| ITINERARY |
| 01 |
Vancouver
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Arrive at Vancouver airport and pick up your rental car. Check in your downtown hotel and explore this spectacular city. Surrounded by water and nestled alongside the Coast Mountain Range, Vancouver is home to natural scenery and many attractions.
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| 02 |
Vancouver - Victoria
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Drive to the ferry terminal and enjoy the scenic cruise to Vancouver Island. You may stopover at Butchart Gardens, famous for its 50 acres of floral splendor. The "Garden City" Victoria sparkles in one of Canada's mildest climates and still shows it's unique British character. Victoria boasts a fascinating history and many famous landmarks like the Empress Hotel, Chinatown, Parliament Building, Helmcken House or the Antique Row.
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| 03 |
Victoria - Campbell River
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You have time to stroll along the Inner Harbour where the impressive Empress Hotel is presiding or even join a morning whale watching cruise. Leave Victoria and drive along the coastline north past Parksville and arrive in Campbell River - also known as the salmon fishing capital of British Columbia.
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| 04 |
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Today try your luck fishing for salmon or attend a bear viewing tour. The wildlife viewing tours take you along the shorelines of the narrow waterways and past abandoned villages. Watch killer whales, porpoises, seals, sea lions, deer and eagles and other birds and marine wildlife on your journey through the Discovery Islands. The bear viewing is done from viewing platforms that provide a safe area to wait and watch for the Bears of Bute.
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| 05 |
Campbell River - Port Hardy
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On your way to Port Hardy, make sure to stop-by at Telegraph Cove. The picturesque "boardwalk village" with the whole community raised on wooden stilts over the waters offers great whale watching tours. Arrive at Port Hardy. The important ferry terminal is serving remote coastal communities and the famous Inside Passage.
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| 06 |
Port Hardy - Prince Rupert
(Inside Passage Ferry Cruise)
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Take an unforgettable day cruise aboard the ferry through the majestic Inside Passage. Aside from a short stretch of open ocean the route leads through a narrow maze of channels, passes, and reaches. Keep your eyes peeled for whales, porpoises and bald eagles.
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| 07 |
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Today you have the opportunity to enjoy a whale watching cruise or attend a bear viewing tour. The wildlife viewing tour takes you north through Chatham Sound, then East into rugged fjords and pristine wilderness to the “ Khutzeymateen “ home of the largest population of Grizzly Bears anywhere on Earth. The area is home to a large variety of other wildlife including: Orca Whales, eagles, seals, mountain goats and black bears.
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| 08 |
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Follow the Yellowhead Highway through densely forested areas. Stopover at the authentic fishing village Port Edward and the North Pacific Cannery Village Museum. Don't miss to visit the Gitksan Native Village of 'Ksan, adjacent to the town of Old Hazelton with a large totem pole collection. Located in the Bulkley Valley at the foot of Hudson Bay Mountain is Smithers also known as the "little Switzerland"
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| 09 |
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Your journey continues through the rugged wilderness of the interior. Before arriving at Vanderhoof you can take a detour to Fort St. James, an authentic 1896 Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post.
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| 10 |
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Continue to Tete Jaune Cache, hike to the Rearguard Falls where you can see salmon attempting to leap the falls. On your way to Jasper you pass Mt. Robson, the tallest mountain of the Canadian Rockies and the origin of the mighty Fraser River.
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| 11 |
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Jasper National Park is located amidst the most beautiful wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. Visit Maligne Canyon and glacier-fed Maligne Lake. From here take a scenic cruise to Spirit Island. The top of Whistlers Mountain promises the best views of the Rockies.
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| 12 |
Jasper - Lake Louise - Banff
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One of the world's greatest mountain highways, the Icefields Parkway offers outstanding viewpoints and wildlife observation. At Columbia Icefield you can take a Snowcoach tour onto the Athabasca Glacier for an awe-inspiring experience. Arrive at famous Lake Louise, the 'Jewel of the Rockies'. Explore the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and don't forget to take picture of stunning emerald green lake. Continue to the alpine town of Banff.
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| 13 |
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Visit today the Upper Hot Springs, Cave & Basin Centre, Bow Falls and the Hoodoos or play a round of golf in front of the majestic Banff Springs Hotel. Well worth is the gondola ride to the Top of Sulphur Mountain for an amazing mountain view. In the evening enjoy a stroll along Banff Avenue with its many unique shops.
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| 14 |
Banff National Park - Calgary
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It is time to leave Banff National Park and the Rocky Mountains. Take the Trans-Canada-Highway towards Calgary. Calgary is nestled beside the Rocky Mountain foothills and famous for the "Calgary Stampede" Rodeo & Show. Return your rental car at the airport.
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