Enjoying some of the most spectacular mountain scenery the Rockies has to offer - towering cliffs, unique geological formations, waterfalls and snow-clad peaks - on a cruise across Waterton Lake.
Summary
Beauty and wonder unfold at each turn of this 12-day tour of Alberta and British Columbia, Canada's westernmost provinces. Vast areas of prairie give way to the magnificent Canadian Rockies. Mountain wilderness is brought to life by the trickle of melting glaciers; and cool rivers quench the thirst of Canada’s beautiful beasts, including bears and wolves. Taste refreshing glacial water, feel an ancient ice field beneath your feet, and experience the lifestyle of the First Nations and gold rush pioneers as we explore.
Your holiday includes:
7 excursions and visits
Guided visit to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Cruise on Waterton Lake
Tour of Three Valley Ghost Town
Safari on the Blue River
Maligne Lake cruise
Columbia Icefields Glacier Adventure
Orientation tour of Banff and excursion to Lake Louise
Plus:
10 nights in hotels and 1 in flight (accommodation as specified or similar)
International flights. Prices are based on return flights with Air Canada from London Heathrow. Supplements may apply from other airports
7 meals: 4 breakfasts (days 2 and 5-7) 2 lunches (days 5 and 7) 1 dinner (day 6)
Titan’s VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home for flight to Calgary.
Residence Inn Downtown Calgary (3-star)
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump - Waterton
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump exemplifies the ancient hunting practice of aboriginal plains tribes corralling and stampeding buffalo off a cliff and harvesting the animals below for food, shelter, weapons and tools.
On our way to Waterton, we’ll visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site; one of the oldest, largest and best preserved of hundreds of buffalo jump sites across the western Plains. We’ll explore the Interpretative Centre which documents the buffalo hunting culture of the Plains Indians from ancient times to the arrival of the Europeans.
Guided visit to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (morning)
Bayshore Inn Resort & Spa, Waterton (3-star)
Waterton
Enjoy some of the most spectacular mountain scenery the Rocky Mountains have to offer on a scenic cruise, venturing across the border into the United States. Our boat stops regularly to photograph the beautiful waterfalls and wildlife. Bald eagle, bear, moose, deer, mountain sheep and mountain goats are often seen.
Cruise on Waterton Lake (morning)
Bayshore Inn Resort & Spa, Waterton (3-star)
Radium Hot Springs
Enjoy the scenery as we travel to Radium Hot Springs, a beautiful village on a high ridge in the Columbia Valley, on the edge of Kootenay National Park. First Nations people consider the hot springs at the base of Redstreak Mountain a spiritual place, and used the water as a source of rejuvenation and healing.
Best Western Plus Prestige Inn, Radium Hot Springs (3.5-star)
Three Valley Ghost Town - Chase
Three Valley Ghost Town recreates the colourful pioneer days, when thousands sought fortune in the gold rush. Enjoy a BBQ lunch and tour the small town of wooden-clad shops rescued from various locations and restored to their former glory. The old blacksmiths, watchmakers, saloon and jail are complimented with a collection of antique cars and the grand Railway Roundhouse, home to a collection of pristine steam locomotives.
Tour of Three Valley Ghost Town (afternoon)
Quaaout Lodge & Spa at Talking Rock Golf Resort, Chase (4-star)
Chase
Our lodge is located in a beautiful spot on the quiet shore of Little Shuswap Lake - within the territory of the Little Shuswap Lake Indian Band, known as Skwlax (black bear). Your day is free to spend as you wish, or join an interpretative walk to learn more about the First Nations in this part of British Columbia. This evening we’ll enjoy a First Nations-inspired dinner.
Quaaout Lodge & Spa at Talking Rock Golf Resort, Chase (4-star)
Blue River - Jasper
Experience the breathtaking wilderness of Grizzly Bear Valley on an unforgettable guided river safari. We’ll journey through the heart of the world’s only inland temperate rainforest, where bears, moose, eagles and osprey to name only a few, take advantage of the jade-coloured glacial waters. Photos of waterfalls tumbling from the snow-capped mountains are sure to fill your camera. Our journey then continues to Jasper.
Safari on the Blue River (afternoon)
Chateau Jasper (3-star)
Jasper
Jasper National Park is one of Canada’s oldest and largest, full of great creatures such as elk, bears and wolves, and many smaller ones too. It’s also full of unique geological treasures. We head into Maligne Valley, home to a wide range of flora and fauna, and a breathtaking icon of world travel - Maligne Lake. The blue-green waters from the surrounding mountains and glaciers sit almost unmoving around tiny Spirit Island. A cruise on the lake allows you plenty of opportunities to photograph this beautiful spot.
Maligne Lake cruise (morning)
Chateau Jasper (3-star)
Columbia Icefield - Banff
Today we see another of the National Park’s magnificent landmarks - the Columbia Icefield. The rugged icefields of an ancient glacier are stunning and we take a closer look, boarding a massive Ice Explorer vehicle to the Athabasca Glacier, one of the largest non-polar ice fields in the world, for the opportunity to walk on the ice and taste its cool water.
A walk along the Glacier Skywalk, a glass-floored walkway that extends over the Sunwapta Valley, is also recommended for great views of the huge glaciers above, and the craggy canyon below. Keep your camera close at hand for wildlife as we continue to Banff.
Columbia Icefields Glacier Adventure (morning)
Royal Canadian Lodge, Banff (4-star)
Banff - Lake Louise
Banff sits within its own national park, best known for stunning Lake Louise. Discover why this mesmerising emerald green lake, fed by the hanging Victoria Glacier, and mirroring the surrounding pine forests and mountain peaks, is considered the world’s most picturesque body of water. This afternoon, you might like to join an optional excursion on the Banff Gondola.
Orientation tour of Banff and excursion to Lake Louise (morning)
Royal Canadian Lodge, Banff (4-star)
Day 11
Calgary - In flight
Enjoy a free morning before we transfer to the airport for your overnight return flight to the UK.
In flight
Day 12 UK
Upon arrival, your Titan vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.