Banff Holidays
Sample itineraries
Best of the Canadian Rockies - A Tauck Escorted Tour
From £3215
Once impenetrable to all but the hardy outdoorsmen who trapped, snowshoed, and traded furs in the formidable alpine terrain, Canada’s Rocky Mountains attracted the attention of railroad barons in the late 1800s who envisioned sharing this natural kingdom with their rail passengers. As they laid tracks over the rugged landscapes, they also laid the foundation for some of the most magnificent wilderness resorts ever built. Their vision was our fortune, rewarding us with privileged access and sumptuous accommodations in some of the most beautiful and pristine places in North America.
Your Tauck Tour Includes:
- Return flights from the UK to Calgary International Airport
-
7 nights in deluxe and most sought after hotels and lodges - Lake view rooms at the The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise,
- A “Wild West” welcome reception and dinner with rodeo entertainment at an upscale ranch
- A presentation by a Parks Canada official where you’ll discover the natural history, legends and lore found within Canada’s majestic national parks
- Jasper Your Way, providing four different ways to explore Jasper National Park – your choice of a Maligne Valley guided tour, a “Wilderness Discovery Tour,” a whitewater rafting trip on the Athabasca River, or a journey through Jasper’s alpine tundra aboard the Jasper Tramway
- A climb up the surface of a glacier aboard the Ice Explorer where you’ll learn about their geological features
- Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as detailed
- 17 meals (7 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 7 dinners); service charges, gratuities to local guides, admission fees, taxes and porterage
Best of the Canadian Rockies - A Tauck Escorted Tour
Prices from £3215 per person (based on two travellers sharing)
Price based on off-season travel. Please call for your preferred date of departure.
![Jasper_National_Park[1].jpg](/img/uploads/7192_fit588x588.jpg)
Tour Departure Dates 2012: (subject to availability)
May 18th, 25th
June 1st, 8th,15th, 22nd, 29th
July 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th
August 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st
September 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th
October 5th
Day 1 Arrive Calgary
Tour departs: 3:00 PM from Calgary International Airport
. For guests who are spending the previous night in Calgary, an airport transfer from Calgary International Airport to The Westin Calgary is included; pick-up time today will be 1:00 PM at The Westin Calgary. Best of the Canadian Rockies begins with a journey from Calgary International Airport that takes you across the last few miles of Canadian prairie to Kananaskis country. Located in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, the alpine scenery is a feast for the eyes! You’ll be staying at the Delta Lodge at Kananaskis this evening, where Tauck has secured Signature Club guest rooms offering exclusive concierge services, complimentary high-speed Internet access in the guest rooms, and access to the Signature Club Lounge. We look forward to seeing you this evening at our “Wild West” welcome cocktail reception and dinner with rodeo entertainment at an upscale ranch – a great way to start your trip!
Accommodation: Delta Lodge, Kananaskis
Meal included: Dinner
Day 2 Lake Louise - A Wilderness Gem
See some of the most beautiful lakes in North America today as you journey into the wilderness of the Canadian Rockies. Travel across the Continental Divide through Kicking Horse Pass to exquisite Emerald Lake, set among soaring mountain peaks in Yoho National Park. See the famous Spiral Tunnels of the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Natural Bridge, carved through solid rock. Your final destination is Lake Louise, located at the foot of Victoria Glacier – in spring there often is late snow framing the lake with lofty snowbound peaks. Spend two nights at The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, located in the heart of Banff National Park, where your guest room overlooks the beautiful lake for stirring views from dawn until dusk.
Accommodation:The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise for 2 nights
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3 Moraine Lake, Beauty Reflected
Conditions permitting, join our naturalist guide for an excursion to Moraine Lake, one of the most photographed spots in all of Canada, located in the Valley of the Ten Peaks. This glacially fed lake reflects the awe-inspiring beauty that prompted explorer Walter Wilcox, who named it Moraine Lake after the moraine, or rock pile, deposited by the Wenkchemna Glacier, to write “no scene had ever given me an equal impression of inspiring solitude and rugged grandeur,” adding that his time spent contemplating the view was the happiest half-hour of his life. Return to your resort for an afternoon at leisure.
Meals included: Breakfast and Dinner
Day 4 The Icefields Parkway - Breathtaking!
Experience some of the most breathtaking scenery in North America today when you take the amazing journey along the Icefields Parkway to Jasper National Park. This stretch of highway, undeniably a “wondertrail,” runs from Lake Louise to Jasper. Its 143-mile length affords constantly changing views of more than 600 glaciers, six icefields and a cornucopia of mountains. Today you will see why it is considered by many to be the most spectacular in the Canadian national parks system. Your accommodations for the next two nights are equally impressive. The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is nestled on the shores of Lac Beauvert on an elk-populated, lushly wooded 900 acres of pristine wilderness.
Accommodation: The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge for 2 nights
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5 Jasper National Park, Heavenly
The striking natural landscapes and carefully protected ecosystems of Jasper National Park are truly a photographer’s paradise – and they are yours to enjoy as you please today with Jasper Your Way, where it’s your choice of an included discovery tour within Jasper National Park. Choices include an “Experience Maligne Valley” tour that offers a guided walk along the Maligne Lake shoreline; a “Wilderness Discovery Tour” where you explore area landscapes with a wildlife interpreter; a whitewater rafting adventure on the Athabasca River led by Rocky Mountain River Guides; and a very popular trip on the Jasper Tramway through the amazing alpine tundra with a visit to town. Optional activities at your lodge (available at additional cost) include trail riding, biking, boating, and golf. You’ll be amazed by your views of the mountains anywhere you go in Jasper National Park, lending an air of tranquility. Join us this afternoon for a fascinating presentation by a National Parks official.
Meals Included: Breakfast and dinner
Day 6 Ice Explorer Ride, A Glacial Wonder
Return to Banff National Park, crown jewel of the Rockies, once again along the Icefields Parkway. You’ll enjoy the park’s unspoiled natural beauty from different vantage points today. View mighty Athabasca Falls and the two monumental peaks framing Athabasca Glacier; the famed glacier originates in the Columbia Icefield, whose waters flow into the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans. Athabasca Glacier is the largest mass of ice in the Canadian Rockies. Get a closer look at the surface of the glacier aboard a specially designed Ice Explorer vehicle, where you’ll learn a bit about its formation. Arrive in Banff National Park for a two-night stay at The Fairmont Banff Springs, styled after a Scottish baronial castle more than a century ago; the resort’s gracious grandeur is reminiscent of bygone days.
Accommodation: The Fairmont Banff Springs
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 7 Awe-inspiring Banff National Park
![banff_town[1].jpg](/img/uploads/8309_fit588x588.jpg)
The village of Banff rivals the chic alpine villages of the Rocky Mountains in the western United States; today is free for you to explore this premier resort town as you please. Tauck includes the Banff Heritage Passport that offers admission to the Banff Park Museum National Historic Site of Canada, whose grand 1903 building featuring cross-log construction is in itself a historic attraction. From strolling along the western-themed streets to exploring points of interest or enjoying the magnificent alpine surroundings, Banff “rocks”! Join us tonight for a special farewell reception with musical entertainment, followed by dinner where the views are a feast for the heart and a great finale.
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Day 8 Journey Home
Travel back to Calgary (approximately 80 miles). Tour ends: 10:00am at Calgary International Airport. You should allow a minimum of 3 hours for flight check-in.
Meals included: Breakfast
