Gems of the Rockies & Alaska Cruise

Day 1 - Arrive Calgary

Upon arrival into Calgary, transfer by scheduled service motor coach to the resort town of Banff. Travel through the foothills of the Rockies into the mountain town of Banff. Upon arrival, you will be dropped off at your hotel.

Overnight in Banff.

Day 2 - Banff Sightseeing

After breakfast, this morning’s tour takes you through the town of Banff. You’ll ascend Tunnel Mountain Drive to view Bow Falls and visit the Cave and Basin National Historic Site where a natural hot springs led to the creation of Canada's first National Park. Enjoy a ride on a gondola car to the top of Sulphur Mountain for fantastic view of the mountains, valleys and lakes, and a bird’s eye view of the Banff town site, 770 metres below.
Overnight in Banff

Day 3 - Banff

Breakfast is included this morning. Today is at your leisure, why not take an optional sightseeing excursion to Lake Louise or the Columbia Icefield for a trip on the Icefield explorer snow-coach.

Overnight Banff.

Day 4 - Banff

Breakfast is included today. Today is again, at your own leisure. Why not enjoy a dip in the Banff Upper Hot Springs or see the mountains by horseback. Contact us to book additional sightseeing excursions.

Overnight in Banff.

Day 5 - Banff to Kelowna

After breakfast this morning, start your journey to British Columbia. After a picture stop in Lake Louise, travel westward to Kamloops. Continue along the Trans Canada Highway to the city of Revelstoke. After your lunch stop, turn south and travel into the Okanagan, home to some of Canada’s Best wineries. After a stop at a local winery (included), the day’s journey ends as you check into your Hotel and the evening is yours to explore this gem of the Okanagan Valley. Overnight in Kelowna

Day 6 - Kelowna to Vancouver

Breakfast is included today. Today's tour will travel to Vancouver via the Coquihalla Highway. It passes through some of the most beautiful landscapes in the province, as you go from misty coastal cedars and tall firs to bright sunlight on the high rock faces in the space of half an hour. Minter Gardens is the lunch stop for today. After lunch, join the group in a guided walk around the world-class gardens before your departure for Vancouver.
Overnight in Vancouver.

Day 7 - Vancouver Sightseeing

Breakfast is included this morning. Today, take a tour of Vancouver. The highlights of this tour include stops in Stanley Park at the Totem Poles and Queen Elizabeth Park. You will also travel by Chinatown, Gastown, Prospect Point and English Bay Beaches. Admission to the Lookout Tower is included.

Overnight in Vancouver.

Day 8 - Alaska Cruise

Breakfast is included today. Today, transfer by taxi to the Cruise Ship terminal where you will embark on the Holland America's 5* Volendam for your 7 night Alaska Cruise, including all meals.

Sails at 1700.

Day 9 - Cruise Inside Passage

The fabled Inside Passage is one of the most scenic sea-lanes in the world, and one of the few where deep-draft vessels can sail close to steep mountain walls. The scenery is unbelievable, with forests in a hundred shades of green, tumbling turquoise glaciers, and evocative towns loaded with history, culture and adventure. With most of Southeast Alaska accessible only by boat or plane, the Inside Passage is a lifeline to the outside world. All day long it hums with activity.

Day 10 - Tracy Arm Fjord & Juneau

Located 50 miles southeast of Juneau, this spectacular glacier-carved fjord has sheer vertical walls that clearly showcase nature's artistry. Linger in this magical place to watch blocks of ice calving off the glaciers towering faces.
Perched on a thin strip of land at the mouth of Gold Creek, Juneau is arguably one of America's most beautiful state capitals, with the looming summits of Mt. Juneau and Mt. Roberts providing a gorgeous backdrop.

Day 11 - Skagway

Few one-time boomtowns retain the flavor of the gold rush days like Skagway. This gateway to the Klondike is preserved as a national historic park with its rustic boardwalk and frontier-style storefronts. Due to its geographic location, Skagway enjoys a drier climate compared to the rest of southeastern Alaska, with an average annual precipitation of only 22 inches.

Day 12 - Glacier Bay National Park, Cruising

As Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Glacier Bay National Park; protects a unique ecosystem of plants and animals living in concert with an ever-changing glacial landscape. How does it feel when a monumental chunk of ice splits off a glacier and crashes into the sea? The sound is like thunder. The impact shoots water hundreds of feet into the air. You hold your breath as you catch the moment on film. Then you wait for it all to happen again

Day 13 - Ketchikan

This southern-most Alaskan port city is known as Alaska's First City because it was the first major community travelers came to heading north. Founded as a fishing camp, Ketchikan is built on steep hillsides and is billed as the salmon capital of the world. A quaint village, the town is just three miles long and three blocks wide.

Day 14 - Cruise Inside Passage

The fabled Inside Passage is one of the most scenic sea-lanes in the world, and one of the few where deep-draft vessels can sail close to steep mountain walls. The scenery is unbelievable, with forests in a hundred shades of green, tumbling turquoise glaciers, and evocative towns loaded with history, culture and adventure. With most of Southeast Alaska accessible only by boat or plane, the Inside Passage is a lifeline to the outside world. All day long it hums with activity.

Day 15 - Vancouver Departure

Arrive Vancouver 0700, disembark after breakfast & transfer by taxi (included) to Vancouver airport for your return flight to the UK.