Join us as we travel along Canada’s majestic west coast!  See Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise, Victoria and Calgary.
Cross the northern Rockies by Rail and sail the Inside Passage Enjoy fine scenery and nature. Join us on a
wonderful journey. 

Day one – Friday, August 2nd, 2013 – flight to Vancouver, British Columbia
Fly from the LAX to Vancouver, one of the most beautiful cities in North America. Upon arrival, you’ll be met by Philippe - and depending on the arrival times of your flights, you’ll travel to nearby Burnaby where you will be able to visit the Japanese-Canadian National Museum. Afterward, we’ll travel by ferry to nearby Victoria (British Columbia’s capital) on Vancouver Island. This is Canada’s most westerly city, and has a very mild climate. The city’s 150-year British colonial heritage is still very much in evidence, but contemporary Victoria has a distinctly Pacific Northwest flavor. It is known as the ‘Garden City’, as it is green all year round. You will have free time to explore Victoria this afternoon, and view the impressive Parliament buildings. You will notice English tea shops, and hanging baskets of flowers on the lamp posts, and in summer, you may see red London double-decker buses operating sightseeing tours or even see the locals playing a game of cricket. Tonight you’ll enjoy a nice welcome dinner in the heart of the city. (D)

Day two – Saturday, August 3rd - Butchart Gardens - Campbell River
Rise and Shine! This morning we explore the beautiful Butchart Gardens, one of the greatest tourist attractions of Vancouver Island and a fantastic way to begin our unique tour of Canada’s spectacular west coast. Afterwards we’ll travel up the busy Malahat pass towards Campbell River, a small town overlooking the Strait of Georgia about halfway down the east coast of Vancouver Island. This small town is popular with anglers and is nicknamed ‘the salmon capital of the world’. You will be spending the next two nights at Painter’s Lodge, which is situated just north of Campbell River. Located on the beautiful Discovery Passage on Vancouver Island’s east coast, Painter’s Lodge offers comfortable (though rustic) resort accommodations and a wide-variety of activities and services. Each room has a direct-dial telephone, television, a balcony or terrace and a bathroom with a bath and an overhead shower.   The hotel’s accommodation is in five separate two-storied wooden buildings, set in attractive landscaped grounds. Smoking inside the hotel buildings is not permitted. There are tennis courts, a gym and an outdoor swimming pool. The hotel’s sister resort, the April Point on Quadra Island, has an Aveda spa, which offers a full range of therapeutic and beauty treatments, for an additional charge. A free shuttle boat service runs throughout the day between Painter’s Lodge and Avril Point, enabling guests to enjoy the facilities of both resorts. The ride takes ten minutes each way. Dinner is included at your hotel this evening. (B, D)

Day three – Sunday, August 4th – Campbell River
It is hard to imagine a more perfect spot to relax than Painter’s Lodge, where you can sit on your balcony or terrace and watch ships passing on Georgia Strait, or perhaps enjoy a game of tennis or a swim in the outdoor pool. A wide range of activities is arranged by the hotel’s Marine Centre. You may like to join a guided fishing expedition on a 17-foot Boston Whaler, or enjoy a wildlife adventure tour on board a Hurricane Zodiac. If you take the free boat service across the Strait to April Point, you can explore Quadra Island on foot or by mountain bike. Kayaks may also be hired at April Point. You may purchase lunch or dinner today in any of the restaurants at either Painter’s Lodge or April Point. If you wish to dine in April Point, please advise the reception in advance. If you go fishing and catch a suitable fish, the hotel chef can cook it for your dinner (B) www.painterslodge.com

Day four – Monday, August 5th – Campbell River to Port Hardy
This morning we leave Campbell river for even more remote regions of Vancouver Island. We’ll drive northward to Telegraph Cove, a typical ‘boardwalk village’ where most of the houses are built on wooden pilings over the water. The town was founded in 1912 as a telegraph station, and today many of the attractive wooden buildings are protected owing to their historic interest. You’ll be delighted to see that one of the historic houses which has been preserved is that of a prominent Japanese-Canadian who helped manage the fishery in the community in it’s heyday. You will have free time here to explore the old village and purchase lunch. From Telegraph Cove you enjoy a 3 and a half hour Stubbs Island Whale Watching cruise. Although sightings cannot be guaranteed, killer whales are seen on over 90% of cruises, and you may also observe porpoises, dolphins, sea lions, sea otters and minke or humpback whales. This evening we’ll overnight in rustic (but comfortable) accommodations near Port Hardy, a small town near the northern tip of Vancouver Island. (B, D)

Day five – Tuesday, August 6th – Port Hardy to  Prince Rupert, sail the Inside Passage An early start is necessary this morning, as you transfer to the ferry port for your comfortable British Columbia ferry, the Queen of the North, to Prince Rupert. The ferry is scheduled to sail at 7:30am. It travels through the picturesque Inside Passage, passing small Native villages, inlets and dramatic mountain scenery. You may well see killer whales, seals and other wildlife from the ferry. There is a choice of restaurants on board, and you can rest in your day cabin or, weather permitting, relax in a sun-lounger out on deck. You arrive in Prince Rupert, a remote town on the northern edge of British Columbia, near Alaska’s border, at 10:30pm. (B)

Day six - Wednesday, August 7th - Prince Rupert to Prince George
A leisurely morning today as you are taken to Prince Rupert’s railway station to board the Skeena train for your two-day journey via Prince George to Jasper. The railway line along which you will be traveling was opened in 1914 as the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. It is an important freight route, and you are sure to see heavy goods trains carrying lumber, grain, coal and other freight. Although Canada now generally uses the metric system, distances along the track are still marked in miles, and the white mile-posts by the trackside will enable you to work out the train’s position at any time. Yamato has reserved seats in Totem Deluxe class. You travel in a luxurious modern carriage with panoramic windows, and all meals are included during the journey. Meals are served at your seat. You can either admire the Rockies from your own ‘Panorama Car’ or walk up to the double deck Park Car, at the rear of the train, where you can sit in the classic 1950s semicircular lounge or in the dome with its 360 degree views. Drinks may be purchased from the steward in the Park Car.  Prince Rupert is an attractive port surrounded by deep green mountains that seem to rise out of the sea. Our train is scheduled to leave at 8:00 am, and travels roughly east today, leaving the rugged British Columbia coast for it’s remote interior along the majestic Skeena River, for which it is named. The word means ‘river of mists’ in Gitksan
(a local native language). You will see numerous waterfalls by the tracks as you follow the river to Chatham Sound. Along this stretch of the line you may well see large numbers of bald eagles. From New Hazelton, you’ll enjoy fine views of the Hudson Bay Mountain and Kathlyn Glacier, and soon afterward you pass Smithers stations and Houston, a centre for recreational fishing, where a giant fishing-rod stands beside the station. Today’s journey includes many tunnels and viaducts, and you will also pass a number of Gitksan settlements, inhabited by native Canadians. Look out for the totem poles by the track. Later today, you pass scenic Fraser Lake, named after the explorer Simon Fraser who built a fur-trading post here. Here also the last spike, completing the railway, was driven-in on April 7, 1914. Finally we’ll follow the course of the Nechako River. Wolves and bears are sometimes seen in this area on our way into the remote town of Prince George. This industrial city has an oil refinery and pulp mills, and is the largest town in the north of British Columbia. (B, L, D)

Day seven - Thursday, August 8th - Prince George to Jasper by rail!
This morning after a hearty breakfast, you’ll board the Skeena for another fine day of sightseeing as you travel
further east to the neighboring province of Alberta and the wonderful town of Jasper. As we travel towards Canada’s Rocky Mountains, our journey continues past sawmills and salmon hatcheries to the tiny settlement of Penny, which cannot be reached by road. Here the train conductor may get off to deliver mail to the village, and to collect outgoing mail from the small post office beside the railway. This is just one example of the valuable service the Skeena still performs to isolated communities along the line. Penny is just one of many ‘flag stops’ where the train stops on request to pick up or set down passengers.  Your steward will advise you of any station stops where you will have time to get off and stretch your legs. You may pause at McBride station. Although it has a population of only a few hundred, McBride is one of the largest towns on today’s journey. The Skeena is scheduled to arrive in Jasper at 6:30 pm tonight. (B, L, D)

Day eight - Friday, August 9th- Jasper and Banff National Parks  and the Icefield Parkway
In a world that has destroyed many of its natural wonders, Jasper and Banff National Parks stand in all their natural beauty. Each is a wilderness paradise with magnificent mountains, dense forests, flower-strewn meadows, clear lakes and rivers, massive glaciers and the freshest of air. This morning we’ll journey southwards along the Icefields Parkway, perhaps the most exciting stretch of highway in Canada which runs 143 miles, right through the heart of  the Rockies. It is a never ending procession of huge snow-capped peaks, cobalt- blue lakes, and hearty forests. Shortly before lunch, you take an included ’sno-coach’ ride over part of the Athabasca Glacier, which covers 233 square miles. Snow and ice surround you, enhancing the natural beauty of the landscape. We then continue our route southward, stopping en route at beautiful Lake Louise. Often called the Jewel of the Rockies, its sparkling jade-colored waters reflect the Victoria Glacier and the surrounding mountains. This evening we arrive in the charming town of Banff.   (B, D)

Day nine - Saturday, August 10th - Banff National Park
This morning, enjoy a brief tour and a cable-car ride that will gently hoist you to the summit of Sulphur Mountain for spectacular views over Banff and a sweeping panorama of mountains and valleys. Sulphur Mountain acquired its name because of the sulfurous hot springs, which are situated at the Park’s Cave and Basin Spring close to the cable-car station. Victorian visitors used to descend into the warming springs to sample the health restoring attributes of the waters through a hole in the cave roof. This afternoon enjoy free time to shop and explore Banff’s quaint downtown area. We have a wonderful farewell dinner planned for you this evening! (B, D)

Day ten - Sunday, August 11th - Travel to Calgary and return home

This morning we say goodbye to Banff National Park and descend from the Rocky Mountains to the dynamic city of Calgary Alberta. Renowned for its annual rodeo and stampede, Calgary is a cosmopolitan city nestled in the foothills of the spectacular Rockies. Depending on the amount of time which you have prior to your return flights home, you may enjoy an orientation tour of the city. This includes a look at the famous stampede grounds that give the city its ‘Wild West’ feel. You also drive past Fort Calgary, which was built by the Northwest Mounted Police in 1875, and operated until 1914. Afterwards, Philippe will take you to Calgary’s international airport where you will board your return flights home to the U.S.A.   (B)
 
Itinerary is subject to change
 
Rate includes:
- all your hotel accommodations
- all land, rail and ferry transportation - 9 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 7 dinners
- entrance fees to all of the activities in the itinerary / and much more! Call us for details!
- kindly note that these rates are “land-only” and do not include airfare.

 

Cost of trip: $3,650.00
double occupancy rate $1050.00 single supplement

 

 
Yamato Travel Bureau ®
250 East First Street, Suite 1112 Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 680-0333
Email: groups@yamatotravel.com  Website: www.yamatotravel.com
(CST # 1019309-10)