Canada : Rockies Explorer

Day 1 Vancouver arrive in Vancouver and transfer to your hotel. This evening join your fellow travellers for a Welcome Reception.
Overnight: The Fairmont Waterfront (D)

Day 2 Vancouver enjoy a sightseeing tour of Vancouver. The tour includes the Waterfront, the cobblestone streets of historic Gastown and Stanley Park, named one of the top ten greatest public spaces in the world. The remainder of the day is yours to explore. Perhaps head to Chinatown for exotic delicacies, or stroll around Granville Island and see food markets, shops and artists at work.
Overnight: The Fairmont Waterfront (B)

Day 3 Vancouver-Kamloops board the Rocky Mountaineer train and relax in your GoldLeaf coach as you pass the fields of Fraser Valley and the towering peaks of the Coast Mountains before entering the Fraser Canyon. See the thundering waters of Hell’s Gate and follow the Thompson River to Kamloops, gateway to the interior of British Columbia.
Overnight: Kamloops, hotel assigned by Rocky Mountaineer. Kamloops has limited accommodation (two or three-star hotels). (BL)

Day 4 Kamloops-Banff rejoining the Rocky Mountaineer, journey through vast ranchlands along the South Thompson River to Shuswap Lake. Enter Rogers Pass, with its tunnels and glistening glaciers. The Kicking Horse River leads to Kicking Horse Pass, the Spiral Tunnels and over the Continental Divide to Banff National Park.
Overnight: The Fairmont Banff Springs (BL)

Day 5 Banff enjoy a sightseeing tour of Banff then join your selected touring activity. Choose from a Banff experience, helicopter ride over the Rockies, round of golf at The Fairmont Banff Springs, Bow River float trip or a cruise on Lake Minnewanka. Tonight enjoy a Dine Around Dinner at your choice of restaurant at The Fairmont Banff Springs.
Overnight: The Fairmont Banff Springs (BD)

Day 6 Banff-Lake Louise this morning ride the Banff Gondola to the summit of Sulphur Mountain for spectacular views. Then head to tranquil Moraine Lake, a glacially-fed lake in the Valley of the Ten Peaks. In the afternoon arrive at Lake Louise, the Jewel of the Rockies, a beautiful aqua lake set against the backdrop of Victoria Glacier. Settle in then take a stroll with Mountain Heritage Guides, who will describe the natural history and stories of the area and point out photographic opportunities. Tonight choose to dine in one of the chateau’s four restaurants.
Overnight: The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise (BD)

Day 7 Lake Louise-Jasper journey along the Icefields Parkway, one of the world’s great scenic drives, travelling along a chain of massive icefields straddling the Continental Divide. Stopping at the giant Columbia Icefield, take a ride in a specially designed Ice Explorer onto the Athabasca Glacier. Enjoy the opportunity stand on the glacial ice that once fell as snow some 400 years ago. Continuing the journey north, arrive this afternoon in Jasper National Park, a fairytale mountain retreat boasting the best in modern amenities and surrounded by breathtaking scenery. Tonight you can choose your Dine Around Dinner at one of The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge’s four outstanding restaurants.
Overnight: The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge (BD)

Day 8 Jasper-Sun Peaks re-entering the province of British Columbia, your journey follows the famous Yellowhead Highway. Pass Mt Robson which, at 3,954 metres, is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. In the afternoon, arrive in the alpine village of Sun Peaks, tucked in among the rolling mountains of British Columbia’s interior and renowned for its world-class skiing, mountain-biking, snowboarding, accommodation and dining.
Overnight: Delta Sun Peaks Resort (BD)

Day 9 Sun Peaks-Whistler follow the tracks of the early gold rush pioneers through the rugged Cariboo region. Featuring remote coastal inlets, the dry grassland expanse of the Chilcotin Plateau and the interior rainforest of the Cariboo Mountains, it’s little wonder the Cariboo region is home to an incredibly diverse range of fish and wildlife. The journey continues into the Coast Mountain Range to the ski resort of Whistler, set in a spectacular location and considered an adventure playground for skiers and mountain-bike riders throughout the year.
Overnight: Westin Resort and Spa (BD)

Day 10 Whistler-Vancouver Island return to the coast and board your ferry for a scenic cruise through the Georgia Strait. Alternatively travel by floatplane - optional, at additional expense. Arrive on Vancouver Island and continue to Victoria, the charming capital city of British Columbia, famous for its distinct British feel. Tonight, enjoy an evening at leisure exploring this pretty location.
Overnight: Delta Ocean Pointe Resort and Spa (B)

Day 11 Victoria visit the world-renowned Butchart Gardens for a unique breakfast in the gardens. Established in 1904 by Jennie Butchart and maintained by successive generations of the Butchart family since then, take your time exploring and learning about the displays. The garden has established an international reputation for its year round display of flowering plants. In the afternoon, you have your choice of touring activity in Victoria. There’s an opportunity to watch whales breaching and interacting off Vancouver Island; you can take a seaplane flight to get a birds eye view of the island and coastline; perhaps stay on solid ground and take a guided tour of the wonderful gardens around the town; or take an historic guided walking tour of the town.
Overnight: Delta Ocean Pointe Resort and Spa (BD)

Day 12 Victoria-Vancouver 12-day tour guests will transfer to the airport after breakfast for your flight home. (B)
19-day tour guests will board the cruise ship for your incredible voyage into Alaska. Settle into your comfortable Verandah Stateroom as you sail north. 
Accommodation (Seven Nights): MS Zuiderdam or MS Volendam (BD)

Day 13 Inside Passage enjoy a day at sea as your ship wends its way past rocky headlands, over the still blue waters of the Inside Passage. (BLD)

Day 14 Inside Passage-Juneau your cruise ship arrives in Juneau, Alaska’s pretty capital. Located at the foot of grand mountain peaks on the Gastineau Channel, and with the massive Mendenhall Glacier and Juneau Icefields at its back door, Juneau is a place to let your imagination run wild. Early settlers in Juneau included miners during Alaska’s gold rush and Russian fur traders, meanwhile the native Alaskan influence still remains prominent today. Disembark and spend some time in Juneau to take in the lush terrain and vibrant wildflowers, visit the rustic shops in town, or take a ride aboard the Mt Roberts Tramway. You may also explore the Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the United States and remote enough to be home to many species of endangered and rare flora and fauna. (BLD)

Day 15 Juneau-Skagway at the northernmost point of the Inside Passage, Skagway’s history as a frontier town and gateway for the gold rush is still evident. Enjoy free time discovering what gold prospecting was like back then or take in the wildlife (own expense). (BLD)

Day 16 Skagway-Glacier Bay wake up to the breathtaking sight of Glacier Bay National Park with its rivers of ice. Have your camera poised to catch glaciers calving. Rangers come on board to explain the geological wonders and point out the diverse wildlife. (BLD)

Day 17 Glacier Bay-Ketchikan Ketchikan is the place to indulge in all things to do with salmon. Enjoy time at leisure and maybe join a walking tour of the town including a visit to the busy fishing harbour and the historic red light district, where the wooden houses that still stand today were built on stilts over the water. Or you can immerse yourself in the Tlingit Indian culture at Saxman Native Village (own expense). (BLD)

Day 18 Inside Passage-Vancouver enjoy the spectacular scenery as you head south through the Inside Passage on the return to Vancouver. (BLD)

Day 19 Vancouver disembark in Vancouver after breakfast. Enjoy time at leisure before your transfer to the airport. (B)