Canada wilderness holiday, Rockies & Vancouver Island
Description of Canada wilderness holiday, Rockies & Vancouver Island
The rugged beauty of the Canadian Rockies and Vancouver Island is on full display across this exhilarating two-week trip, along with myriad opportunities to track the wildlife of these sought-after destinations.
You’ll embark on two boat trips from Vancouver Island to seek out fearsome orcas and Black Bears up close and personal, in their natural habitats. Later, you’ll sail through the iconic Inside Passage, an absolutely stunning stretch of water rich in wildlife, from several species of whale to bears and Bald Eagles. This remote, pristine landscape is so remote that the communities here must rely on boats to get around.
Reaching Bella Coola, you’ll either track powerful Grizzly Bears, if you’re there in the right season, or enjoy many excellent hiking opportunities. From here it’s on to another highlight – Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, which many consider the most beautiful part of British Columbia – and that’s really saying something. Beyond the resident Grizzlies, this wilderness is home to elk, moose, deer and coyotes. Here you can hike, take a river safari, or just soak your muscles in the hot springs.
Continuing on to Jasper National Park, you might enjoy some fun hikes around Mount Edith Cavell before tackling the famous Icefields Pathway. Encompassing mountain passes and glaciers, this is one of the most incredible drives on the planet. Naturally, there will be plenty of photo opportunities along the way at landmarks including Bow Lake and Crowfoot Glacier.
Finally, you’ll reach Banff National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one final opportunity to strap on your boots to bask in this awe-inspiring part of the world.
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1 Reviews of Canada wilderness holiday, Rockies & Vancouver Island
Reviewed on 18 Aug 2022 by Susan Gorham
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Walking in a glacier; seeing bears in the wild; whale watching
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take good walking shoes, a waterproof coat and plenty of insect repellant. The hikes are varied in difficulty; some are at the medium to hard end, whilst others are easy. This is because of the gradient of some of the walks, which is inevitable when walking in mountainous areas. Meals out are pricey in Canada at the moment.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The walk on the glacier was really informative and educational about global warming. The holiday provided income for small, local communities.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
This was an amazing holiday and exceeded my expectations. I would give it 9 .5 out of 10. The only reason I took off 0.5 is because, due to the walking limitations of some people in our group, we were unable to do all the hikes planned and the guide had to change some for easier walks, so as to include all the group.
Responsible Travel
Planet
We are committed to offering low impact tours that benefit both the places and communities we visit as well as our travellers. It is important for us all to be aware of the delicate balance that exists in the variety of natural wonders you will visit. National Parks and monuments, archaeological sites and other sensitive areas should and must be treated with respect.We have created a 'Travellers' Code of Conduct' to help prepare and inform our groups of the various positive or negative effects they could have on a destination. The code includes tips on everything from handling wildlife encounters to how you can help to conserve precious natural resources. Our tour leaders will explain this code of conduct during the first night’s orientation talk and encourage you to follow it throughout the tour.
This code includes following the ‘Leave No Trace’ ethic, this is an international campaign that is designed to help us minimise the impact on the National Parks and other wilderness areas that we visit. Some key guidelines we follow include keeping to existing trails, staying in official campgrounds and disposing of all waste responsibly and recycling whatever we can.
People
We are proud supporters of Bay Area Wilderness Training a charity based in Oakland California which works to connect disadvantaged children in the local urban area with the great outdoors. Their work helps to provide these young people with life changing experiences which they canapply to everyday life. Everyone booking with us has the option to donate £1/$1/€1 to support this well-deserved charity and we will match this donation.
Whenever possible, we use local accommodation and activity providers. We also shop locally for groceries, eat in small family-run restaurants and visit local shops whenever possible. This all brings economic benefit to the local communities that we visit.
With the exception of the coaches used in the national parks, the transportation is a public train which saves covering large amount of land by road and petrol. It is not uncommon for the trains to operate at full capacity meaning giving greater justification to the journey itself.
Whilst in the national parks on walks, travellers are encouraged to stick to the marked trails to maintain a minimal effect on the areas travelled through. This includes not feeding the wildlife so it becomes reliant, not damaging flora and fauna and taking all rubbish with you. The American National Parks are some of the cleanest in the world and world and we have a strong company policy to enforce this.
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