SUMMER & FALL 2012 - VOLUME 3 - Senior Tours Canada

TENTATIVE ITINERARY FOR CANADA WESTDAY 1DAY 2DAY 3DAY 4DAY 5DEPARTURE / CALGARY / BANFF. Wedepart for Calgary. Upon arrival we enjoy thescenic transfer into the Rocky Mountainsand our Banff hotel. The rest of the day is atleisure until this evening's Welcome Dinner.BANFF. This morning we take a gondolaride up Sulphur Mountain for breathtakingviews of the town and Rocky Mountains.Lunch is included at a local restaurant. Thisafternoon we will enjoy a leisurely float tripalong the Bow River enjoying the awesomeviews of the snow-capped Rockies all alongthe way.LAKE LOUISE / COLUMBIA ICEFIELD /JASPER. We begin the day with a visit ofLake Louise. With its emerald waters setagainst the backdrop of Victoria Glacier,Lake Louise is probably the mostphotographed scene in the CanadianRockies. We then proceed along one ofNorth America's most spectacular highways- the Icefields Parkway, where wildlifesightings are common. Our stops along thehighway will include Peyto Lake andSaskatchewan Crossing. The highlight of theday will be our ride aboard a unique"Snocoach" up the Athabasca Glacier to theColumbia Icefield - the world’s largestaccumulation of ice south of the ArcticCircle. After our ride we continue on to seeAthabasca Falls before arriving in Jasper.MALIGNE CANYON / JASPER. Thismorning we visit one of the most spectaculargorges in the Canadian Rockies - MaligneCanyon, where sheer limestone wallsplunge to depths of 165 feet. We also visitMaligne Lake, the second largest glaciallake in the world. Our lake cruise offers usbreathtaking views of the surroundingpeaks, and also Spirit Island.WELLS GRAY PROVINCIAL PARK /KAMLOOPS. We enter British Columbiaand are greeted with views in the distance ofMt. Robson - the highest peak in theCanadian Rockies, as well as Mt. Terry Fox.Today’s highlight will be Wells GrayProvincial Park, with its towering mountains,deep canyons, volcanic cones, ancient oldgrowthforests, raging white-water rivers,and many beautiful waterfalls. After our visitwe proceed to Kamloops.DAY 6DAY 7DAY 8DAY 9DAY 10DAY 11OKANAGAN VALLEY / KAMLOOPS. TheOkanagan Valley has an ideal climate andfertile land for verdant fruit orchards andvineyards. In Vernon we visit DavisonOrchards, a third-generation family farmwhere we will enjoy a tour of the fruitorchards, have time to explore the displays,farmers market and country shop beforebeing treated to a homemade lunch. Thisafternoon we proceed to a local craftdistillery for a tour and tasting of fruitbrandies and liqueurs before returning toKamloops.CACHE CREEK / FRASER CANYON /VANCOUVER. Our first stop is the HatCreek Ranch heritage site where we ventureback in time to the 1860s for a glimpse intothe history of this region. We then proceedto the scenic Fraser Canyon for a rideacross the Fraser River on Hell's GateAirtram, which offers a bird's eye-view of thepoint where the Fraser River squeezesthrough Hell's Gate - a narrow gorge whereover 200 million gallons of water per minuteflow through - twice the volume of NiagaraFalls! We end our day in Vancouver.VANCOUVER. Our morning city tourincludes Stanley Park, Gastown, Chinatownand much more. The afternoon is at leisureto explore this beautiful city on your own.VICTORIA. We take the scenic ferry ride toVictoria and upon arrival immediatelyproceed to the world-renowned ButchartGardens, where we can explore the 50-acredisplay of magnificent floral colour. We thenproceed to downtown Victoria where we willsee the Inner Harbour, the Empress Hotel,Legislative Buildings and Beacon Hill Park.VICTORIA. This morning we will enjoy awalking tour of Victoria's Inner Harbour withan entertaining local guide. The afternoon isat leisure to explore this quaint city on yourown. With its red double decker buses, turnof-the-centurybuildings and tweed shops,you might think Victoria is a transplantedcorner of Britain! Tonight we enjoy ourFarewell Dinner.HOME. We transfer to the airport for our AirCanada flight home.3.