Stunning scenery, lots of driving!

Visited Western Canada end of June and half of July 2019. Organized most accommodation through Authentik. Unfortunately couldn’t obtain preferred accommodation in Banff, and some of the self contained accommodation that I requested wasn’t available during the final booking stage although it had initially been reserved for me. Apparently, when I reviewed the accommodation options in the Customer Space, which has been quoted by Authentik, the fact that I clicked on other possible accommodation negated the quoted room and the consultant had to book different rooms after my husband and I had gone through the itinerary and advised Authentik to proceed. Authentik’s website does not indicate that quoted bookings will be deleted if the customer chooses to look at alternatives for comparison. I was able to secure upgrades, to self contained rooms, for no extra cost at two of the properties initially quoted by Authentik as being self contained but which were downgraded to non self contained by them.

The holiday itself was good. Calgary was a gentle introduction, and we enjoyed the pre Stampede atmosphere. Waterton was stunning, gorgeous walk to Bertha’s Falls. The Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump interesting and well worth visiting. Unfortunately, I injured my ribs on the balustrade of our room in Banff which resulted in me being a bit restricted in my activities but I could still hike. We only had 2 nights in Banff, and 3 would have been preferable. We spent a whole day at Lake Louise; the 6 Glaciers hike was brilliant, and the tea house delightful. I was advised before the trip that we could visit Lake Louise and the Athabasca Glacier, plus other sights along the Icefields Parkway, in one day...this would definitely not have been possible. I explained to our travel agent at the start of our trip planning that we enjoy hiking, and are very fit. Whilst some hiking time was allowed, extra nights in several locations and more details about 3-5 hour hikes would have been great to help us maximise our stay. Information about other adventurous activities such as horse riding, zip lining etc would have been appreciated.

Whilst Lake Maligne was pretty, I felt it is overrated and would skip it. I preferred the Maligne Canyon hike. We were fortunate to be upgraded to a jet boat tour on our Bear Safari, and were lucky enough to see a Grizzly Bear! We saw lots of wildlife on the Icefields Parkway and near Jasper. The Athabasca Glacier was brilliant although expensive. Our Jasper accommodation was delightful- Becker’s Chakets. The restaurant there also provided us with the best meal of our trip. An alternative route from Jasper to Whistler would have been more interesting. We stayed for 2 nights in Clearwater and whilst my husband and daughter enjoyed whitewater rafting there, they could have done it elsewhere and avoided Clearwater.

Whistler was lovely, could have stayed another night. Loooong way from Whistler to Tofino. We were unaware that we needed to book the ferry to Vancouver Island about a week in advance to ensure a spot. We tried to book 2 nights before sailing and the nearest ferry was full! We therefore had to catch ferry from Tsawwassan,which resulted in the trip taking about 8 hours! Tofino was beautiful; interesting town, stunning marina, delicious food, wild beaches with interesting walks and our trip to the hot springs on a Zodiac was fun. We saw whales, sea otters, sea lions and a black bear! Victoria was also beautiful. We loved the colourful marina, lined with floating houses, horse drawn carriages. The Museum of British Columbia was fascinating and laid out in a very interesting way. Our 14 year old daughter declared it the best museum she has seen! The Butchart Gardens were at their colourful best, and are a ‘must see’.

Vancouver was a bit disappointing but I think that was because of the way we organized ourselves. We missed attractions such as the Van Dusen Gardens and the museums of Vancouver and Maritime Museum as we over estimated the time it would take to reach them. Therefore, we felt that we didn’t have time to see them. The Granville Markets were fun, and it was fascinating to watch the artists at work. I regret not visiting Olympic venues in Calgary and Whistler. We found the Capilano Suspension Bridge overrated and exceptionally expensive. We saw more beautiful rainforest in other areas, which also had excellent interpretative signs. The bridge itself is good to see for its engineering, but not for the price charged.

All of the towns and cities are very walkable, and public transport is good. Shopping and eating out is deceptively more expensive than anticipated for Australians. We are not accustomed to seeing the before tax price on items; our retailers include tax in the advertised price.

Driving on what, for Australians, is the opposite side of the road, is relatively easy and highly recommended. It allows people to pick and choose the sights they want to see, and not be confined to a tour’s restrictions.

The gondolas in Jasper and Whistler were expensive but we were given the opportunity to check, via TV, the visibility at the top of the Jasper gondola before purchasing tickets. As visibility was exceptionally low, we saved our money and went on the Whistler gondolas, which were an excellent way to Criss cross the mountains and enjoy some mountain walks. It was difficult to decide between the Whistler and Sea to Sky gondolas but the Whistler one was more accessible and it was definitely worthwhile.

Overall, a very good trip.