Day 1 Calgary to Banff | Coach
Leave the Stampede City of Calgary on the express service to Banff, where you’ll arrive to a picturesque resort town surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. Located within Banff National Park, Banff is renowned for its scenic natural beauty and stunning wildlife.
Day 2 Banff | Freedom of Choice - Choose 1 of 6 Excursions
Today you can personalize your day by choosing one of these excursions.
Option 1. Discover Banff & Its Wildlife Tour + Banff Gondola
Discover Banff's natural wonders on this half-day, small-group tour. Marvel at sights like Bow Falls, Hoodoos rock formation, and Lake Minnewanka. Conclude your exploration with a relaxing gondola ride to Sulphur Mountain's peak, maximizing your views of Banff National Park effortlessly. Enjoy the enchanting beauty of these landmarks with minimum exertion.
Option 2. Banff National Park Explorer Moraine Lake & Lake Louise | Small Group Tour with Picnic Lunch
Join this small group tour for a curated experience of Banff National Park's highlights, with the added chance to spot wildlife through expert local guidance. Enjoy unhindered access to Moraine Lake & Lake Louise, spending over 1½ hours at each, discovering hidden gems and serene trails. The final phase of the tour is tailor-made in Banff by your guide, considering recent wildlife sightings and your interests, ensuring the day concludes on a high note.
Option 3. Rockies Hidden Gems Yoho & Kootenay National Parks | Small Group Tour with Picnic Lunch
Avoid the crowds with this full-day adventure in the Kootenay and Yoho National Parks, featuring picturesque waterfalls and Canadian Rockies views. Start with a relaxing stroll in Kootenay National Park's Marble Canyon, marveling at turquoise glacial waters and striking canyon walls. Enjoy Emerald Lake's neon blue waters, where optional canoe rentals, hiking trails, and lakeside picnics are available. The day concludes with a visit to Canada's 2nd tallest waterfall, Takakkaw Falls, accessible through backroads offering mountain vistas and wildlife sightings.
Option 4. Cowboy Horseback Cookout BBQ Lunch or Dinner
Saddle up for a ride along the Bow River in Banff and a Western style cookout. Choose from riding on horseback or in a covered wagon through the beautiful Rocky Mountain terrain.
Option 5. Signature Guided Hike | Small Group Hike with Picnic Lunch
Experience the best of Rocky Mountain National Parks' backcountry with our curated hiking tours. Revel in spring's wildflowers, summer's clear glacier views, and the golden hues of fall's larch trees. Our passionate local guides will lead you on classic hikes in the Banff and Lake Louise area, including Stanley Glacier, Larch Valley, Kootenay National Park Trails, and Plain of 6 Glaciers. Immerse yourself in nature's beauty across seasons in the Rockies.
Option 6. Personalised Tailor-made Excursion
Talk with one of our local Canada specialists to tailor your day in Banff to your preferences. Choose from a variety of experiences, including guided hikes, evening wildlife e-bike tours, river explorer canoe tours, a foodie tour at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, or upgrade to a selection of private tours of the region. Alternatively, you can spend the day relaxing and enjoying the fresh mountain air, and we'll credit the cost of your excursion.
Day 3 Banff to Lake Louise with Moraine Lake Tour
Enjoy a relaxed morning in Banff. This afternoon, travel via the scenic Bow Valley Parkway toward Lake Louise, with stories along the way about how local landmarks got their names. Continue to world-renowned Moraine Lake, nestled in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, and take a short walk up the Rockpile for the postcard-perfect view once featured on Canada’s historic $20 bill. Then arrive at Lake Louise, where turquoise waters shimmer beneath rugged mountain peaks and the majestic Victoria Glacier.
Seasonal note (May 1-31): Moraine Lake Road is closed during this period, and the tour is replaced with a mid-day or afternoon scheduled coach transfer to Lake Louise. You will have free time to canoe, hike to the Lake Agnes Teahouse, or enjoy afternoon tea at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Private transfers are available at an additional cost.
Day 4 Lake Louise to Jasper Tour | with picnic lunch
Includes Ice Explorer Ride onto the Athabasca Glacier + Glacier Skywalk
Travel along the breathtaking Icefields Parkway today, one of North America’s most spectacular mountain highways. This full-day sightseeing journey showcases jagged peaks, turquoise lakes, glacier-fed rivers, hanging glaciers, deep valleys and cascading waterfalls, with possible stops including Athabasca Falls, the Weeping Wall, Bow Lake and Crowfoot Glacier. At the Columbia Icefield, board the Ice Explorer for an unforgettable ride onto the ancient Athabasca Glacier, then step out over the Sunwapta Valley on the glass-floored Glacier Skywalk. Continue through dramatic mountain passes and glacier-carved scenery toward your overnight destination. (Picnic lunch included today)
Day 5 Jasper | Freedom of Choice - Choose 1 of 6 Excursions
Today you can personalize your day by choosing one of these excursions.
Option 1. Morning Maligne Valley with Medicine Lake Tour
Experience the most incredible sights in Jasper National Park’s Maligne Valley during this guided excursion to the region’s most scenic lakes & majestic canyons, enjoy a gentle guided walk along the shores of this pristine lake.
Option 2. Evening Discover Jasper & its Wildlife
Admire diverse animal life in the Canadian wilderness on this evening wildlife tour. Delve into Jasper National Park with your guide. Travel through the mighty Athabasca Valley and marvel at the park’s beautiful landscapes by twilight.
Option 3. Gentle Raft Float on the Athabasca River
Experience Jasper National Park's natural beauty with a small group float trip on the Athabasca River. Cover several miles on Class II rapids, offering mild excitement with a few splashes. Enjoy your guide's engaging storytelling about local history and wildlife throughout this gentle adventure.
Option 4. Maligne Canyon Hiking Tour
Embark on a stunning hike in Jasper National Park, exploring the deepest accessible canyon in the Canadian Rockies. Learn about the Maligne Valley, Karst topography, and the mysterious disappearing Medicine Lake. Enjoy breathtaking views of rushing rapids and waterfalls along the canyon's five bridges. An added bonus is the shuttle service back to the top, saving you from a steep uphill hike.
Option 5. Upgrade Option: Maligne Valley Sightseeing + Boat Cruise
This Jasper tour starts with a brief town overview before crossing the Athabasca River to Maligne Lake. Discover the majestic Maligne Canyon's waterfalls and the enigmatic "disappearing" Medicine Lake. The highlight is a trip to stunning Maligne Lake, including an interpretive boat cruise to Spirit Island. Experience firsthand the beauty that captured adventurer Mary Schaeffer's heart a century ago, and has since become world-renowned.
Option 6. Personalised Tailor-made Excursion
Talk with one of our local specialists to tailor your day in Jasper to your preferences. Choose from a variety of experiences, including a Maligne Valley tour & lake cruise, an exhilarating Harley-Davidson motorcycle sidecar tour of Jasper National Park, a Jasper food tour to experience the local cuisine, hiking and cooking tour in the backcountry, or a selection of private tours of the region. Alternatively, you can spend the day relaxing and enjoying the fresh mountain air, and we'll credit the cost of your excursion.
Day 6 Depart Jasper | VIA Rail
Spend the morning at leisure in Jasper, with time to enjoy the relaxed pace of this mountain town before beginning one of Canada’s great rail journeys. This afternoon, board VIA Rail’s legendary Canadian and settle in as the train rolls east from the Rockies. From the comfort of the lounge or dome car, watch the scenery shift from forested valleys and distant mountain peaks to the wide-open landscapes of Alberta. As evening falls, enjoy dinner onboard while the train continues across the heart of Western Canada, with endless skies, quiet farmland and prairie horizons setting the scene for the days ahead. Overnight onboard VIA Rail. (Dinner included today onboard VIA Rail)
Day 7 On-board VIA Rail | Saskatchewan and Manitoba
Wake to the vast beauty of the Canadian Prairies, where golden fields, open skies, small towns and classic grain elevators create an ever-changing panorama from your window. The pace of the journey is part of the experience today - time to relax in the dome car, enjoy meals onboard, read, socialize or simply watch Canada unfold mile by mile. As the train continues east through Saskatchewan and into Manitoba, the landscape gradually shifts from open farmland to lakes, forest and the approaching edge of the Canadian Shield. Overnight onboard VIA Rail. (Breakfast, lunch & dinner included today onboard VIA Rail)
Day 8 On-board VIA Rail | Ontario
Today’s journey takes you deep into the rugged beauty of Northern Ontario, where the Canadian Shield reveals a landscape of ancient rock, dense boreal forest, quiet lakes and remote wilderness. From the dome car, watch for sparkling waterways, forested ridges and small railway communities that offer a glimpse into a quieter side of Canada. This is a day to slow down and enjoy the rhythm of the train, with all meals served onboard as you continue your remarkable journey east. Overnight onboard VIA Rail. (Breakfast, lunch & dinner included today onboard VIA Rail)
Day 9 Arrive Toronto | VIA Rail
Your final morning onboard brings changing views of Ontario’s lake country, forested hills and rural landscapes as the train continues toward Canada’s largest city. Enjoy continental breakfast and brunch onboard before the scenery gradually transitions from quiet countryside to the urban skyline of Toronto. Arrive at Union Station by mid-afternoon, completing an unforgettable transcontinental rail journey from the mountain wilderness of Jasper to the heart of downtown Toronto. (Continental breakfast & brunch included today onboard VIA Rail)
