6-Nights Western Journey: Calgary, Banff, Jasper, Vancouver and More

Goway Travel

This moderate 7-day escorted coach tour takes you from the Rockies to the Pacific, all in one experience-filled week. Nature is the star of this trip, naturally, but you will also have enough big-city experiences to satisfy any culinary and culture cravings. Travelling from the prairies of Calgary, Alberta, to the coastal beauty of Vancouver, British Columbia, expect scenic highlights every day: heritage and history, mountainous beauty, glacial ice fields, deep canyons, dense forests, and emerald-green lakes. Explore the surface of the ancient Athabasca Glacier Board aboard a giant Ice Explorer, enjoy scenic float plane sightseeing tour over Garibaldi Park, stroll the winding streets of Whistler Resort, and discover Vancouver, a coastal gem known for its multicultural cuisine and its pioneering history.

Depending on your time of arrival, the first day in Calgary is at leisure. Visit Heritage Park Historical Village, Canada’s largest living history museum, or soar up to the Calgary Tower’s observation deck, browse the boutique shops, and end with an Alberta beef dinner at a downtown, award-winning steakhouse.

Set out early the next morning to tour the sights of Calgary, viewing modern and historic landmarks such as the Calgary Tower, Fort Calgary, and the commercial district. Set your sights on the distant Rocky Mountains, your next destination. Travel through the foothills and enter Banff National Park, with its snow-capped peaks, sparkling glaciers, and abundant wildlife. Tour the area, seeing landmarks like the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Bow Falls and Tunnel Mountain. Overnight in Canmore, Alberta, a tiny town with outsized views of no less than five different, stunningly-beautiful mountain ranges.

Spend the next day at leisure in Banff, or join the optional full-day tour to the Columbia Icefield, travelling along the scenic, world-famous Icefields Parkway. Board a giant Ice Explorer for the surface of the ancient Athabasca Glacier. Bring your sunglasses: the snowy glacier surface can be very bright! If time permits, experience the icefield Skywalk, an exciting one-kilometre walkway leading to a stunning viewing platform where glass is all that separates you from a 918-foot drop.

Leave Canmore and travel onward to the central British Columbia city of Kamloops. Cross Kicking Horse Pass into Yoho National Park, en route to Glacier National Park, and through the Monashee and Selkirk Mountain ranges to the rugged interior town of Kamloops, where you will spend the night. Expect a gradual scenery change today with Douglas firs gradually giving way to grasslands and cattle country.

Dramatic scenery changes abound the next day when your group leaves the ranch lands and heads for the coastal mountains. In the resort town of Whistler, an optional float plane sightseeing tour over Garibaldi Park makes for some wonderful photos of volcanic peaks, alpine lakes, and meadows. Overnight in pretty Whistler Village, nestled at the base of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, and enjoy the endless array of shops, cafés and bars, restaurants, and legendary aprés-ski nightlife options.

The next day, your group heads south along the spectacular Sea-to-Sky Highway through a dramatic landscape of jagged fjords and glaciated mountain peaks. The cosmopolitan city of Vancouver is your final destination, and offers a myriad of cultural, culinary, and natural attractions and experiences.

First, explore the metropolis on a sightseeing tour, with highlights including Stanley Park, Prospect Point, English Bay, historic Gastown and tiny Chinatown. The afternoon is free for you to explore this stunning coastal city further on your own. Don’t worry about dinner plans: Vancouver is home to hundreds of fantastic downtown area restaurants, brew pubs, and outdoor dining patios.

On Day 7, make your way to Vancouver’s international airport for your return flight (unless you plan to extend your memorable stay).

Vacation Inclusions

• Transportation by modern tour coach
• Experienced tour driver
• Tour director throughout
• 6 nights moderate hotel accommodation
• 6 breakfasts
• Shared Banff sightseeing tour
• Shared Calgary sightseeing tour
• Shared Vancouver sightseeing tour
• Baggage handling (1 piece per person)
• Provincial Taxes and Federal GST

Featured Destinations

Whistler Whistler Nestled in the spectacular Coast Mountains of British Columbia, just 75 miles north of Vancouver, lies Whistler Resort, a charming alpine village, and the Home of Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. Rising one vertical mile from a village of award-winning West Coast architecture, Whistler & Blackcomb Mountains offer the greatest vertical rise of any ski area in North America, and its massive high-alpine terrain rivals the major ski resorts of Europe. Whistler is also a popular summer destination as well, with many recreational activities for the whole family.	Destination Guide
Kamloops Kamloops The popular interior city of Kamloops is in the heart of High Country. Visitors to the city can choose to learn more about the intriguing history of the area or take advantage of the abundance of recreational facilities and opportunities in the area. The city itself is located where the South and North Thompson Rivers meet, hence the name "Kahm-o-loops", the Shuswap Indian word for "meeting of the waters". The surrounding countryside is a combination of dry forests, grasslands and desert like hills. While forestry has now surpassed ranching as the primary industry, ranching is still an important component in the makeup of the area. Kamloops can be used as a headquarters for exploring nearby wilderness areas such as Wells Gray Park to the north and the grasslands of the Nicola Valley in the south or the numerous fishing and recreational lakes surrounding the entire area.	Destination Guide
Canmore Canmore Canmore, a former sleepy mining town turned robust community, is a recreational paradise. It's a straight shot west of Calgary via the Trans-Canada Highway, one hour from the city and 90 minutes from the international airport. In winter, the splendid cross-country trails developed for the 2010 Olympic Games remain the major draw. Officially called the Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park, it boasts more than 40 mi/65 km of groomed trails for classical skiing and also skating lanes. Rental gear and lessons are available. The venue still hosts Canadian and international ski races, including the Haywood Ski Nationals. In summer, the site morphs into an 18-hole disc golf course, four orienteering courses, more than 62 mi/100 km of single- and double-track mountain bike and hiking trails, nearly 4 mi/6 km of paved roller-ski trails and a mountain bike skills park. Several annual events also take place in Canmore, including the Canmore Folk Music Festival and Highland Games.	Destination Guide
Calgary Calgary This modern cosmopolitan city of Calgary was once home to Blackfoot Indians for at least hundreds of years. Fort Calgary came into existence as a Northwest Mounted Police settlement in 1875, and Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in 1883. With the close railway, Calgary became a transportation and meatpacking hub. The world-renowned Calgary Exhibition and Stampede has been held since 1912. A museum worth a visit is Glenbow Museum and Art Gallery. The Calgary Tower offers a first class view of Calgary area. It is a landmark symbol that became well known during the 1988 Winter Olympics - when a flame burned from the top. Besides an observation gallery, there is a revolving restaurant and cocktail lounge. Canada Olympic Park houses many facilities used for the 1988 Winter Olympics. The Olympic Hall of Fame is a museum paying tribute to the Olympics and its athletes. Heritage Park Historical Village authentically portrays life in a typical town of Canadian west prior to 1914. Calgary Zoo is one of the best in North America.	Destination Guide
Vancouver Vancouver Vancouver is a thriving metropolis surrounded by natural beauty. With parks, beaches, gardens, museums, art galleries and the second-largest Chinatown in North America, Vancouver lives up to its promise of offering something for everyone. With modern buildings set against green, rolling hillsides, this city is breathtaking; no location offers a more spectacular view than Stanley Park - with a zoo, aquarium, totem poles and honking geese. A short walk from the park leads to Robson Street, which offers the town's best window-shopping. Stores with European flavor share the avenue with delicatessens and tea rooms ready to serve. As architectural heart of the city, Robson Square features a central plaza with a food fair and an old provincial courthouse, which now houses Vancouver Art Gallery. Be sure to stop at 8 Pender St. - "the narrowest building in the world." Other points of interest include the Museum of Anthropology; Japanese-style Nitobe Memorial Garden; and VanDusen Botanical Garden. Capilano Canyon is site of the world's longest and highest suspension footbridge.	Destination Guide

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