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BRITISH COLUMBIA ~ ALBERTA
TOUR PACE
Experience the majesty of the Canadian West, enjoying two-night stays in Victoria, Banff and Jasper. Enjoy a two-day scenic rail journey from the Rockies to the Pacific.
FELLOW PASSENGERS
This tour is an excellent choice for a complete Western Canada and Alaska experience. Aside from Alberta's stunning national parks, there is a chance to explore the remote Sunshine Coast, charming Vancouver Island.
Day 1 - ARRIVE VANCOUVER
Welcome to Vancouver! Your tour begins with a complimentary transfer from Vancouver International Airport to your hotel. After meeting with your Tour Director this afternoon, please join us at 6 p.m. for a Welcome Drink. Meet your fellow travellers and prepare yourself for an adventure like no other. Hotel: Fairmont Pacific Rim
Day 2 - VANCOUVER - SUNSHINE COAST
This morning enjoy breakfast at the Vancouver Aquarium, where there is an opportunity to also view beluga and orca killer whales. Then explore Vancouver; stop in the evergreen oasis of Stanley Park and learn the significance of the park's famous totem poles to the aboriginal people. Discover the eclectic community of English Bay and explore Chinatown, North America's second largest Chinese community after San Francisco. Visit historic Gastown, where Vancouver was originally built in 1867. Later stop at the Cypress Mountain Lookout and marvel at the stunning views of Vancouver and the surrounding region. The spectacular wilderness of the Sunshine Coast is just a ferry ride away as you cross Howe Sound. Delight in some of British Columbia's most beautiful marine landscapes and arrive at your unique wilderness retreat situated in protected Halfmoon Bay. This evening enjoy a delectable dinner at your oasis nestled between the majesty of the rainforest and the Pacific Ocean. Hotel: Rockwater Secret Cove Resort (B,D)
Day 3 - SUNSHINE COAST - VICTORIA
Ferry across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver Island and journey to the charming village of Chemainus, where antique stores, art galleries, quaint cafes and gift shops appear on every corner. Follow the yellow footprints to the world's largest outdoor art gallery where artists from around the world painted huge heritage murals on the sides of buildings. Continue on to delightful Victoria, where an orientation tour introduces you to the Inner Harbour, the ornate Parliament Buildings and Bastion Square. As an option this evening, why not experience the magic of Old Chinatown on a guided walking tour, complete with a Chinese banquet? Hotel: Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour (B)
Day 4 - VICTORIA SIGHTSEEING
Start the day with breakfast at the famous Butchart Gardens, 55 acres of exquisite floral displays, meandering paths and spectacular views. A representative from Butchart Gardens will give a brief talk on the gardens and the history of the Butchart family. There is ample time to explore these gardens which have delighted visitors from around the world for over one hundred years. The rest of the day is yours to leisurely explore Victoria. Popular optional activities include a whale watching cruise and horse-drawn carriage ride. Dinner tonight is served at one of Victoria's restaurants. (B,HD)
Day 5 - VICTORIA - KELOWNA
After returning to the mainland, travel alongside the Coast Mountains and over the Cascade Mountain range into the Okanagan Valley to Kelowna, one of Canada's most beloved vacation spots. The lush Okanagan region is Canada's wine capital with some 60 wineries producing world-class vintages. Visit a beautiful winery and estate and sample an array of outstanding local wines. Hotel: Delta Grand Okanagan Resort (B)
Day 6 - KELOWNA - BANFF NATIONAL PARK
Journey through four of Canada's most spectacular national parks: Mount Revelstoke, Glacier, Yoho and Banff. Travel from primeval forests to Ice Age glaciers, from spectacular waterfalls to soaring peaks. At Giant Cedar in Mount Revelstoke, enjoy a guided walk through a stand of 1,000-year-old red cedars (weather permitting). At Kicking Horse Pass, cross the Continental Divide, where all the rivers of North America are diverted to the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans. Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Banff before arriving at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, a grand Scottish baronial castle, for a two-night stay in the heart of Banff National Park. This evening, exemplary service and a variety of restaurants await you for your Dine- Around pleasure. Hotel: The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (B,DA)
Day 7 - BANFF AT LEISURE
Enjoy leisure time in Banff. Perhaps enjoy an optional float trip down the Bow River or a helicopter tour of Mount Assiniboine. This evening, why not partake in a fun and entertaining dinner show? (B)
Day 8 - BANFF - YOHO NATIONAL PARK
Enjoy an interpretive walk along the shore of Lake Louise, Canada's "Diamond in the Wilderness," and learn about the history and geography of this breathtaking area before moving on to another great icon of the Canadian Rockies - Moraine Lake, crowned by ten notable peaks. As you approach Yoho National Park, stop at the Spiral Tunnels viewpoint and learn about the construction of these famous tunnels. Pass by the spectacular Natural Bridge, patiently carved by the Kicking Horse River, and arrive at exquisite Emerald Lake, one of Canada's most outstanding wilderness settings. Your home tonight is the historic Emerald Lake Lodge, built of hand-hewn timber and featuring massive stone fireplaces. After dinner, enjoy an informative presentation on the local history of the region. Later stargaze under the night sky and savour a liqueur and s'mores, a traditional American campfire treat, by a lakeside bonfire. Hotel: Emerald Lake Lodge (B,D)
Day 9 - YOHO NATIONAL PARK - JASPER NATIONAL PARK
Today motor along the unforgettable Icefields Parkway and witness amazing scenery such as Crowfoot Glacier hanging improbably from a cliff face some 900 feet above and Columbia Icefield, North America's largest sub-polar ice pack. At Athabasca Glacier, one of the icefield's six principal "toes," climb aboard a specially-designed Ice Explorer for a once-in-a-lifetime guided tour over steep grades, snow and ice as you ascend partway up the glacier. En route to Jasper, perhaps join an optional gentle float trip down the Athabasca River. Your home for the next two nights is the picturesque Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in the heart of Jasper National Park, an alpine wonderland of immense forests, jeweled lakes, soaring waterfalls, soothing mineral hot springs, rugged glaciers, colourful meadows and majestic mountains. After dinner a local wildlife expert will lead an informative presentation about some of the park's most interesting residents which include elk, moose, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, grizzly bear, black bear, beaver and caribou. Hotel: The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge (B,D)
Day 10 - JASPER NATIONAL PARK SIGHTSEEING
Join your Tour Director for an interpretive walk at Maligne Canyon, one of the most beautiful gorges in the Canadian Rockies. Stroll along the canyon's trail, past beautiful waterfalls, astounding rock formations, and learn about the underground river system. The rest of the day is yours to do as you please. Jasper is the base for a host of optional tours and activities. Perhaps enjoy a boat cruise on Maligne Lake or join a guided nature walk at Mount Edith Cavell along the "Path of the Glacier." The choice is entirely yours! (B)
Day 11 - JASPER - ROCKY MOUNTAINEER TRAIN - KAMLOOPS
Relive the golden age of rail travel aboard the Rocky Mountaineer train, one of the world's great rail journeys. For the next two days, enjoy travelling in GoldLeaf Service as the train journeys from Jasper in the Rocky Mountains to Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean. View spectacular scenery as the train journeys across the Continental Divide and over the Yellowhead Pass back to British Columbia. On arrival in Kamloops, transfer to your Rocky Mountaineer-assigned hotel. Hotel: Assigned by Rocky Mountaineer (CB,L)
Day 12 - KAMLOOPS - ROCKY MOUNTAINEER TRAIN - VANCOUVER
Continue your journey onboard the Rocky Mountaineer train and follow the river into the Thompson Canyon with its rugged walls and dry sagebrush landscape until it dramatically merges with the Fraser River. On arrival in Vancouver, transfer to your hotel. End the day with dinner at a local restaurant before retiring to your hotel for the night. Hotel: Fairmont Pacific Rim (CB,L,HD)
Day 13 - ALASKA GLACIER BAY INSIDE PASSAGE CRUISE
Head out to North Vancouver and the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Park. Cross the spectacular suspension bridge, 230 feet above the Capilano River, and join the award-winning Treetops Adventure, a guided nature tour along a series of elevated walkways. Guests on the 20-Day Land Tour & Cruise are transferred to Canada Place to board Holland America Line's ms Zuiderdam for an unforgettable Alaska Glacier Bay Inside Passage Cruise. (D)
Day 14 - SCENIC CRUISING - INSIDE PASSAGE
Enter a region so isolated, it can only be accessed by sea or air. Come face-to-face with the grandeur of the Ice Age. Slowly glide past a maze of bays, glacier-carved fjords and waterways protected from the open sea by islands and other land masses. The ms Zuiderdam is designed for Alaskan cruising with its airy lounges, teak decks and roomy verandahs, allowing for comfortable observation of the ever- changing panorama of unspoiled virgin forests and vast wilderness that stretch from British Columbia to Skagway, Alaska. (B,L,D)
Day 15 - JUNEAU
Juneau is a place to let your imagination run wild. Stop in rustic shops offering jade and ivory sculptures, silver jewelry, wooden masks, intricate beadwork and apparel designed by native Alaskans. Visit Gold Rush- era bars such as the Alaska Hotel with its ornate Victorian furnishings, or the Red Dog Saloon showcasing Wyatt Earp's gun. Perhaps take an optional guided tour of the State Capitol or climb aboard the Mount Roberts Tramway. Follow in the footsteps of the original North Americans as you explore the Mendenhall Glacier and the immense Juneau Icefields just outside the city, or trek through the lush Tongass National Forest. And don't hurry, daylight here lasts well into the evening! (B,L,D)
Day 16 - SKAGWAY
Established in 1897 as a trading post for prospectors headed to the Klondike Gold Rush, Skagway was once known as "hell on earth," an untamed, violent town controlled by organized criminals. Today, of course, the town is a bit more civilized, though its colourful past is carefully preserved in the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park. For a truly memorable excursion, take an optional ride on the narrow gauge White Pass and Yukon Railroad, which was built in 1897 to take miners over treacherous terrain to the distant goldfields. The railway still uses vintage parlor cars, the oldest built in 1883. (B,L,D)
Day 17 - GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK SCENIC CRUISING
In the watery wilderness of Glacier Bay National Park, behold a landscape at its literal moment of creation. Your ship becomes a time machine as you travel thousands of years back in time, witnessing the life cycle of a new land from Sitka-spruce forests alive with grizzlies and wolves to the algae, lichens and mosses that were the beginnings of life in the region. In this isolated land the shrill noises of modern life are replaced with the deep, thunderous boom of building-size icebergs calving into the sea from a vast river of ice. It is raw, primordial... and unforgettable. (B,L,D)
Day 18 - KETCHIKAN
Welcome to the salmon capital of the world! Part of the town is built along a steep hillside, part is built on pilings over the water where bald eagles watch from waterside perches. An outstanding collection of totem poles makes the town an essential stop for anyone interested in native art. To make the most of your time ashore, consider taking an optional guided tour through town, a harbor cruise or a float plane "flightseeing" trip. If you prefer a more hands-on experience, you can take a sport fishing charter, kayak expedition, jeep ride or mountain excursion on a Harley Davidson motorcycle. The adventure never stops. (B,L,D)
Day 19 - AT SEA
Today is a day of relaxation as your cruise returns to Vancouver. Take advantage of the ship's many outstanding facilities, or simply relax on deck with a drink and watch the unmatched scenery glide by your floating palace. (B,L,D)
Day 20 - DEPART VANCOUVER
After disembarking, a complimentary transfer takes you to Vancouver International Airport, or the tour hotel in Vancouver for passengers extending their stay. Please do not schedule flights before 12 p.m. (B)
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