Tour Code: 922-1100

5-Day Vancouver, Canadian Rockies Tour from Vancouver

Today we begin our tour from the Vancouver Airport. Canada Domestic arrivals, your tour escort will wait at the CLAIM BELT #3 in domestic arrival hall. International arrivals, your tour escort will wait at Vancouver airport TOUR INFO CENTER. If you arrive before 12:00 pm, we will lead you on a half-day city tour of Vancouver, where we will visit the skyscrapers of Downtown Vancouver and stroll down the winding forested trails of nearby Stanley Park, one of the largest city parks in North America. We will also visit Vancouver’s Chinatown and relax aboard a bonus ferry ride of the beautiful False Creek, an inlet in the heart of Vancouver. From here we will have a wonderful view of the city on two sides and may even see some of the creek’s wildlife, including herons, kingfishers, and harbor seals. (Note: The False Creek Ferry is closed on Dec. 25th and 26th and in the event of bad weather.)

We will kick off our tour traveling along the Trans-Canada Highway toward the lakeside city of Kelowna in the heart of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, with its countless fruit orchards, vineyards, and lakeshore communities. After our arrival around 1:00pm, we will stop at Kelowna’s renowned Summerhill Pyramid Winery**, where we will have the opportunity to learn about the basics of winemaking as well as taste some of their delicious red and white wines. And make sure to try some of their famous sweet ice wine before we leave! Next we will move on to Lake Okanagan to hear the legendary story of the Ogopogo, the famous lake monster that has caught the imagination of Okanagan Valley residents since the 19th Century. From there we will travel to either the city of Salmon Arm or Vernon to spend the night.

This morning we will continue on our way through Eagle Pass in the Monashee Mountains to visit Craigellachie, where the last spike was driven into the transcontinental railway, completing the conditions for British Columbia’s entry into the Canadian Confederation in 1885. From this historic place we will travel on through Rogers Pass in the Selkirk Mountains on our way to Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park**, the largest of the park’s 61 lakes and ponds, known for its remarkable blue-green hue. After admiring its tranquil surface, we will travel on into the province of Alberta, where we will visit the mountains, glaciers, ice fields, and forests of Banff National Park**, the oldest national park in the country. Here in the northernmost portion of the Rocky Mountains, we will experience a thrilling gondola ride** to the summit of Sulphur Mountain, where you have a spectacular view of six mountain ranges. Next we will visit the nearby town of Banff and the breathtaking Bow Falls before ending the day at the nearby city of Canmore in Bow Valley, the home of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games.

We begin our day by visiting Lake Louise in Banff National Park, the “Jewel of the Rockies,” a glacial lake whose emerald color and stunning view of the surrounding snow-capped mountains attracts millions of visitors every year. After enjoying an atmospheric lunch at Chateau Lake Louise (included in the meal plan, see below), we will take one last stroll along the lakeshore before heading north to Jasper National Park** to see the soaring glaciers and towering heights of the Columbia Icefield, which feeds eight major glaciers and is surrounded by some of the highest mountains in the Canadian Rockies. We will even have the opportunity to ride a “snowcoach"** on the surface of the Athabasca Glacier. Then we will pass through Banff National Park on our way back to British Columbia, stopping briefly at the glacial Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, and Crowfoot Glacier before leaving Alberta and traveling to the city of Golden, where we will spend the night.

Head west for the interiors in the morning. At Kamloops, a city with over 2000 hours of sunshine per year, we will join a tour of the Ginseng factory and learn about the Ginseng's healing power. We will arrive at Vancouver Airport around 6:50 pm. Please arrange your return flight leave Vancouver Airport after 9:30pm.

*Hotels are correct at the time of going to press, but are subject to change.