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Discover the Canadian Rockies - Eastbound
12 days, Vancouver to Calgary
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The itinerary on this trip has been improved! View the new itinerary.
Awe-inspiring scenery and fascinating wildlife are simply everywhere in Western Canada. This 12-day adventure hits crisp Jasper and serene Lake Louise, a scenic ferry crossing to Vancouver Island, a river float down the Athabasca river, and a drive along the jaw-dropping Icefields Parkway. Whether you’re walking atop a glacier or meandering the gorgeous streets of Whistler Village, you’re sure to feel that Rocky Mountain high.
Is this tour for me?
Travel Style: National Geographic Journeys
Greater exploration, insider access, and the freedom to roam – all without sacrificing comfort.
Service Level: Upgraded
Quality accommodations and more inclusions than on other G Adventures tours, like meals, private transport, and activities.
Physical Rating: 2 - Light
Light walking and hiking suitable for most fitness levels. Nothing too challenging.
Trip Type: Small Group
Small group experience; Max 12, Avg 10.
Age requirement: 12+
All travellers under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
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Trip Code: NCRNG
See how your trip uplifts communities
In a number of impactful ways, your adventure directly benefits the local people and places we visit.
Banff and the adjoining Jasper National Park take in a vast tangle of great strapping peaks, mauled by glaciers and capped by the largest ice fields south of Alaska. Melt waters thunder from the heights, pool in gemlike alpine lakes, and rush down the forested walls of broad U-shaped valleys into powerful rivers.” —Thomas Schmidt, National Geographic's Driving Guides to America: Canada, (1st edition)
More from Discover the Canadian Rockies - Eastbound
Itinerary Notes
There are new Health & Safety Protocols for National Geographic Journeys tours. Please see here for full details and up-to-date requirements as they may change.
Itinerary
Day 1Vancouver
Arrive at any time.
Day 2Vancouver/Victoria
Enjoy a stop at Stanley Park and Gastown before boarding a scenic ferry to Victoria, where we'll take an orientation walk with our CEO.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 3Victoria
Today is free for optional activities, such as a zodiac whale watching cruise, exploring Butchart Gardens, or enjoying high tea at an historic hotel.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 4Victoria/Whistler
Catch the ferry back to the mainland and drive the scenic Sea-to-Sky Highway to the village of Whistler, host of some of the events of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Here we visit the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre on a G Adventures for Good experience. Enjoy a traditional tea ceremony with bannock and explore the grounds and museum with an Indigenous guide who has come through the centre’s training program.
Exclusive Inclusions:
Your G for Good Moment Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre Visit| Your Journeys Highlight Moment Indigenous Cultural ExperienceMeals included:
BreakfastDay 5Whistler
Today is at your leisure. Take a walk through the village with options to ride the gondola up the mountain, hike, or go ziplining.
Exclusive Inclusions:
Your Discover MomentMeals included:
BreakfastDay 6Whistler/Blue River
Pass through Coastal Mountains into the Caribou Mountains, and enjoy stops at the emerald coloured Joffre Lake and Marble Canyon before arriving in the small community of Blue River.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 7Blue River/Jasper National Park
Enjoy a river safari tour through Grizzly Bear Valley and the world’s only inland temperate rainforest. Spot wildlife, which can include grizzly bears, moose, and eagles. Head to Jasper National Park, crossing the Rockies, and view the highest peak, Mount Robson, with a stop at the visitor centre.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 8Jasper National Park
Spend the day at leisure with the option to hike at Maligne Canyon, enjoy a boat cruise, or check out some whitewater rafting. In the evening, we have an included visit to Miette hot springs.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 9Jasper National Park/Lake Louise
Considered one of the most scenic drives in the world, travel the Icefields Parkway to Bow Lake with a stop at the Columbia Icefield. Walk with an expert guide on the lower Athabasca Glacier to explore and understand the life of this active glacier. Continue to Lake Louise to view its emerald blue waters and Victoria Glacier.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 10Lake Louise/Banff
Enjoy the morning in Lake Louise with the option to hike to the Tea House. Continue to Banff where we take a walk back in time with an expert from the Whyte Museum, exploring the historical town of Banff.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 11Banff/Calgary
Enjoy the morning in Banff, then drive to Calgary for a short orientation walk and opt to visit museums, cowboy bars, or the Olympic Park.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 12Calgary
Depart at any time.
Meals included:
BreakfastReverse Itinerary
This trip also runs in reverse from Calgary to Vancouver. See Discover the Canadian Rockies - Westbound
What's Included
- Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Indigenous Cultural Experience, Whistler
- Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Banff Historical Walking Tour, Banff
- Your G for Good Moment: Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre Visit, Whistler
- Your Discover Moment: Whistler
- Your Wellness Moment: Miette Hot Springs Visit, Jasper National Park
- All park fees in Jasper and Banff National Parks
- Scenic ferry to Vancouver Island
- Vancouver, Calgary, Victoria, Whistler, and Banff orientation walks
- Stops at Seton Lake and Kamloops Lake
- River safari through Grizzly Bear Valley
- Mount Robson Visitor Centre stop
- Excursion to the Columbia Icefields and ice walk on the Athabasca Glacier
- All transport between destinations and to/from included activities
Accommodations
Hotels/lodges (11 nts).
Meals
11 breakfasts, 1 dinner
Allow USD470-615 for meals not included.
Transportation
Private vehicle, hiking, walking, ferry, boat.
Staff & experts
CEO (Chief Experience Officer) throughout, local guides.
Departures
Make it a private tour
Book this tour as a private departure, with your own CEO and all the benefits of a G Adventures group tour.