8 Days Rainforest and Peaks Circle Rail Journey

Travel onboard the Rocky Mountaineer to the charming rural town of Quesnel, gateway to the North Cariboo region. Enjoy breathtaking and varied scenery, from the river canyons and lush farmland of the Pemberton Valley, through the desert-like conditions of the Fraser Canyon, to rolling hills and vast ranchlands of the Cariboo Plateau. Highlights include the shorelines of Anderson Lake and glacier-fed Seton Lake, sweeping views of the Fraser Canyon, and the crossing of Deep Creek Bridge, one of the highest railway bridges in the world. Your day concludes as the Rocky Mountaineer follows the banks of the Fraser River into Quesnel.

Your journey continues eastwards today to the majestic Canadian Rockies and Jasper National Park. From Quesnel, the Rocky Mountaineer follows the Fraser River north to the town of Prince George, then travels east through the forests of northern British Columbia, home to plentiful wildlife, including a large population of moose. Entering the Rocky Mountain Trench you are surrounded by the steeply rising Rocky Mountains to the north and the Cariboo Mountains to the south. Continue climbing past Mount Robson, at 3,954 metres (12,972 feet) the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, through Yellowhead Pass into the province of Alberta. Your rail journey ends today on arrival in Jasper.

This morning join a local guide for an interpretive tour up the Maligne Valley. The tour will include a stop at Maligne Canyon for a guided walk above the gorge, Medicine Lake and then Maligne Lake where you can either take the boat cruise to Spirit Island or enjoy a guided hike along the Mary Schaffer Loop.

Travel the famous Icefields Parkway, which links Jasper and Banff National Parks along one of Canada’s highest mountain roadways. Climbing from the low valleys to nearly the tree line, experience three life zones, the montane, the subalpine and the alpine. Along the way stop at major viewpoints including Athabasca Falls and the Columbia Icefield for an Ice-Explorer ride and Glacier Skywalk experience. Overnight at the ‘Jewel of the Rockies’ the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, surrounded by snow capped mountains and overlooking the postcard perfect Lake Louise and Victoria Glacier.

Today take a morning transfer to Banff and explore Banff with passes to the Banff Gondola. Nestled high in the Canadian Rockies, the town of Banff is located within the Banff National Park. Once “Siding 29” on the Canadian Pacific Railway, the town of Banff was intended to be a tourist town from its very inception. The park’s first superintendent, George Stewart, even oriented the town’s first street so that it offered the best possible view of Cascade Mountain. With easy access to pristine wilderness, outdoor adventures, jaw-dropping landscape, and a vibrant history, there are many places to visit in Banff and Lake Louise. This evening you'll enjoy an evening wildlife safari to seek out Rocky Mountain creatures such as elk, big horn sheep and maybe even local a grizzly bear or black bear while learning about how the Parks Canada protect these animals in their natural habitat from the many threats to the ecosystem.

Travel onboard the Rocky Mountaineer from the mountain town of Banff to Kamloops, in the heart of the BC Interior. Enjoy the spectacular array of scenery as you travel between the glacier and snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies, over mountain passes and through remarkable tunnels, along rocky lakeshores and across the ranchlands of the Interior. Today’s highlights include the Continental Divide, the Spiral Tunnels, Kicking Horse Canyon, Rogers Pass, and Craigellachie, where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven.

Your journey continues towards the Pacific Ocean and the coastal city of Vancouver. You will again see dramatic changes in scenery, from the desert-like environment of the Interior, through winding river canyons and pristine forests, to the Coast and Cascade Mountains and the lush green fields of the Fraser Valley. Highlights include the steep slopes and rock sheds along the Thompson River and the rushing waters of Hell’s Gate in the Fraser Canyon.