I returned from this trip recently and had a lovely time. Early (or early-ish) starts, lots to see and a delightful Tour Manager, Brian, and knowledgeable driver, Dave. All the hotel rooms were equipped with fridges, kettles, coffee makers and hair dryers and the beds were comfortable - my first room had one huge bed and the others each had two double beds.
There were two optional excursions on our first day in Banff, a helicopter flight over Canmore and the Sundance Range of mountains in the morning and a trip in the Banff Gondola/Cablecar up Sulphur Mountain in the afternoon. I'd never been in a helicopter before but thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Each helicopter took 5 passengers, the weather was beautiful and we all got excellent views over the mountains. The cablecars each took 4 people to the top station, from where we could walk along the Sky Walk (concrete) to a look-out point on the top of the mountain. Again the views were marvellous.
On our second full day in Banff there was an optional excursion to Lake Louise and the Mountain Lakes; I think all the group went on this as Lake Louise gets a lot of publicity as being the most beautiful lake. Maybe the overcast skies didn't help but I preferred Emerald Lake (which was truly emerald in colour when the sun came out) and Moraine Lake (which was also stunning in shades of grey, black and white).
On the drive from Banff to Jasper we visited the Athabasca Glacier, where there was an optional excursion onto the glacier itself in huge Ice Explorer vehicles. I didn't go but those who did seemed to think it worthwhile. Later we visited the Athabasca Falls, which were amazing not just for the force of the Falls themselves but for the way the water had over the millennia sculpted the rock it went over.
The next day there was a tour of Jasper and the surrounding area in the morning and two optional excursions later in the day. The first was rafting on the Athabasca River, which our TM described as "white water rafting for softies". Before I left home I had said I would NOT go rafting but when it came to it I went and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were kitted out in life vests and plastic ponchos and instructed how to sit securely on the outer edges of the inflatable; just about everyone in the raft got wet or at least damp, no-one was sick and we were all smiling when we reached our destination nearly two hours later. In the evening some of us went on a nature walk with a local guide. We didn't see any bears although we did find two lots of fairly fresh "scat" and our guide had a canister of bear spray just in case. It was a pleasant evening but the "path" was full of tree roots and we had to look where we were putting our feet to avoid falling.
On the journey to Kamloops, which is an overnight stopping-off point for both road and rail travellers, we visited Mount Robson Provincial Park, where we had a coffee stop and time to admire Mount Robson, the highest peak in Canada. We were very lucky to be able to see almost the whole of the summit as it is usually hidden by cloud.
On the journey across the plain to Vancouver our TM took us off the direct route to a couple of places which even our driver had not come across before. It gave us an opportunity to relax in the sun, the temperature being several degrees higher than in the Rockies.
The following morning we went sightseeing around town and to Stanley Park where we saw a range of colourful totem poles and looked out over the water to the very expensive area of West Vancouver. In the afternoon there was an optional excursion to the North Shore, where we went up to the top of Grouse Mountain in a large cablecar. Besides the views down over Vancouver and the surrounding countryside, there was a large enclosure housing two grizzlies who had been rescued as babies when their mothers were killed by lorries. Apart from a brief glimpse of a mother brown bear and two cubs which some of those at the front of the coach had had on our travels, this was our only opportunity to see bears close up. Once back at the bottom of the mountain we went on to the Capilano Suspension Bridge (or the wibbly wobbly bridge, as our TM called it), a long, 4-planks wide bridge hung across a canyon leading to the Treetops Walkway, an area of rain forest. Some of the group had been very doubtful whether they could cross the bridge but they did and had the photographs to prove it to the doubters back home.
On our last full day we visited Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, on Vancouver Island. This was such a change from the bustle of Vancouver with its enormous skyscrapers. Once we had landed, we went our separate ways to enjoy the sunshine and sights, meeting up again after lunch to go to the Butchart Gardens which were beautiful. The first hour there was the only real rain we had had in the entire holiday until then but it didn't spoil our enjoyment and eventually the sun came out to make everything look even lovelier. It was amazing how much had been crammed into the space available, with not a weed in sight!
At the end of the holiday we had the morning to ourselves before leaving for the airport. Most of the group went off to explore or do last-minute shopping. This was the only bad weather we had - it was pouring with rain when we got up and didn't stop all morning.
I didn't find the mosquitoes too troublesome during the holiday and only applied repellent once but several others got quite bitten. There was a lot of walking, visiting lakes, canyons, waterfalls etc and good footwear was essential to negotiate the uneven ground.
For anyone going on this holiday and wondering about money, the 6 optional excursions I went on came to C$651 and the one excursion I didn't do cost C$54, my total expenditure was just under C$1,200. I only bought one or two mementoes and postcards but others came home with bulging suitcases. All prices in Canada are shown without any taxes - in Alberta there was one tax and in British Columbia two, at different rates - and in restaurants and bars one is expected to leave a tip of at least 15%.
This has been a long review but I hope those contemplating doing this holiday will find it helpful. Many thanks, Brian, for guiding us through such an unforgettable holiday.
