The Grand Canadian West

15 days | 14 nights
Begins & Ends Vancouver

Tour Itinerary

Day 01 | Vancouver Arrival
Arrive in Vancouver and pick up your rental car. Transfer independently to your hotel
Hotel: Holiday Inn Vancouver Centre or similar

Day 02 | Vancouver – Revelstoke
Driving Distance: 347 mi./559 km.
This morning at 08:00 hours, you will be met by your AmericanTours representative and provided with a welcome kit which includes driving instructions, vouchers, maps, and brochures of the places that you are about to visit. Leave the bustling metropolis of Vancouver and drive to Revelstoke. Situated on the Columbia River between the Selkirk and Monashee Mountain Ranges, Revelstoke enjoys a spectacular setting.
Hotel: Hillcrest Resort or similar

Day 03 | Revelstoke – Banff
Driving Distance: 175 mi./282 km.
Upon leaving town, pass through the spectacular Rogers Pass, the section of the Trans-Canada Highway that traverses Glacier National Park. See a jagged profile of angular mountains and narrow steep-walled valleys. Pass through Yoho National Park, with its sparkling lakes, natural bridges, and prehistoric fossil beds. See one of the spiral tunnels that had been built for the Canadian Pacific Railway on the way to Banff.
Hotel: Banff International or similar

Day 04 | Banff
Nestled in the heart of the Canadian Rockies is the charming hamlet of Banff. The glacial-green Bow River flows through the mountainringed valley, which is the setting for Banff, gateway to Canada’s oldest national park of the same name.

Day 05 | Banff – Jasper
Driving Distance: 173 mi./279 km. Travel along the scenic Icefields Parkway to Jasper National Park and see the Athabasca Glacier, part of the massive Columbia Icefields. Arrive in Jasper at the end of the day.
Hotel: Maligne Hotel or similar

Day 06 | Jasper – Prince George
Driving Distance: 469 mi./755 km.
Travel to the pastoral town of Prince George for your overnight stay.
Hotel: Ramada Hotel Downtown or similar

Day 07 | Prince George – Smithers
Driving Distance: 231.3 mi./371 km.
Travel the rugged wilderness terrain of the interior mountain ranges. Overnight in Smithers and take in its fine shopping and dining.
Hotel: Hudson Bay Lodge or similar

Day 08 | Smithers – Prince Rupert
Driving Distance: 220 mi./350 km. Follow the Yellowhead Highway across the wilderness of British Columbia through forests and past glistening lakes. Continue west across the Hazelton Mountains to the seaport town of Prince Rupert. Spend the night in Prince Rupert.
Hotel: Coast Prince Rupert or similar

Day 09 | Prince Rupert – Port Hardy (Inside Passage)
Enjoy a scenic 15-hour car ferry trip through the Inside Passage with breathtaking vistas. Arrive in Port Hardy at the northern tip of Vancouver Island.
Hotel: Glen Lyon Inn & Suites or similar

Day 10 | Port Hardy – Winter Harbour – Holberg – Port Hardy
Driving Distance: 71 mi./114 km.
Journey to Winter Harbour and then continue to Holberg, a Danish community. Pass brilliant blue lakes and forested valleys on the road back to Port Hardy.

Day 11 | Port Hardy – Campbell River
Driving Distance: 320 mi./515 km.
Travel the eastern shores of Vancouver Island to Campbell River, a focal point for sport salmon fishing.
Hotel: Coast Discovery or similar

Day 12 | Campbell River – Port Alberni – Ucuelet – Tofino – Nanaimo
Driving Distance: 299 mi./482 km.
This morning, travel to Port Alberni where you can take a stroll around the harbor. Continue across the pristine Pacific Rim National Park to the village of Tofino. Return on the land route to Port Alberni, then continue on to Nanaimo for the night.
Hotel: Coast Boston Inn or similar

Day 13 | Nanaimo – Salt Spring Island – Butchart Gardens – Victoria
Driving Distance 61 mi./99 km.
In the morning, see the village of Nanaimo featuring The Bastion, a small fort that was built in 1853. Travel south to Duncan, and then east on to Crofton, and depart by ferry for the port of Vesuvius Bay on Salt Spring Island. This is the largest and most popular of the Gulf Islands. Continue on to the port of Fulford Island for the ferry departure from Salt Spring Island to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island. Enjoy an optional visit to Butchart Gardens, regarded by many as the most spectacular gardens in all of North America. Continue on to Victoria for the night. Hotel: Harbour Tower Hotel & Suites or similar

Day 14 | Victoria – Port Renfrew – Sooke – Victoria – Vancouver
Driving Distance: 175 mi./28 2km.
Leave Victoria to the west and drive along the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. When the shoreline ends at Port Renfrew, turn around and head back to the charming village of Sooke. Continue on to the city of Victoria, which has a very distinct British feel to it. Ivy-covered hotels and inns accentuate the downtown area in the shadows of the majestic old-world Parliament buildings. Travel to Swartz Bay for the ferry trip to Tsawwassen, and your return to the city of Vancouver.
Hotel: Holiday Inn Vancouver Centre or similar

Day 15 | Vancouver Departure
Return your rental car to Vancouver International Airport prior to your return flight.

Note: All prices in Canadian dollars. High Season: All departures July 01-September 30. * Child 11 years and under with 2 adults sharing existing bedding.

Daily Departures
From May 01, 2007 through September 30, 2007