Rockies and Alaska Adventure Itinerary
| DATE | ITINERARY | ARR | DEP |
| 25 AUG 2018 | Fly from Sydney to Calgary via Vancouver. Calgary – On arrival be transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. Tonight meet your travelling companions at a welcome reception hosted by your tour director. Overnight:Fairmont Palliser Hotel (or similar) |
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| 26 AUG 2018 | Calgary to Banff – Drive west following the Trans-Canada Highway, watch the Olympic city dissolve into the foothills, as the majestic Rockies rise ahead. Pass by the Three Sisters, Fairholme and Rundle Ranges enroute to one of the best known destinations in the Rockies, the charming mountain resort of Banff. Before being dropped off at your hotel you will have a sightseeing tour of Banff which will highlight many local delights including Bow Falls, the Hoodoo Lookout, Lake Minnewanka and Surprise Corner. Also included in your Banff tour is a ride up the Banff Gondola for a panoramic 360 degree view of the six surrounding mountain ranges. Overnight: Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (or similar) (B,D) |
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| 27 AUG 2018 |
Banff – Cherished by Canadians, Banff National Park is renowned around the world as a protected paradise with 6,641 square kilometres of mountains, forests, and lakes to explore. Banff National Park is set in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. It attracts roughly 4 million visitors each year. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today is a free day to allow you to explore Banff at your leisure. |
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| 28 AUG 2018 |
Banff to Lake Louise – Today’s sightseeing will include some of the most famous features in the Canadian Rockies. With the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise proudly standing at one end and the Victoria Glacier reflecting off the other, Lake Louise is one of the sights most often preserved in photographs by visitors from all over the world. En route to Lake Louise, your tour will take you to Moraine Lake, located in the dramatic Valley of the Ten Peaks. Here, ten mountain peaks soar above 10,000 feet and surround the tranquil waters of the lake. After checking in at the hotel, the rest of the day is free to fully enjoy the beauty of this famous location. |
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| 29 AUG 2018 |
Lake Louise to Jasper – Highway 93, known as the Icefield Parkway, qualifies as one of the most scenic drives in the world. It traverses more than 100 glaciers, pristine lakes and some of the highest Rockies. Stop at the Columbia Icefield where an experience of a lifetime awaits! Shuttle to the Athabasca Glacier where you will board a unique, specially designed Ice Explorer for a guided tour onto the surface of the Glacier. A buffet lunch at Columbia Icefield Chalet is included. Your overnight destination is the charming village of Jasper in Jasper National Park. |
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| 30 AUG 2018 |
Jasper to Kamloops – Board Rocky Mountain Rail Tours’ “Rocky Mountaineer.” Your silverleaf rail adventure begins as you board the train and depart Jasper, traveling along the Miette River to Yellowhead Pass. The pass is one of the lowest points on the continental divide and sits on the border between Alberta and British Columbia. Just past Yellowhead Lake, you’ll meet up with the headwaters of the Fraser River. This scenic route is dotted with mountain streams and lakes. The Rocky Mountaineer will cross the North Thompson River several times before arriving in Kamloops. Continental breakfast, lunch and snacks are included onboard. |
7.45 am |
4.10 pm |
| 31 AUG 2018 |
Kamloops to Vancouver – Soon after your departure from Kamloops, follow the Thompson River and watch the landscape give way to the high, steep walls and “40 miles of hell” of the Fraser Canyon. Sit back in comfort while the train winds along canyon walls and through the deep tunnels constructed by the railway while facing impossible odds. The route passes over 28 bridges and through 23 tunnels and snow sheds between Kamloops and the small town of Boston Bar. Travel through the fertile Fraser Delta en route to Vancouver. Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be served at your seat and is included while aboard the Rocky Mountaineer. Transfer from the train station to your hotel and enjoy a farewell dinner with your tour director. |
7.30 am |
5.10 pm |
| 01 SEP 2018 | Vancouver – It seems unlikely that a character named “Gassy Jack” Deighton would be responsible for one of the most beautiful cities on the continent. But that’s history for you. During the gold rush, Gassy Jack saw a chance to make money from the hordes of miners on their way to the Yukon. The saloon he built became the focus of the shanty town known as Gastown. From that ragtag group of shacks, modern Vancouver was born. The provincial government persuaded settlers to change the name of the town to Vancouver, after Captain George Vancouver, who sailed the region’s waters in 1792.
Canada’s third-largest city, Vancouver is a cosmopolitan place with a European feel and a personality all its own. It’s a community with a rich ethnic mix – including the second-largest Chinatown in North America – and stunningly beautiful parks. Transfer to the port to embark Star Princess. (B,D) |
6 pm | |
| 02 SEP 2018 | At Sea – Inside Passage (cruising) | ||
| 03 SEP 2018 | Ketchikan – Alaska Ketchikan is known as Alaska’s “First City” because it’s the first major community travelers come to as they journey north. Located on an island, Ketchikan began life as an Indian fishing camp. The name Ketchikan comes from a Tlingit phrase that means “eagle with spread-out wings,” a reference to a waterfall near town. In the early 1900s, when gold was Alaska’s claim to fame, fishing and timber industries were established in Ketchikan. The growth of these industries helped make this Inside Passage port Alaska’s fourth-largest city.Visitors to Ketchikan will be intrigued by its rich Native heritage, which includes the world’s oldest collection of totem poles at Totem Heritage Center. The Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian are all a part of the city’s colorful history. Ketchikan, with its abundance of salmon, is also a sportfishing paradise. Sightseers will be impressed with both the scenic town and its surroundings, especially Misty Fjords National Monument. |
6.30 am | 2 pm |
| 04 SEP 2018 | Juneau – Alaska In 1880, it was slow going for Joe Juneau and Richard Harris as they searched for gold with the help of Native guides. After climbing mountains, forging streams and facing countless difficulties, they found nuggets “as large as beans.” From their discovery came three of the largest gold mines in the world. By the end of World War II, more than $150 million in gold had been mined. Eventually the mines closed, but the town Joe Juneau founded became the capital of Alaska and the business of gold was replaced by the business of government.Some 30,000 people live in Juneau. Its total area makes it one of the biggest towns, in size, in the world. Only Kiruna, Sweden, and Sitka, Alaska, exceed Juneau’s 3,248 square miles. Today Juneau is famous not only for gold and government but also for its breathtakingly beautiful glaciers and stunning views of both water and mountains. |
8 am | 9 pm |
| 05 SEP 2018 | Skagway – Alaska Skagway was the gateway to the gold fields for the thousands who flocked to Alaska and the Yukon with the hope of striking it rich. Skagway may have boasted the shortest route to the Klondike, but it wasn’t the easiest. Over 100 years ago, the White Pass route through the Coast Mountains and the shorter but steeper Chilkoot Trail were used by countless stampeders. Many a would-be miner perished on the treacherous Chilkoot Trail.The gold rush was a boon and by 1898, Skagway was Alaska’s largest town with a population of about 20,000. Hotels, saloons, dance halls and gambling houses prospered. But when the gold yield dwindled in 1900, so did the population as miners quickly shifted to new finds in Nome. Today, Skagway has less than 1,000 residents. It still retains the flavor of the gold rush era. |
7 am | 8.30 pm |
| 06 SEP 2018 | Glacier Bay National Park – Alaska (cruising) Princess Cruises is one of a select few cruise lines permitted to cruise the pristine waters of Glacier Bay, the highlight of your 7-day cruise. Just west of Juneau, this breathtaking national park and preserve boasts some of the world’s most spectacular tidewater glaciers, such as Margerie Glacier, which often drops colossal chunks of ice into the sea. Not surprisingly, Glacier Bay National Park and its epic ice giants are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising Alaska’s magnificent park system.During your scenic cruise, friendly Park Rangers will join the ship to share their knowledge of this amazing place and host a fun Junior Ranger program for kids. They may even be able to help you identify Glacier Bay’s abundant wildlife, including humpback whales, sea otters, porpoises, harbor seals, black bears, mountain goats, bald eagles and large colonies of seabirds. Take in the awe-inspiring scenery as you enjoy an unforgettable day of sailing through this dazzling park, where you’ll glide along emerald waters and past calving icebergs, and can breathe in the crisp, fresh air to your heart’s content. |
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| 07 SEP 2018 | College Fjord – Alaska (cruising) Discovered in the northwest corner of Prince William Sound during an 1899 research expedition, spectacular College Fjord and its glaciers were named after prestigious east coast schools by the college professors who first laid eyes upon their majesty. Stretching for miles, these massive rivers of ice tumble down from mountains and through valleys, dipping into the pristine waters of the fjord. There you’ll have a chance to watch the awe-inspiring process of glaciers calving, or dropping enormous pillars of ice into the sea, as they crack and land with a thunderous splash ? a once-in-a-lifetime experience not to be missed!College Fjord not only boasts the world’s largest collection of tidewater glaciers, but it features magnificent snowcapped mountains as far as the eyes can see. Plus, during the summer, it’s not unheard of to catch a glimpse of one of the area’s 40-ton humpback whales feeding in the waters of the fjord. It’s a magical wonderland of epic proportions, so breathtaking you won’t want to blink! |
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| 08 SEP 2018 | Whittier – Alaska – Disembark Star Princess and transfer to Anchorage Airport for your flight home to Australia via Vancouver. | 12.30 am | |
| 09 SEP 2018 | Arrive Australia |
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