Cowboys & Trains - The Calgary Stampede

Day 1 - Fly UK to Vancouver

Arrive in Vancouver and transfer to your downtown hotel.  Transfer not included

Day 2 - Sightsee Vancouver

Today you will explore this stunning coastal city with your Hop on Hop off sightseeing pass. 

This flexible Dual Pass combination of the CITY and PARK Routes offers all the highlights of downtown Vancouver, including major attractions, and scenic points of interest. Choose to Hop-Off at any of the 29 stops, and Hop-On again to continue the tour.

This flexible city tour offers up the highlights of downtown Vancouver, including major attractions, and scenic points of interest. Choose to Hop-Off at any of the 29 stops, and Hop-On again to continue the tour. Take an up close and personal look at Vancouver's urban oasis, Stanley Park, have lunch at Granville Island, visit the historical Gastown or the trendy Yaletown, and don't forget Robson Street to do a little shopping! Highlights of the route include English Bay, Stanley Park, Granville Island, Yaletown, Gastown, Chinatown, Robson Street, and the Entertainment District. Full commentary in English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean & Mandarin on the clear top convertible Hop-On, Hop-Off busses. Enjoy Commentary in English onboard the San Francisco-style Trolleys. Both bus types (clear top and trolley) will be travelling on all routes. There is no designated bus type per route.

Highlights: - Commentary in English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin (clear top buses only) - Convertible clear top buses for stunning views, rain or shine - San Francisco-style Trolleys with live commentary - Hop-Off at any stop in Stanley Park, Granville Island, Yaletown, Chinatown, Gastown and more - Hop-Off at any of the connecting stops on both routes at Canada Place, False Creek Ferries, Library Square, Chinatown, Sports District, and Gastown - False Creek Ferries Pass

Day 3 - Explore Vancouver

Spend today at your leisure taking in Vancouver. Why not speak to one of our Canada Experts about adding on an optional tour of Whistler and the Shannon Falls or Victoria with Butchart Gardens.

Day 4 - Rocky Mountaineer Vancouver to Kamloops, SilverLeaf Service

This morning you will board the famous Rocky Mountaineer for Kamloops. (Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks and Beverages are included)

Your journey starts gently, moving through the fertile farmland of the Fraser Valley and the rolling hills of the Coast Mountains. As your train gains altitude beyond the town of Hope, the Fraser River narrows and the waters run rampant. The train will slow to fully appreciate Hell’s Gate, a narrow canyon where the volume of water rushing through is about three times greater than Niagara Falls. At the midway point of your journey, near your overnight stop of Kamloops, the river valley remains lush and green while sagebrush covers the surrounding desert-like hills.

Day 5 - Rocky Mountaineer Kamloops to Jasper, SilverLeaf Service

When you board the train after spending the night in a charming Kamloops hotel, you will follow the North Thompson River, slowing to take in Pyramid Falls, a 91.5-metre (300-foot) cascade of white water. After giving you time to pick up your jaw, the train continues on to the Yellowhead Pass. Moving past teal-green lakes, you’ll close in on Mount Robson, the tallest peak in the Canadian Rockies. It’s so high it has its own weather system. The striking thing about this route is that once you’ve seen what you think is the most beautiful sight ever, something even more stunning comes along. To cap it all off, you’ll wind up in the alluring alpine town of Jasper early evening.

Day 6 - Explore Jasper

Explore Jasper at your leisure today, we offer many different excursions in the area should you wish to pre-book a tour.

Day 7 - Discover Jasper & its Wildlife

Day at leisure before your evening tour - Discover Jasper & its Wildlife.  

As you travel through Jasper and the surrounding area in one of our comfortable sightseeing vehicles, not only will you be amazed at some of the beautiful scenery on this journey, you will also learn about the ways the wildlife in the area contribute to the rich diversity of the National Park. Our knowledgeable guides are trained to seek out all of the park's most iconic creatures. Big or small, Jasper National Park provides a great opportunity to view animals in their natural habitat. Have your camera ready to capture some amazing photos of the highlights of this informative and entertaining "Discovery Tour".

The Wildlife Discovery Tour is a driving tour with minimal walking. Photos of wildlife are usually taken from the inside the vehicle or on the ground at a safe distance from the animals. While the natural habitat around Jasper is conducive to animal sightings, animal viewing is not guaranteed and depends largely on the season, the time of day, and the weather.

Day 8 - Icefields Parkway tour from Jasper to Banff via Lake Louise

Depart Jasper this morning.

Following the spine of the Canadian Rockies, view a never-ending procession of mammoth mountains, jagged snowy peaks, and over 100 glaciers. The entire day is spent in the majesty of Canada's two most famous National Parks, Banff and Jasper. Enroute, make a stop at Athabasca Falls located just outside of the Jasper Townsite. Among the most powerful and breathtaking falls in the Rocky Mountains, the Athabasca River thunders through a narrow gorge where the walls have been smoothed and potholed by the sheer force of the rushing water carrying sand and rock. Our next stop is the breathtaking Columbia Icefields and Athabasca Glacier where we will allow time to enjoy a Ice Explorer ride on the Glacier & Glacier Skywalk. Next we continue to the Weeping Wall, and the Crowfoot Glacier before joining the Trans Canada Highway near Lake Louise where a stop will be made to view the lake and famous Chateau, then continue on the Trans Canada Highway, passing fortress formations of Castle and Protection Mountains to arrive in to Banff late afternoon.

Highlights: - A boxed lunch is included (options will be chosen during the tour) - Glacier Adventure Package (Ice Explorer & Glacier Skywalk) admissions are included on a separate voucher.

Duration: 10 hours* *Note: Not all of the regularly scheduled stops on this sightseeing tour are accessible during the Winter, so the length of this tour is shortened during this time.

Day 9 - Enjoy Banff

Spend today at your leisure exploring Banff, in the heart of the Rockies. We have included a pass for the Banff Gondola to help you have a birds eye view of this stunning town, mountain ranges and Bow Valley river region.

Day 10 - Discover Banff

Discover Banff and the local area. To end your stay in Banff we have included admission to the Banff Hot Springs.

Day 11 - Transfer Banff to Calgary

We have included a coach transfer from Banff to Calgary today for you. Spend the afternoon in Calgary at your leisure soaking up the Stampede atmosphere.

Day 12 - Calgary Stampede

You’re invited to attend the largest outdoor rodeo in the world!! Professional cowboys compete in a myriad of rodeo events, which includes bull riding, roping, chuck wagon racing, steer wrestling and barrel racing. Don your western duds, saddle up and join us for Stampede breakfasts galore, square dancing, parades, the fun of the midway, great exhibits, a spectacular Grandstand show, fireworks and of course, heaping helpings of Western hospitality. This afternoon you have tickets for the Rodeo with reserved seating.

Day 13 - Calgary Stampede

The fun continues at the Stampede, make use of your two day Stampede Park access and soak up the atmosphere. Tonight you have tickets with reserved seating for the Chuckwagon Races and Grandstand Show.

Day 14 - Fly Calgary to UK

We have included a coach transfer from your downtown hotel to Calgary Airport.