Cosmos - Heart of Canadian Rockies with Calgary Stampede

Calgary to Vancouver

On this Heart of the Canadian Rockies tour, you’ll experience this breathtaking scenery and enjoy thrilling experiences as you overnight in Calgary, Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, Kamloops, Victoria, and Vancouver. 

Enjoy two nights in Banff National Park, Canada’s oldest national park and gateway to the Canadian Rockies. You’ll have time to take an optional excursion and explore the alpine meadows, glaciers, lakes, hot springs, and quaint shops on your own. You’ll also enjoy two nights in Jasper National Park, the largest national park in Canada. You can hike, explore the shops, and take an optional excursion to Maligne Lake and Spirit Island. Between Banff and Jasper, you’ll enjoy a highlight of this Canadian Rockies tour—a thrilling ride aboard an Ice Explorer, an all-terrain vehicle, on the Columbia Icefield, the largest expanse of ice in the Canadian Rockies. Your journey between the two national parks also includes a stop in Lake Louise, whose turquoise waters create a natural mirror that reflects the surrounding mountains and pristine wilderness. 

This tour also includes ferry crossings between Vancouver and Victoria as well as sightseeing in Calgary, Vancouver, and Victoria. In Victoria, your sightseeing includes world-famous Butchart Gardens with its 55 acres of showcase floral exhibits. Free time in Victoria allows you to explore on your own. Perhaps enjoy Afternoon Tea at the Empress Hotel or take a historic walk. Be sure to enjoy the scenery on the ferry crossings. 

All of this and more await you on this Canadian Rockies tour designed for the savvy, value-minded traveller. Be sure to bring your camera to capture the stunning landscapes you’ll see on this once-in-a-lifetime holiday!

 

 

Itinerary

Day 1 - CALGARY.

Welcome to Calgary! Your Tour Director is on hand late this afternoon to answer any questions.

Day 2 - CALGARY STAMPEDE GROUNDS.

Welcome to Calgary and "The Greatest Show on Earth." Dressed in your best Cowboy fashion from belt buckles, boots to chaps, explore the CALGARY STAMPEDE grounds at your leisure with your included admission. Step through the gates of Stampede Park into a world of wonder, fun, and "Wild West" excitement. Walk back in time through an authentic Indian Village or stroll the streets of a recreated frontier town. Enjoy a wide variety of exciting talent at the many entertainment stages, and then maybe head into the dazzling array of international exhibits and displays of Western art. This evening, watch the heart-stopping CHUCKWAGON RACES in an all-out dash for the finish line, an amazing contest of nerves and horsepower. You'll be out of your seats cheering on your Favourite driver during each heat. Afterward, get ready for an outdoor STAGE SHOW featuring hundreds of singers, dancers, and musicians in a lavishly produced and choreographed musical variety spectacular.

Day 3 - CALGARY STAMPEDE GROUNDS AND RODEO.

Fuel up for the day's activities by visiting Fluor Rope Square at Olympic Plaza for a pancake breakfast. Return to the Stampede grounds this morning to see anything you missed yesterday, and cheer on your Favourite rodeo contenders. If you haven't already, get suited with a cowboy hat, threads, and boots at one of the many stalls before heading to the Grandstand for the Calgary Stampede RODEO this afternoon. See the best of the best as they saddle up for world-class rodeo action. Top professionals take on the West's wildest horses. You'll also enjoy rodeo's most famed event-bull riding! You will be in awe of the talent as you sit on the edge of your seat. Make the most of your time here and discover Canada's country core. With square dancing, mock gun fights, country bands, bars, restaurants and livestock, there is loads to see.

Day 4 - CALGARY-BANFF NATIONAL PARK.

The discovery of oil converted this ranching town into a sophisticated city. It is also home to the world-famous Calgary Stampede. Tour many of the city's attractions, including Canada Olympic Park, and the Saddledome. Motor west through the foothills and into BANFF NATIONAL PARK, gateway to the majestic Canadian Rockies. An orientation tour includes Banff's unspoiled beauty.

Day 5 - BANFF NATIONAL PARK.

Banff is one of Canada's favourite year-round resorts, with summer activities such as hiking, boating, and fishing. With a free day, your Tour Director will suggest an optional helicopter ride over the Canadian Rockies.

Day 6 - BANFF NATIONAL PARK-LAKE LOUISE-COLUMBIA ICEFIELD-JASPER NATIONAL PARK.

Enjoy a day of scenic grandeur. First stop is Lake Louise, whose turquoise waters create a natural mirror that reflects the surroundings. Up next: a stop at the COLUMBIA ICEFIELD to experience the Ice Explorer, an all-terrain vehicle that travels on ice that is 750 feet (230 metres) thick. Then, journey north into JASPER NATIONAL PARK, where precipitous gorges, snowcapped summits, and lakes of exquisite blues and greens come into view as the motorcoach scales two mountain passes. Later, your Tour Director suggests an optional float trip down the Athabasca River. Enjoy an orientation tour of Jasper townsite upon arrival.

Day 7 - JASPER NATIONAL PARK.

Today, join our optional excursion to Maligne Lake and Spirit Island, where you embark on a narrated cruise of the lake. The balance of the day is free to enjoy everything Jasper has to offer-from guided hikes and quaint shops to meandering wildlife.

Day 8 - JASPER NATIONAL PARK-MOUNT ROBSON-KAMLOOPS.

Depart Jasper and follow the Fraser River to the base of Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. The Yellowhead Highway continues south along the mighty Thompson River, with spectacular views of the Monashee Mountains. Overnight in Kamloops.

Day 9 - KAMLOOPS-FERRY CROSSING- VICTORIA.

As you travel through British Columbia's Coast Mountain Range to its majestic Pacific coastline, the vegetation changes from desert landscape to lush alpine forests. Board your ferry for the spectacular crossing to Vancouver Island. Sightseeing in Victoria includes worldfamous BUTCHART GARDENS, the Inner Harbour, Bastion Square, and Thunderbird Park. This evening, consider a stroll along the lively Waterfront Promenade.

Day 10 - VICTORIA.

Today is free to explore on your own. You may choose to join an optional wildlife and whale-watching trip cruising the beautiful waters of the San Juan and Gulf Islands, looking for whales, porpoises, seals, and eagles. Your Tour Director will have ideas for enjoying this most British of Canadian cities.

Day 11 - VICTORIA-FERRY CROSSING- VANCOUVER.

This morning, set sail across the Strait of Georgia and through the spectacular Gulf Islands, an archipelago known for its climate. In Vancouver, city sightseeing includes STANLEY PARK, Gastown, Chinatown, and other famous landmarks. The remainder of the day is free to explore Robson Street and experience British Columbia's premier shopping and entertainment location.

Day 12 - VANCOUVER.

Your holiday ends this morning. You can extend your holiday with extra nights and explore Vancouver further with a variety of exciting optional activities.

No meals are included in this itinerary.

Travel Dates

For travel 6 Jul 2019

*per person share twin