Introduction
Looking for a new adventure? This itinerary covers Western Canada’s classic destinations and will bring you into regions where few tourists have travelled. This new area will ofer some quaint and charming lodges to accommodate you.
The highlights of this tour are the Discovery Coast ferry, which makes its way through the wilderness fjords of the Dean and Labouchere channels, and the crossing of the Chilcotin Mountains, covering over 200,000 square kilometres of wilderness and wildlife. The last Western Frontier!
Itinerary
Day 1 Vancouver Arrival
Arrive in cosmopolitan Vancouver and take an independent transfer to your downtown hotel for 1 night.
Day 2 Vancouver to Victoria – 100 km
Collect your hire car and take the scenic ferry (pay locally) to Vancouver Island. See the Butchart Gardens and old Victoria. Overnight Victoria.
Day 3 Victoria to Quadra Island 270 km
Leave early and see the murals in Chemainus on your way to Campbell River. Here the short ferry ride will bring you to Quadra Island for a night at native Tsa Kwa Luten Lodge.
Day 4 Quadra Island to Port Hardy – 240 km
This morning visit the Native Museum before continuing to the northern region of Vancouver Island. On the way divert to Telegraph Cove for a whale-watching trip in the Johnston Strait. Overnight Port Hardy
Day 5 Discovery Coast Passage Ferry
From Port Hardy take the Discovery Coast Passage cruise. Take in snow capped mountains, fjords and virgin forests on your way, with whales and dolphins visible from the ferry en route. Overnight Bella Coola.
Day 6 Bella Coola to Kleena Kleene – 230 km
Drive up the Atnarko River valley, where lots of bears are seen in late summer. Continue up “Big Hill” into Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, and on to Kleena Kleene for two nights.
Day 7 Kleena Kleene
Take some time to relax in the Chilcotin wilderness, or take a day trip to Ts’yl-os Park and Chilko Lake.
Day 8 Kleena Kleene to Clearwater – 410 km
Travel through the typical highlands of the Chilcotin’s interior, along the Goldrush Trail to Wells Gray Park for the night.
Day 9 Wells Gray to Jasper – 320 km
Along the Thompson River Valley, follow the
Yellowhead Highway to Mount Robson, the highest peak of the Rockies. Take a boat cruise on Maligne Lake or visit the meadows and glacier of Mt Edith Cavell. Overnight Jasper.
Day 10 Jasper to Canmore – 275 km
Follow the spectacular Icefields Parkway south to see the impressive Athabasca Falls and you could take the ‘Ice Explorer’ onto the Columbia Glacier. Drive the scenic Bow Valley to Banff for two nights.
Day 11 Banff – 100 km
From your base you can explore Banff National Park, where you can hike up Sulphur Mountain (or take the gondola), view wildlife or do some horse riding.
Day 12 Banff to Revelstoke – 270 km
Visit Lake Louise and Yoho National Park on your way to Revelstoke for two nights at the Glacier House Resort.
Day 13 REVELSTOKE
Explore the Monashee and Selkirk Mountains, enjoy many outdoor activities, or relax in the pool or hot tub of this mountain resort.
Day 14 Revelstoke to Merritt – 330 km
Cross the Monashee Mountains to the sunny Okanagan Valley, famous for its orchards and vineyards. Then cross the Cascade Mountains to stay overnight in Merritt.
Day 15 Merritt to Vancouver – 275 km
The scenic Coquihalla Highway brings you back to the fertile Fraser Valley. Enjoy some time in Vancouver before your flight home.
Departures: To coincide with the Discovery Coast Passage Cruise.
