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DAY 1 - VANCOUVER
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Welcome to Vancouver,
British Columbia's metropolis! Greeting at the airport by your tour director.
Transfer to the hotel and lodging in Vancouver.
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DAY 2 - VANCOUVER
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| Breakfast. This morning
is devoted to the discovery of the largest city on the Canadian West Coast.
Your local city guide will entertain you with visits to: Stanley Park,
Gastown (historic quarter with its famous steam clock), Chinatown…
Young, modern and in full expansion, Vancouver is distinguished by its important
Asiatic community. Lunch. In the afternoon, cross over the Lions' Gate Bridge
and be awed by the Capilano suspension bridge, the oldest attraction
in the city. Strolling across the 137-meter long bridge that is suspended
70 meters above the Capilano River, gives you a bird's-eye view of the famous
red cedars and the Douglas firs. Dinner and lodging in Vancouver. |
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DAY 3 - VANCOUVER / VICTORIA
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| Breakfast. Board on
the ferry and sail across the Georgia Strait to Vancouver Island.
The first stop is the magnificent Butchart Gardens. These are the
most beautiful private gardens in Canada. A visual delight! Lunch. Continue
on to Victoria. British Columbia's capital, filled with imposing architecture
and flower baskets, will immerse you into a typical British atmosphere.
A guided visit will help you discover, among others, the residential areas,
Thunderbird Park, the Parliament, the Empress Hotel … Dinner and lodging
in Victoria. |
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DAY 4 - VICTORIA / KAMLOOPS
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| Breakfast. Board the
ferry that takes you to Tsawwassen and back to the mainland. Travel through
the Lower Fraser Valley, an important agricultural zone. Suddenly, as the
mountains approach and the valley narrows, the river, until now tranquil,
becomes a raging torrent. You continue along the gorge of the Fraser River
where gold was discovered at the end of the 19th century. After lunch, a
stop at Hell's Gate will offer you a spectacular viewpoint of the
mighty Fraser before continuing on to Kamloops via Cache Creek. Dinner and
lodging in Kamloops. |
Hell's Gate |
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DAY 5 - KAMLOOPS / VALEMOUNT
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| Breakfast. Head in the
direction of Clearwater and experience a real wilderness haven: Wells Gray
Provincial Park. Upon discovering the Helmcken Falls (137 m high), you will
contemplate a work of art that has taken nature more than 400,000 years
to refine. The easily seen strata bear witness to volcanic eruptions, the
passage of glaciers and the tireless work of water erosion. Your next appointment
is with Wells Gray Ranch for a very particular lunch…Occasionally pursuing
the Thompson River, your trek then takes you towards Valemount, located
almost at the foot of Mount Robson. Dinner and lodging in this quaint village. |
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DAY 6 - VALEMOUNT / JASPER
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| Breakfast. After having
said hello in passing to Mount Robson, monarch of the Rockies whose summit
is usually camouflaged in the clouds, you continue east on the panoramic
Yellowhead Highway towards Jasper National Park. A change of province and
a change of time zone. Welcome to wide-open spaces! This is nature in all
its finery: snow-capped mountains, majestic glaciers, and deep valleys.
Lunch. In the afternoon, cruise on Maligne Lake where you will appreciate
the beauty of the most photographed island in the world, Spirit Island.
Take some time to experience Maligne Canyon, the longest and most impressive/breath-taking,
canyon within the National Parks. Return to Jasper for dinner and lodging.
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DAY 7 - JASPER / BANFF REGION
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| Breakfast and depart
for another delectable journey! While travelling on the Glacier Parkway,
one of the most spectacular routes on the continent, you will witness a
procession of eternal snow-capped mountains, turbulent rivers, and magnificent
glacier lakes. Absolutely nothing can compare to it. A stop at the Athabaska
Falls and a snowcoach excursion on the Athabaska glacier (part of
the Columbia Icefields) will convince you. Lunch. The awesome spectacle
continues as the road takes us to the emerald waters of Lake Louise.
Proceed to the Banff region for dinner and lodging. |
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DAY 8 - BANFF REGION
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| Breakfast. Today is
devoted to the discovery of the many joys of Banff National Park. Your tour
director will offer you the chance of an unforgettable helicopter ride over
this magnificent park. Banff is not only the oldest national park in Canada,
but also a small village garnished with sites longing to be admired. Why
not visit the thermal source Cave & Basin, here where the history started…After
an orientation tour that uncovers several surprises, if your legs can take
it, you can climb the smallest mountain in Banff, Tunnel Mountain, once
named "Sleeping Buffalo Mountain" by the Native Americans. Relax
and contemplate your day with a visit to the Luxton Museum to learn about
the customs of the Plains Indians. Lunch, dinner and lodging in the Banff
region. |
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DAY 9 - BANFF REGION / CALGARY
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| Breakfast. The morning
is yours to discover this magnificent nature, and then head to Calgary,
city of cowboys and black gold. On your way, see one of the competition
sites of the 1988 Winter Olympics hosted by the city of Calgary. Enjoy an
orientation tour of this vast city in which more than 700 oil companies
have installed their head office, and each summer, houses the famous Calgary
Stampede, the largest rodeo in the world! Dinner and lodging. |
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DAY 10 - CALGARY
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| Breakfast. Morning is
at your leisure. According to flight schedules you will be transferred to
the airport. |