving through the ranch lands heading for the coastal mountains. A journey along the Duffey Lake Road exposes new vistas at every turn. An optional Floatplane Sightseeing Tour over Garibaldi Park gives you an inspiring view of a natural
preserve of volcanic peaks, alpine lakes and meadows. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight in Whistler.Day 7 Whistler to Victoria
The Sea-to-Sky Highway leads you south through spectacular coastal scenery today. Visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge suspended high above a magnificent canyon. From Horseshoe Bay, cruise by ferry across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver Island and continue by coach to Victoria, British Columbia’s capital city. Arriving in Victoria, embark on a city tour of this former British enclave.
Overnight in Victoria.Day 8 Victoria
Proud of her maritime heritage, Victoria has retained a quaint, colonial demeanour evident in the many 19th century landmarks throughout the city. Today treat yourself to a tour of the world famous Butchart Gardens, one of the world’s great floral displays set in a reclaimed stone quarry. Time will be allocated here for browsing through the regal gardens. You can take part in an optional Floatplane Sightseeing Tour over downtown Victoria and the Strait of Juan de Fuca with the Olympic Mountains in the distance.
You can also go on an optional Whalewatching Excursion aboard a Zodiac or a regular vessel. Watch for the magnificent orcas and the abundance of marine wildlife. The remainder of the day is at leisure to explore the city’s delights.
Overnight in VictoriaDay 9 Victoria to Vancouver
Continue through the resort region of the Gulf Islands to the oceanside city of Vancouver. Upon arrival in Vancouver, we enjoy an interesting tour of the city, including Stanley Park, English Bay, Gastown, Chinatown, and much more. The remainder of the day is free for independent exploration or simple
relaxation. This evening features our farewell dinner.
Overnight in VancouverDay 10 End of Tour
A time for last-minute shopping and sad farewells. Individual transfer to Vancouver International Airport in time to check in for your return flight.