VANCOUVER, JASPER NATIONAL PARK, BANFF & CALGARY
Experience the natural beauty of western Canada on this 9-day escorted tour from Vancouver to Calgary. We’ll begin in the “jewel” of North America’s Pacific Coast – Vancouver where we’ll explore city highlights like Stanley Park, Robson Street, Gastown, and more. We’ll continue to the “Cowboy Country” ranch land of Kamloops and the Canadian Rockies’ largest park – Jasper National Park – where we’ll take in the crystal blue-green lakes, and snow-capped mountain peaks, and visit the Columbia Icefield. We’ll visit iconic Banff and Lake Louise which offer breathtaking beauty and enjoy an excursion to Yoho National Park which offers spectacular waterfalls and soaring peaks. Our tour comes to an end in Calgary where we’ll explore the city’s downtown area, the Stampede Grounds, and more!
Did you know you can make this tour private? Find out about pricing and options
for groups of 15 or more travelers.
Itinerary at
a Glance
Tour Itinerary:
- 2 nights in Vancouver
- 1 night in Sun Peaks
- 2 nights in Jasper
- 2 nights in Banff
- 1 night in Calgary
Tour Highlights
- Vancouver, the jewel of the west coast of Canada
- Travel along Sea-to-Sky Highway, and stop in Whistler, home of the 2010 Winter Olympics
- Cowboy Country around Kamloops in central B.C.
- The incomparable Canadian Rocky Mountains
- Journey along the Icefields Parkway Drive – step onto a glacier at the Columbia Icefields
- Lake Louise – a turquoise, glacier-fed lake surrounded by Valley of Ten Peaks
- Calgary, home to the famous Calgary Stampede
- Meet a Mountie
Your Tour Includes
- Ground transportation in air-conditioned motor coach
- Accommodations at first-class hotels and lodges
- Porterage (1 bag per person)
- 11 meals: 8 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 2 dinners
- Comprehensive sightseeing tours including admission fees as indicated in the itinerary
- Professional Tour Director
Max Group Size: 30 travelers
Activity Level: Level 1
Expect most included touring to require walking and standing periods up to 3 hours at a time (up to 2 times per day) on easy terrain with some light stairs. Learn More
Pacing Level: Moderate
Expect full-day tours most days with some limited free time at specific sites, for meals, and/or in the evenings. You can expect several early mornings and/or long travel days by bus (don’t worry—there are always comfort stops!), and you may expect to stay in most accommodations for 2+ nights (with limited 1-night stays). Learn More
For more detailed information about this tour and destination, visit
our Before You Depart section.
Welcome to Canada! After your independent arrival in Vancouver, make your way to our centrally-located hotel where you'll meet our Western Canada Tour Director in the lobby. Depending on your arrival time, our guide can provide suggestions for how to fill the afternoon! This evening, we'll meet our fellow travelers during our welcome dinner.
Accommodations: Coast Coal Harbor Vancouver Hotel
Meals: Dinner
Vancouver is known as the "jewel" of North America's Pacific Coast with its magnificent sea, beaches, harbor, and steep Coast Mountains. This morning, we'll enjoy a sightseeing tour of Vancouver with highlights including Stanley Park to see the collection of totem poles, popular English Bay with its little beach, and trendy Robson Street filled with shopping, cafes, and restaurants making it perfect for window shopping! We'll also see iconic Canada Place with its fabric roofs that resemble sails; Cruise Ship Pier; Granville Island with its many shops and boutiques; Gastown, known for its Steam Clock and historic charm; Chinatown, and many other points of interest. After our tour, we'll have time to explore Vancouver independently.
Meals: Breakfast
Today we'll travel via the Sea to Sky Highway, Shannon Falls, and the lumber town of Squamish to Whistler Village Resort. This resort, an internationally acclaimed ski station, is equally popular in the summer months. We'll spend some time at the Village Square, a carefully constructed pedestrian village, located at the base of Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. With many restaurants, gift shops, and specialty clothing stores scattered throughout, Whistler offers something for all ages! Later today, we'll follow a breathtaking route through the wilderness mapped by the gold-seekers. We'll pass the supply center for the Cariboo Gold Rush of the 1860's, Lillooet, and continue to the "Cowboy Country" ranch land of Kamloops, which is the anglicized version of the Shuswap word for "where the rivers meet". Founded as a fur trading depot in 1812, this later became a supply center for the Cariboo Gold Rush. The city today serves as the transportation, retail and service center for the cattle and sheep ranching industries in the southern interior of British Columbia and also as the northern gateway to the Okanagan vacation region. Later we'll check into our hotel in Sun Peaks.
Accommodations: Sun Peaks Grand Hotel
Meals: Breakfast
Today we'll travel north to Clearwater and experience the stunning vistas of high mountains, deep canyons, volcanic cones, brooding old-growth forests, thundering waterfalls, and raging white-water rivers of Wells Gray Park (including a chance to view the 135-meter high Helmcken Falls). After our visit, we'll travel to Mount Robinson, for a photo stop on the snowy peaks of the highest peak in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The Yellowhead Parkway takes us to Jasper this evening. A year-round recreational center for tourists, the town of Jasper is set in Jasper National Park among awesome mountain peaks, centuries-old glacial ice, flower-carpeted meadows, and mirror-like lakes.
Accommodations: Tonquin Inn or Maligne Lodge
Meals: Breakfast
Jasper National Park is a sweeping expanse of scenic beauty from its awesome mountain peaks to centuries-old glacial ice to flower-carpeted meadows to mirror-like lakes. Today's sightseeing highlights include a walk at Maligne Canyon, Maligne Lake, Medicine Lake, and visits to Patricia Lake and Pyramid Lakes. After lunch, enjoy some leisure time this afternoon in the village of Jasper or consider an optional Malign Lake cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today's journey might just be the highlight of our trip! We'll travel south today along the Icefields Parkway to experience a wealth of breathtaking scenery. Crystal blue-green lakes, fresh mountain streams, deep forests, and snow-capped mountain peaks are the order of the day. Upon arrival at the Columbia Icefield, we will depart on a specially constructed snocoach that will take us to the surface of the Athabasca Glacier. We've also included admission to one of the area's newest attractions - the Glacier Skywalk! We'll continue to Banff, one of Canada's top mountain resorts. During our orientation tour, we'll visit the landmark Banff Springs Hotel, Tunnel Mountain, Bow Falls, and much more before we check into our hotel.
Accommodations: Canalta Lodge
Meals: Breakfast
Banff is the first and most famous of Canada's national parks and is an incomparable combination of towering peaks, high meadows, emerald lakes, and keen mountain air. These - and the sulphur hot springs - have made Banff National Park one of North America's most spectacular scenic and recreational areas. Early today we'll travel to Lake Louise - one of the most photographed scenes in Canada. We'll make a brief excursion to nearby Yoho National Park, which represents the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains region, and is also a Cree expression of awe and wonder for this place of rock walls, spectacular waterfalls, and soaring peaks. In the shadow of the Great Divide, Yoho holds the secrets of ancient ocean life, the power of ice and water, and unique plant and animal communities that continue to evolve today. Highlights include Natural Bridge, Emerald Lake, and lower spiral Tunnel Viewpoint. We'll enjoy a farewell dinner this evening at a local restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
This morning, meet with a retired Member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in a traditional, red uniform. Learn about the history of the RCMP and hear about his experiences as a Mountie. Afterward, we'll have some free time to explore independently or consider an optional gondola ride. Later, we'll leave behind the majestic Canadian Rockies and follow the Trans-Canada Highway to Calgary - home of the famous Calgary Stampede. We'll stop at Calgary Olympic Park, the site of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, and then enjoy the highlights of Calgary with a sightseeing tour including the downtown core, Chinatown, a view of Calgary Tower, the Stampede Grounds, the Pengrowth Saddle Dome, the financial and shopping districts, and many other points of interest before we reach out downtown hotel.
Accommodations: Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Downtown or Sandman Signature Calgary Downtown
Meals: Breakfast
Today, we bid farewell to Canada. After breakfast, checkout from the hotel and make your way home.
Meals: Breakfast
We are working diligently to secure future tour dates and pricing for
this itinerary. Please fill out the "Request a Future Date" form
linked below, and we will notify you once dates are available.
Optional Tours
Customize your trip with these optional tours.
Enhance your trip with our recommended optional tours.
Indicated optional tours are available to pre-book
when you reserve your trip and can be added to your
reservation up to final payment. This is the best option
to guarantee your spot on your preferred optional tour!
Optional tours require a minimum number of participants.
Optional tours are non-refundable unless they do not operate.
Some optional tours can be purchased in-destination and
may cost extra. The payment methods and currency
information to purchase tours in-destination will be
provided on final documentation.
Enjoy a 90-minute cruise on one of the most picturesque lakes in the Rockies. Halfway there is a photo stop at Spirit Island, where the passengers disembark for a short walk to the lookout.
MUST BE PRE-BOOKED!
This tour must be pre-booked prior to final payment as
it is not available to book in-destination.
After ascending to the top of Sulphur Mountain, you'll find a 360° breathtaking view of the majestic mountains. Enjoy hiking trails that run along the ridges.
MUST BE PRE-BOOKED!
This tour must be pre-booked prior to final payment as
it is not available to book in-destination.
Featured Accommodations
1180 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4R5, Canada
Website
3240 Village Way, Sun Peaks, British Columbia V0E 5N0, Canada
Website
100 Juniper Ave., Jasper, Alberta T0E 1E0, Canada
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912 Connaught Drive, Jasper, Alberta T0E 1E0, Canada
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545 Banff Avenue, Banff, AB T1L 1B5, Canada
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711 4 St. SE Suite A, Calgary, AB T2G 1N3, Canada
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888 7 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 3J3, Canada
Website
Gail W
I am very glad I choose to travel with Smartours. The tour director was excellent, very friendly and accommodating. The itinerary covered all the highlights plus a few extra sites. The hotels were for the most part satisfactory. If you want luxury hotels and included dinners, Smartours is not for you.
Maria D
We greatly enjoyed this tour. It was well planned, we got to see all the areas we wanted to. We could have used more time to stay in Banf or Jasper. The tour director and the driver were very skilled, professional and caring. Very good experience.
A.M.
This was a terrific trip with an excellent guide. We really got to experience the Canadian Rockies with all of its glory. We even got to meet a retired Canadian Mounty Police Officer! The accommodations were generally very comfortable. It’s an active trip but one that can be balance to your abilities. Luckily we saw lots of wild life and the weather was wonderful. The price was wonderful compared with many other groups.
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