Panoramic Rockies & Cruise

Day 1 - Arrive Vancouver

Welcome to Vancouver. Get settled in at your hotel before meeting your Travel Director this afternoon.

Hotel: Pacific Gateway Hotel

Day 2 - Victoria

Start your day with a sightseeing tour of Vancouver, one of the world’s most naturally beautiful cities. Explore historic Gastown, the city’s oldest neighbourhood, designated a National Historical Site in 2009. At Stanley Park, view the famous collection of totem poles and enjoy lovely views from Prospect Point. Reach the coast and board the ferry for the crossing to Victoria.

Enjoy picturesque views of the many islands dotting the Strait of Georgia before docking at Swartz Bay. A short drive takes you into charming Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia. Your introductory sightseeing tour takes you along the waterfront district, past the Parliament Buildings and Government Street.

Hotel: Comfort Inn & Suites

Day 3 - Victoria

This morning, head for Butchart Gardens and start with an Iconic Breakfast at the Blue Poppy Restaurant with its conservatory atmosphere where light pours in through skylights and windows face the stunning gardens. Then, roam one of the world’s greatest floral displays in the amazing 55 acres (22ha) of flowers and show gardens.

The rest of the day is free to enjoy the many delights Victoria has to offer. Perhaps visit The Royal BC Museum, one of the finest in Canada. Consider whale watching as you cruise Victoria and the protected waters of Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Indulge with the best views of whales and fantastic photo opportunities, all the while being entertained and educated by the industry’s best marine adventure guides.

Hotel: Comfort Inn & Suites

Optional: Victoria Whale Watching

Board your vessel to enjoy a three-hour whale-watching expedition in the waters off Victoria. While it can’t be guaranteed in advance which of the abundant marine wildlife you’ll see on your journey, chances are you’ll also spot magnificent bald eagles, porpoises or seals. Spring and summer are the best times of the year to see the resident Orca whales in all their glory. Approx. duration: 3 hours.

Day 4 - Whistler

Travel to Chemainus, a seaside community that is renowned for its Mural Project-a series of giant outdoor wall murals. Then, ride the ferry across the Georgia Strait back to the mainland in Horseshoe Bay. Travel along the Sea-to-Sky Highway offering stunning scenic ocean vistas of Howe Sound, soaring mountains, dramatic waterfalls and bustling communities. Stop at Shannon Falls Provincial Park to view the spectacular waterfalls, the third highest in the province of British Columbia. Arrive in the quaint alpine village of Whistler, co-host to the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Hotel: Delta Hotels by Marriott Whistler Village Suites

Meals: Breakfast

Day 5 - Whistler

Spend a full day at leisure in Whistler, nestled between the breathtaking Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains. Explore the village at your own pace and relax at one of the many outdoor venues; perhaps visit the excellent Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, where the Squamish and Lil’wat people invite you to learn about the cultures of the First Nations of BC.

Join one of the many optional excursions, including ziplining, whitewater rafting or a thrilling ride aboard the Peak-to-Peak Gondola, as you glide along the world’s longest unsupported span. The gondola is also the highest lift of its kind, linking the Roundhouse Lodge on Whistler Mountain and the Rendezvous Restaurant on Blackcomb Mountain. Other activities include flightseeing over the lakes and glaciated peaks of Garibaldi Provincial Park.

Hotel: Delta Hotels by Marriott Whistler Village Suites

Meals: Breakfast

Day 6 - Sun Peaks

Travel along scenic Duffy Lake Road where you can catch glimpses of Duffy and Seton Lakes via Lillooet, ‘Mile 0’ of the Gold Rush Route. Follow the once treacherous Caribou Wagon Trail, before reaching Sun Peaks, one of British Columbia’s premier ski resorts.

Hotel: Sun Peaks Lodge

Day 7 - Jasper National Park

Drive through white-fenced ranch lands and follow the Yellowhead Highway, catching a glimpse of the snowcapped Columbia Mountains in the distance. Enjoy views of Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Rockies and enter Jasper National Park. Arrive in Jasper, nestled inside Jasper National Park. A brief tour gives you an overview of this charming, laidback mountain resort.

Hotel: Lobstick Lodge

Day 8 - Jasper National Park

Enjoy a full day at leisure in the largest National Park of the Canadian Rockies. The beauty of the area will leave you breathless. Optional activities abound-from a gentle float trip on the scenic Athabasca River, to a wilderness hike to view the glacier on Mount Edith Cavell, or a scenic cruise on Maligne Lake.

Hotel: Lobstick Lodge

Optional: Jasper Float Trip

Join the fun and experience an easy rafting / scenic float trip down the Athabasca River, a designated Canadian Heritage River. A National Park licensed guide will provide commentary on the human and natural history of Jasper while navigating you along the same route used by the ‘fur traders’ over 2 centuries ago.

Life jackets and the specially designed, 25 foot (7 meters) long, oar-powered rafts; offer a safe and comfortable ride through several small, easy sets of rapids and calm stretches that any first-time rafter will enjoy. Don’t worry the guides do all the rowing; you sit back and enjoy while exploring all the spectacular scenery drifting down a route that was used by fur traders many years ago. There is always a chance of seeing various wildlife including elk, deer, moose, coyotes, wolves, eagles, ospreys, mountain sheep and bears.

Tours will operate rain or shine, and a poncho will be provided when required. Approx. duration: 50-90 minutes.

Optional: Mount Edith Cavell Guided Walk

Join your guide on the ‘Path of the Glaciers’ with Mount Edith Cavell’s snowcapped peak towering a mile overhead. See the emerald green of the ‘Lake of Forgiveness’ and look out for incredible glacial formations, including icebergs and ice avalanches. Be sure to wear your good walking shoes for this 90-minute moderate walk.

You’ll have plenty of stops for picture taking, enjoying the scenery and learning about the local history and geography. You may also spot wildlife during the 40-minute drive to and from this area. Operates seasonally. Approx. duration: 3 hours.

Optional: Maligne Lake Boat Cruise

Nestled in a ring of towering mountains, Maligne Lake is the largest glacially fed lake in the Canadian Rockies. Here you’ll discover world-famous Spirit Island, the crown jewel of Jasper National Park. The Maligne Lake Cruise is an experience like no other with an experienced crew who will guide you through the rich history, ecology and geology of Maligne Lake.

This interpretive tour has been declared the ‘Best Boat Cruise in Canada’ by 8 million Reader’s Digest subscribers. You’ll be inspired by the beauty of Maligne Lake’s vibrant blue waters and by the stunning lofty peaks as you cruise to Spirit Island, a world-famous destination and one of the most photographed locations in the Rockies, accessible only by boat. Subject to weather conditions. Approx. duration: 1.5 hours.

Day 9 - Banff National Park (via Lake Louise)

Proceed along the world-renowned Icefields Parkway amidst stunning vistas of deep green forests, snow-covered mountains, hanging glaciers and towering peaks. Sightseeing stops along this beautiful highway include Athabasca Falls, the Columbia Icefield, Bow and Peyto Lakes (weather dependent) and Crowfoot Glacier. Keep your camera ready as you look for wandering wildlife.

Stop at the Columbia Icefield for a ride on a specially designed Ice Explorer, winding your way along the surface of the massive Athabasca Glacier. Learn about the Columbia Icefield, the power of glaciers and the early explorers who discovered them. Another stop is at the ‘Jewel of the Canadian Rockies’- exquisite Lake Louise, offering quintessential Canadian Rockies scenery with its sparkling blue water lake, nestled at the base of the impressive Victoria Glacier.

Continue along the scenic TransCanada Highway and arrive in Banff, inside Banff National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hotel: Inns of Banff

Day 10 - Banff National Park

Your morning sightseeing tour of Banff includes the sights of Bow Falls and Tunnel Mountain. Few towns in the world boast as beautiful a setting as Banff. The mighty Bow River courses right through town, while massive mountains rear up around the outskirts of the town. The rest of the day is free for you to pursue your own interests. To see more of this beautiful area, perhaps take an optional gondola ride up Sulphur Mountain to experience stunning views of six mountain ranges and the village below or ride aboard a helicopter for one of the most epic adventures in the Canadian Rockies.

Optional: Royal Canadian Tour

This journey will only enhance the Three Sisters Peaks Tour by exploring the Goat and Sundance Ranges of the Rocky Mountains. You will see mountain peaks, alpine meadows, waterfalls and untouched glacier lakes. Perhaps even a glimpse of some wildlife. It’s an extraordinary adventure not to be missed.

Hotel: Inns of Banff

Optional: Mt. Assiniboine Tour

You are in for something special as you are transported to Mount Assiniboine – ‘the Matterhorn’ of the Canadian Rockies. Our most popular adventure has all the fantastic scenery of the previous tours plus a fly by over top of the glacier. This photogenic peak rises majestically to 3,611 metres (11,870 feet) along the Great Divide. The Gloria and Assiniboine Glaciers will astound you. This is an experience you will never forget! Approx. duration: 30 minutes.

Day 11 - Vernon

It will be another incredible drive today as you climb higher and higher to cross the Continental Divide at Kicking Horse Pass, stopping at the Spiral Tunnels on the way to marvel at one of the steepest railroad stretches in the world. You’ll then travel through not one, not two, but three beautiful national parks, slowly descending from the mountains as the landscape changes from snowcapped peaks to sprawling wineries and fruit orchards, indicating that you’ve arrived in Canada’s ‘fruit basket’, the Okanagan Valley. Surrounded by so many grapes the temptation for a tasting will be hard to resist, so you’ll stop off at a local winery for a tour and tasting before heading on to Vernon, the unofficial capital of the Okanagan.

Hotel: Sandman Vernon

Day 12 - Depart Vancouver

Continuing on Holland America Line’s Alaska cruise, you will be dropped off at Canada’s Place where you will board the ms Nieuw Amsterdam. Your ship sails at 4:30 p.m., passing below Vancouver’s spectacular Lion’s Gate suspension bridge.

Meals:Dinner

Day 13 - Cruise the Inside Passage

Your first full day at sea and there’s plenty of time to ease into shipboard life and take in the amazing scenery of the Inside Passage. The fabled Inside Passage is one of the most scenic sea-lanes in the world, and one of the few where deep-draft vessels can sail close to steep mountain walls.

The scenery is unbelievable, with forests in a hundred shades of green, tumbling turquoise glaciers, and evocative towns loaded with history, culture and adventure. With most of Southeast Alaska accessible only by boat or plane, the Inside Passage is a lifeline to the outside world. All day long it hums with activity.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Day 14 - Cruise Tracy Arm and Juneau

Nestled between 3,000-foot high granite walls, the narrow, twisting slice of ocean called Tracy Arm Fjord weaves through the Tongass National Forest for roughly 35 miles. The shoreline is spotted with waterfalls created by melting snowcaps and trees sprouting at odd angles from rocky outcroppings.

The dramatic Sawyer Glaciers at the end of Tracy Arm are framed by mountains and bathed in the blue hue of the ice. Arrive in Juneau where you can shop downtown, kayak, dogsled, raft or flightsee.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 15 - Cruise to Skagway

Some of the aspiring Klondike gold rushers who made it to Skagway took a look at the long journey that lay ahead of them and decided a change of profession was in order. So many of them set up shop as provisioners in Skagway, the largest city in Alaska by the end of the 19th century. Booms fade and dreams move on, but the glory days still reverberate through the town.

Step into the town’s colourful past at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 16 - Cruise Glacier Bay

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think Glacier Bay ostentatious for the way it flaunts its ice. The glaciers practically terminate in your lap. A cruise to Glacier Bay National Park with Holland America Line will show you a UNESCO World Heritage Site that protects a unique ecosystem of plants and animals living in concert with an ever-changing glacial landscape.

From the comfort of your ship, enjoy the pristine wilderness of Glacier Bay National Park.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 17 - Ketchikan

Ketchikan clutches the shores of the Tongass Narrows, with many shops and houses built right out over the water. The stairways are weathered and the vibe is cheerful in the town that calls itself the Salmon Capital of the World.

While ashore, check out the world’s largest collection of standing totem poles or join an optional guided tour through town or a harbour cruise.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 18 - Cruise the Inside Passage

Returning through the Inside Passage, soak in the crisp air and phenomenal scenery on your final day at sea.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 19 - Depart Vancouver

Sail into Vancouver Harbour this morning, depart the cruise ship and make your way to the airport for your flight back to the UK.

Meals: Breakfast