Holiday Reviews
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same trip can have different views!
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Horse riding in the Canadian Rockies , independent reviews
 Reviewed 10 Jul 2009 by Janet St. Jean |  |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
There were more than one memorable moments on our horsepacking adventure. First the Rocky Mountains... if you have never seen the Rockies up close... well it is a little like how I envision Heaven to be. Then there are the horses - incredible creatures... when we rode in front of a den of wolf cubs, when the deer and elk came and ate along side them at the camp. Last but not least, the wonderful group of people, Stan - Outfitter, Yvonne - Chef and Justin the apprentice Wrangler... and the rest of the guests. My daughter and I had such a wonderful time that it was difficult to say goodbye when our adventure came to an end. Thank you for this wonderful Wilderness opportunity!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
One thing to remember is that you are riding in the Rockies, thus the weather can change quickly. Be prepared - bring lots of warm cloths for the evening and a warm sleeping bag. The days were sunny and warm and the evenings were cold (in early July we had frost).
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
In respects to benefiting local people, I would say yes for several reasons... added tourism for the hotels and airlines and investing in a local business. For my daughter and I, being able to share and learn from an expert "Stan" made our experience that much more rewarding. Knowing that while visiting with respect, our incredible Canadian wilderness, we were able to connect with nature and all of its beauty without disturbing the surroundings - and respecting its inhabitants.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
I would rate our holiday as a class "A" Adventure and would definitely do it again.
| Reviewed 4 Aug 2007 by Graham Dury | |
Our family, including 3 boys of 14, 12 and 10 have just returned from one of your pack horse trips in the Clearwater Valley area of the Canadian Rockies. We wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed the experience and benefited from such an unusual holiday. We were not expecting to see quite such a beautiful, unspoilt landscape. We felt privileged to visit such a pristine, well cared for area.
Our guides really made us feel welcome with their hospitable and relaxed attitude. We felt we were in safe hands throughout the trip and they did their best to take us to areas of the back country which would otherwise have been inaccessible to us. The camp and facilities were simple but well organised and blended in with the forest setting. We felt we did no damage to the tranquil environment and came home feeling inspired, refreshed and ready for new challenges.
By travelling on horseback we got further into the mountains than we had hoped, and the horses worked as a happy team following in an orderly line which made the trip relaxed, enjoyable and safe. Thanks for putting us in touch with such a great experience. We thought it would be a 'once in a lifetime' experience, but we are hoping to do it again soon.
I didn't think that at 45 I could change much as a person. How wrong I was. The week we spent in the Rockies was truly a life-changing experience. We all feel so much better for it, physically, but more important, mentally. Thank you so much for arranging it all. And could you pass our thanks on to Stan, Dave and Donna, who were everything we hoped they would be and more. Our three kids had a mental picture of Stan long before they met him, and he has had such an influence on them. I honestly believe they'll remember him as long as they live.
Our guides really made us feel welcome with their hospitable and relaxed attitude. We felt we were in safe hands throughout the trip and they did their best to take us to areas of the back country which would otherwise have been inaccessible to us. The camp and facilities were simple but well organised and blended in with the forest setting. We felt we did no damage to the tranquil environment and came home feeling inspired, refreshed and ready for new challenges.
By travelling on horseback we got further into the mountains than we had hoped, and the horses worked as a happy team following in an orderly line which made the trip relaxed, enjoyable and safe. Thanks for putting us in touch with such a great experience. We thought it would be a 'once in a lifetime' experience, but we are hoping to do it again soon.
I didn't think that at 45 I could change much as a person. How wrong I was. The week we spent in the Rockies was truly a life-changing experience. We all feel so much better for it, physically, but more important, mentally. Thank you so much for arranging it all. And could you pass our thanks on to Stan, Dave and Donna, who were everything we hoped they would be and more. Our three kids had a mental picture of Stan long before they met him, and he has had such an influence on them. I honestly believe they'll remember him as long as they live.
| Reviewed 17 Sep 2007 by Leila Roberts | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The scenery, sense of being off the beaten track, away from people and vehicles.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Not exciting riding, in fact little ability required, but should be confident on a horse- some very steep ups and downs, and no instruction given.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
To some extent, yes.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very good, fantastic scenery, good food, camping enjoyably basic.
Read the operator's response here:
Thank you so much Leila for your comments. I am glad you enjoyed the trip and that you agreed to share your appreciation of it. It helps us so much when guests voice their opinions, not only in terms of giving other potential participants a sense of what it is like to go on such journeys, but it also provides useful perspectives on how people experience our trips--what they get out of them.One of the things we hope people draw from the trips is a small measure of personal enrichment or even transformation, to some extent. By reliving some of the sensations enjoyed by early travellers (gold miners, First Nations) when they visited the area through the ages, one has a chance to get in touch with some of our most basic and simple human longings. I think you probably enjoyed a little bit of that yourself.
Faithfully yours,
Claude-Jean Harel
President and CEO
| Reviewed 14 Jul 2007 by Anon | |
It was a very challenging trip for beginner riders. The 25 mile ride in the first day was somewhat torturous. When we arrived at camp we were all exhausted and relieved. The tipis and old mattresses were like staying at the Hilton (not that I have ever stayed there! but that's a quote from a couple from Texas that joined us.) Our Host Stuart and his wife were lovely and the other participants on the trip were wonderful. Donna did a fine job of taking care of us in many ways...not only cooking for us but making sure we had everything we needed. Our wrangler Dave put up with our whining about our sore butts and kept our horses fed and content....he did his best to guide us and inform us about the area.
The second days ride was a relaxed and easy ride out in the field...a couple of hours in the morning and a couple in the afternoon... we heard the wolves howling and saw them on the edge of the woods that day. Dave brought us by their den and told us stories...and we told him ours.
The next 3 days were steep rides that took us between 8 and 10 hours to wonderful vistas-the first was a lake but we didn't make it because it was taking too long and Dave thought we wouldn't get back by nightfall so, we stayed on a ridge and had lunch that Donna packed for us.....the next day we reached a high mountain lake with a lovely waterfall....then the next day a high ridge with incredible views...It was very steep and we had to walk the horses back down. I am glad I asked Dave to walk my horse because one of the ladies had a hard time with her horse and ended up rolling down the hill always! Her horse walked down on his own after that!
We thought we would be toughened up for the ride home...well, maybe a bit.... but it was a long quiet ride out. We had to wait for a few hours for our ride back to Calgary, and we were entertained by one of Stan’s hands who gave us some lemonade...It would have been nice to have snacks and beers on hand for the end of the ride if there is going to be such a long wait..a cold beer sure tasted good when we stopped at a restaurant an hour or so down the road!
I am happy that we chose to go...I would advise folks that have never ridden much before that they may want to bring plenty of ibuprofen! It was more difficult then I imagined but I was up for the challenge as was my daughter and friends. We could have stayed back on rides and taken some time to hike or read in the fields but all of us chose to ride every day because that is what we came there for....blistered butts and all! It was an enjoyable trip, wonderful folks and speaking only for myself...I may even go with the local agent again next year.
The second days ride was a relaxed and easy ride out in the field...a couple of hours in the morning and a couple in the afternoon... we heard the wolves howling and saw them on the edge of the woods that day. Dave brought us by their den and told us stories...and we told him ours.
The next 3 days were steep rides that took us between 8 and 10 hours to wonderful vistas-the first was a lake but we didn't make it because it was taking too long and Dave thought we wouldn't get back by nightfall so, we stayed on a ridge and had lunch that Donna packed for us.....the next day we reached a high mountain lake with a lovely waterfall....then the next day a high ridge with incredible views...It was very steep and we had to walk the horses back down. I am glad I asked Dave to walk my horse because one of the ladies had a hard time with her horse and ended up rolling down the hill always! Her horse walked down on his own after that!
We thought we would be toughened up for the ride home...well, maybe a bit.... but it was a long quiet ride out. We had to wait for a few hours for our ride back to Calgary, and we were entertained by one of Stan’s hands who gave us some lemonade...It would have been nice to have snacks and beers on hand for the end of the ride if there is going to be such a long wait..a cold beer sure tasted good when we stopped at a restaurant an hour or so down the road!
I am happy that we chose to go...I would advise folks that have never ridden much before that they may want to bring plenty of ibuprofen! It was more difficult then I imagined but I was up for the challenge as was my daughter and friends. We could have stayed back on rides and taken some time to hike or read in the fields but all of us chose to ride every day because that is what we came there for....blistered butts and all! It was an enjoyable trip, wonderful folks and speaking only for myself...I may even go with the local agent again next year.