Canada's Rockies with Rocky Mountaineer (Goldleaf) - 2017

Day 1: Arrive Calgary

Accommodation: Delta Calgary Downtown

Welcome to beautiful Canada. Get settled in at your hotel, located in the heart of downtown Calgary, and spend the afternoon relaxing or exploring. At 6 p.m., gather at the hotel with your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Reception.

Day 2: Calgary – Lake Louise – Jasper National Park (2 Nights)

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Crimson Hotel

Head north up into the Canadian Rockies and stop at the "Jewel of the Canadian Rockies", Lake Louise, one of the most beautiful lakes in North America with its backdrop of glistening Victoria Glacier. Continue along the stunning Icefields Parkway, driving alongside snowcapped peaks, thundering waterfalls and glistening glaciers. Keep an eye out for wildlife including grizzly and black bears, moose, elk and mountain goats. Stay tonight in the quaint town of Jasper.

Day 3: Jasper Free Time and Sightseeing

Meals: Breakfast

Start the day with a morning at leisure, enjoying the superb vistas, strolling Jasper's quaint streets, or if you like, take an optional float trip down the Athabasca River. This afternoon, enjoy a guided walk at Maligne Canyon, one of the most beautiful gorges in the Rockies. Learn about the underground river system while following the canyon's trail passed waterfalls and jagged rock formations. Later this afternoon, cruise Maligne Lake, followed by a Regional Meal. Learn about Rocky Mountain wildlife at an interactive, after-dinner presentation by a Local Specialist and naturalist.

Day 4: Jasper – Athabasca Glacier – Banff (3 Nights)

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodation: Banff Park Lodge

Head south and stop at the Columbia Icefield Visitor Center and step aboard an Ice Explorer, a massive vehicle specially designed for travelling on the surface of glaciers, head for Athabasca Glacier, a massive sheet of ice 3.7 miles (1.13 metres) long and 300-980 feet (90-300 metres) thick. Learn a wealth of fascinating information about glaciers, icefields and their impact on our environment and step out onto the glacier to take in the most stunning alpine and glacial vistas. Next is Glacier Skywalk, a perfect balance of breathtaking views, interpretive storytelling and adrenaline-pumping excitement including a glass-floored observation platform 918 feet (280 metres) over spectacular glacier-formed valleys and rushing waterfalls. Later, arrive in the quintessential alpine village of Banff. This evening before dinner, you have the unique opportunity to have an informal chat with a retired Local Specialist, and Canadian Mountie, dressed in the traditional red serge uniform to hear exciting and colourful stories and even pose for a few memorable photos.

Day 5: Banff Sightseeing and Free Time

Meals: Breakfast

This morning there is time for optional flightseeing by helicopter for bird's-eye views of the Canadian Rockies. Then, immerse yourself in the natural glories of Banff during a morning sightseeing excursion around Banff, including the classic viewpoint of Surprise Corner, spectacular Bow Falls and the hoodoo rock formations. Spend the rest of the day as you like. Perhaps take the Banff Gondola for a ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain for stunning views of six mountain ranges.

Day 6: Banff Free Time

Meals: Breakfast

The morning is yours to do as you please in Banff, or perhaps join an optional excursion to other jewels of the Rockies-Yoho National Park and Moraine Lake in the Valley of the Ten Peaks and see Takakkaw Falls, Kicking Horse Pass and Spiral Tunnels. This evening, travel to the Guinn family ranch for a special Be My Guest Farewell Dinner. Enjoy pristine views, flowered alpine meadows and abundant wildlife during a horse drawn hayride. Back at the ranch, the aroma of a sizzling barbecue will whet your appetite as a meal of Alberta beef with all the trimmings is waiting. After dinner, enjoy a private lesson in the traditional country western style of line-dancing.

Day 7: Banff - Kamloops

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Assigned by Rocky Mountaineer

A sensational two day journey on-board the Rocky Mountaineer with a night in Kamloops. Your train journey through Canada's stunning Rocky Mountains begins as you head east to Vancouver.

Day 8: Kamloops - Vancouver

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Continue your journey by rail and witness the unparalleled beauty of the highest peaks in the Canadian Rockies and the stunning and remote vistas of Canada's west.