Large as life

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. [...]

Family trip to Western Canada

(Translated by Google) A big thank you to Adeline who guided and advised us for the construction of this traveling trip between Calgary and Vancouver Island.
We were able to see magnificent varied landscapes (mountains, glaciers, lakes, forests) and wild animals (chipmunks, pikas, elks, bears, sea lions and whales).
The hotels were of good quality and always well located near sites of interest and supermarkets.
The agency had reserved for us the excursion on Maligne Lake and the parking lot for access to Moraine Lake. [...]

Splendid trip very well organized.

Benoit Hovarlet Wednesday August 2, 2023

(Translated by Google) Unforgettable trip to Western Canada thanks to Authentik Canada. Everything was perfectly organized. Very nice hotels, good suggestions for excursions, restaurants…
Thank you very much to Susyane for this beautiful trip and this beautiful organization of our Road Book. Thank you also for his kindness, his availability, and his responsiveness.

Spectacular !

(Translated by Google) It is difficult to find a fault with this beautiful journey, but we have nevertheless noted a few, all in all quite annoying, but independent of the will of Authentik, and of Véronique, whose work, I repeat, has been blameless
Indeed, Véronique perfectly organized this trip, its stages and the reserved activities. There was a weather problem for the seaplane flyover in Whistler, but the receptionist at the Whistler Inn and Suites took care of rescheduling the flight herself. Véronique immediately inquired, by e-mail, to find out if the activity had been able to take place, which we confirmed to her shortly after. Finally, a fire forced the authorities to close Hwy No. 4 linking Nanaimo to Tofino because of a fire: Again, Véronique reacted very quickly and efficiently by relocating us to a superb hotel in Nanaimo. We missed the beautiful beaches of the Pacific Rim, but thanks to her we avoided serious trouble and an unfortunate setback.
In the end, it was a real delight: the sumptuous, spectacular landscapes are unforgettable!
And Canadians at the top of courtesy and kindness!
The only Bed'n Breakfast on our journey was exceptional (Willows B'nB): welcome, accommodation, breakfast deserve no criticism!
All reservations were made without fail by Véronique, who concocted for us, with our advice, a real tailor-made trip. In this country the majority of people are very altruistic, and are interested in each other. Hospitality is a great asset to Canada.
A big thank you to the whole team, with a special dedication to Véronique for her patience, for the quality of her work and for her kindness.
We intend to travel to the West Coast of the USA soon, and no doubt we will call on the Authentik team for a third time. Bravo to you and thank you very much! [...]

Amazing trip, national parks are beautiful

(Translated by Google) Very good to help plan a big trip, especially when it's a first.
The road book is really great.

Exceptional trip!

(Translated by Google) Fabulous landscapes, extraordinary, immense mountains, majestic lakes, limpid, translucent and turquoise as desired.
An intact and wild nature: bears, moose, killer whales...
Endless hikes. We want more!
Difficult to choose our favorite place, each place had a little something extra: the Pacific in Ucluelet, the orcas in Victoria(!!!!), the rockies(!!!!!) ..., etc. maybe a little preference for Banff [...]

wonderful trip to western canada

Great experience, we were amazed by these wide open spaces of Western Canada

(Translated by Google) Take at least two or even three nights in each park to fully enjoy and have time to hike. Taking a break for a few days without a car is also a good thing in the middle of the stay. (Tyax for example). Treating yourself to a seaplane flight over the rockies is also a great experience!! The glaciers of Whisler were superb but there are surely others!!
Our favorite hikes: crypt lake in waterton and cheakamus lake in whisler and also the climb to lake Louise (we came across a bear) and the small cruise on the malignant lake at the end of the day in a calm ..magical setting! [...]

Exemplary planning

(Translated by Google) I liked staying a minimum of 2 nights or more at the same place. This allows you to experience the place well and discover it at your own pace. Our advisor responded quickly and efficiently to all our questions even when she was less concerned such as booking ferries. The notebook is also very useful but I would have liked to receive it before my departure to secure myself. [...]

A great family trip!

(Translated by Google) The proposed circuit by Authentik Canada completely satisfied us; our requests for modifications compared to the basic circuit have been taken into account, with sound advice from our advisor on the choices to be made. TO DO. We wanted to do a discovery tour of Canada and its landscapes with our 2 children (14 and 17 years old), and we came back with lots of very beautiful memories.
Overall this trip was very successful; what we liked the least was linked to the present world at some stages in the Rockies (but unavoidable stages, with magnificent things to see), with some very noisy hotels in particular. Fortunately, the points that we appreciated are by far the most numerous: the travel diary and the pre-encoded GPS; (even if 2 small errors had slipped into the programming, the road signs allowed us to easily return to the right path), the choice and the length of the stages (even if we sometimes wants to stay longer in certain places...), the beauty landscapes and the activities on offer, with a special mention for the safari at the bear and the zodiac trip to see the killer whales which was just a magical moment. [...]

One of pur Best trip

(Translated by Google) Too short for the Rockies
HarrisSon hot spring has no hot spring except at; the municipal swimming pool not very wild
All hotels were perfect. That of Banff more average and it was necessary to negotiate at Harrisson to have a view of the lake and not the parking lot

We are very satisfied with the organization of the stays and the service from Authentik.

(Translated by Google) We really discovered Western Canada, which we did not know at all. That's what we asked for, go around it. However, we did a lot of mileage, 2617 km, maybe a little too much.

(Translated by Google) Everything went very well, no hitch on the reservations.

In the travel diary, there would be a few points to be noted; to improve: 1-the day after our arrival, the visit of the heritage park was planned. The travel diary indicated how to get there but by car. However, we had not yet recovered. our car. Well, we managed. with the tramway and the shuttle but it would have been easier either to schedule the visit the next day or to specify how to do it in the travel diary. 2-The next day was the visit of the Calgary Tower before leaving for Banff. In my opinion, it would have been better to plan this visit the day before when we had not yet picked up the car. 3-On certain activities, for example the Malines lake at; Jasper, it would be nice to put the number of kilometers to go. browse to reach the start of the activity; (in this case 50 km). This will allow for better planning. 4- Hotel Emerald Lake. It would be good to specify the presence of its own parking lot. the hotel and the existence of a shuttle running between this car park and the hotel. 5-For the activity; Killer Whale Cruise Victoria, the access plan has lost us. It is on the port, at the level of the tourist information that we were; correctly referred. [...]