VACATION FEATURES:
Accommodations
- 5 nights hotel accommodation
- 1 night onboard VIA Rail
Meals
- 1 Breakfast
- 1 Lunch
Sightseeing Excursions and Tours
- Discover Jasper Tour
- Icefield Parkway & Glacier Experience from Jasper to Lake Louise
- Lake Louise and Yoho Valley Tour
- Lake Minnewanka Tour & Cruise
- Banff and the Wild West Tour
Admissions
- Columbia Icefield Glacier Experience
- Banff Gondola Ride
Transfers
- VIA Rail from Vancouver to Jasper
- Transfer from the Jasper Train Station to hotel
Documentation
- Icefield Photograph
- Brewster Sightseeing Excursion discount coupon
- Discount coupon for the Jasper Museum
- Itinerary, brochures, maps and vouchers
- National Park entrance fees
- Hotel luggage handling
ITINERARY:
DAY 1 and 2 - VIA Rail's 'Canadian' from Vancouver to Jasper
Your vacation begins with an evening departure from Vancouver on VIA Rail's Silver & Blue service, bound for Jasper. (Transfer to the train station is on your own). On Day 2, arrive in Jasper to begin a two night stay. The evening is yours to explore the sights and shops of this stunning alpine resort town.
DAY 3 - Exploring Jasper
Experience Jasper National Park through the travels of the early explorers and view the unspoiled grandeur! This morning excursion will begin along the mighty Athabasca Canadian Heritage River, learning about David Thompson and the valley ecosystem. Travel above Maligne Canyon, with its narrow gorge and limestone walls created by 10,000 years of water flow. Visit a place of mystery and Indian legend en-route to Medicine Lake, where sometimes it actually disappears! On the adventure to Maligne Lake, the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies and one of the most photographed sites in the world, you are sure to see a variety of mountain wildlife.
DAY 4 - Jasper to Lake Louise Sightseeing
Journey the amazing Icefields Parkway bound for Lake Louise. Enroute you'll stop at the Columbia Icefield and enjoy an Ice Explorer ride (included, seasonal*) on the Athabasca Glacier.
DAY 5 - Visiting the Yoho Valley
Enjoy a free morning in Lake Louise. This afternoon, you will join an excursion to
Emerald Lake and Yoho Valley (seasonal*) before arriving in Banff for a two night stay.
DAY 6 - Cruising in Banff
Join a motorcoach sightseeing transfer headed past Mount Norquay, Cascade Mountain, and Upper & Lower Bankhead. Continuing on to Lake Minnewanka, you will board a 1 hour interpretive boat cruise around the largest lake within Banff National Park. Learn about the natural history and native legends that make this lake a landmark. After the cruise, your driver guide will pick you up from the dock and drive you to some animal 'hotspots' where you will have excellent oppurtunities to spot some of Banff's famous wildlife, including Deer, Elk, Coyotes, Bears, and much more! Your excursion concludes with a transfer back to the Banff townsite.
DAY 7 - Departing Banff
Learn about the geology, native history and wildlife while exploring Banff and its surroundings. Start your morning with a short tour visiting such points as Bow Falls, and Surprise Corner. Then it is a stop at the Banff Gondola to ride up into the mountain tops for spectacular views from a one kilometer boardwalk or 360 degree observation deck. A short drive through the town of Banff and the tour travels east down Highway #1. The next stop will be at Stoney Nakoda Resort where there will be time to visit the Native Heritage artifacts exhibit. Lunch will be at leisure. Time will be set aside to participate in an optional Heli-Tour over the Kananaskis Valley or an optional Dreamcatcher excursion in a Terra-Bus to a First Nations Village and through the near by Buffalo Paddock. Your final destination will be downtown Calgary or the Calgary International Airport.
*** This vacation is available in reverse from Calgary (CA65) ***