The Holiday Of A Lifetime
Their holiday of a lifetime started off in Calgary, Alberta where they headed off on a self-drive along the TransCanada Highway that winds its way through the Canadian Rockies towards the famous Banff National Park.
They stopped at the Banff Sightseeing Gondola which floats gracefully up Sulphur Mountain in four-seater cabins and ends up at a lofty altitude of 2,281 metres. Once at the top they enjoyed a short hiking trail before refuelling at one of the restaurants with truly breath-taking views!
Their overnight destination was the iconic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel, which is surrounded by soaring mountain peaks, the majestic Victoria Glacier and a glistening emerald lake. This hotel is world-famous as a year-round luxury mountain resort offering guided mountain tours, world-class skiing in the winter, a luxury spa, and exceptional dining experiences.
They continued their amazing drive into the Rockies towards to the Jasper National Park via the Icefields Parkway. The Icefields Parkway is one of the most extraordinarily beautiful car journeys in the world! With steep climbs and dramatic views around almost every corner, our couple saw the ancient glaciers at the Columbia Icefields, the bright, turquoise Peyto Lake, some thundering waterfalls and roadside viewpoints that extend for miles.
They stopped off at Bow Lake to see the Crowfoot Glacier, which, as the name suggests, really is shaped like a crow's foot. They saw the Saskatchewan River Crossing where three different rivers meet and marvelled at the Weeping Wall that resembles a mountain with a river of tears. At Big Hill, the road descends into Big Bend, the famous hairpin turn that wraps round in a circle and showed them expansive views of the valley and river below.
They then spent two days relaxing in the Jasper National Park enjoying walking wildlife expeditions and they particularly loved their elk spotting trip!
At Jasper they boarded the Rocky Mountaineer; a two-day train ride travelling deliberately slowly through the Rockies at 30 miles an hour. We had booked them on the GoldLeaf Service experience so they could enjoy breath-taking panoramic views from the glass-domed carriages on the top level of the train. Their carriage also boasted an outside viewing platform – perfect to capture some amazing camera shots. With 5-star breakfasts and lunches served in the luxurious dining car downstairs, they were well looked after.
As it grew dark on their first day, they stopped off and stayed the night at Kamloops. The trip was deliberately designed so all travelling was done during the daylight hours to maximise the views of the amazing scenery. Back on board for breakfast, their journey of a lifetime continued…
Another highlight was arriving in Vancouver and then taking a seaplane tour along its glorious coast. They also visited North Vancouver’s Capilano Suspension Bridge which gets 800,000 visitors per year and boasts amazing views of kayakers way down in the river below and eagles perched expectantly in the trees.
Their trip to Victoria on Vancouver Island was ideal for a spot of whale watching before they made their way to the island’s Campbell River for some salmon fishing. Remarkably, we had managed to pick one of the only times of the year when the salmon stream upstream to spawn, which, of course, attracted a party of grizzly bears, who showed off their fishing skills (good and bad) which really topped off the river experience.
You won’t be surprised to hear that our couple loved every single minute of their amazing trip.
The good news is that you don’t have to wait until you’re fifty to have the holiday of a lifetime! So, give us a call and see what we could offer for your next amazing adventure on 01865 987310.