Canada & the Rocky Mountaineer 2012 

We depart from London to Toronto, arriving mid-afternoon. Our hotel for three nights is the elegant Fairmont Royal York Hotel. On Day 2 we join a guide for a coach tour of the city, including sights such as the CN Tower (entrance payable locally). Day 3 is free for you to explore Toronto.

Our excursion to Niagara Falls starts with a buffet lunch overlooking the Falls, from the Penthouse Restaurant of the Sheraton Hotel. Following your meal you have some free time, so why not board the Maid of the Mist for a cruise to the foot of the thundering Falls? We board The Canadian in Toronto in the evening for our journey across the western plains and through the Rockies towards Jasper.

Our first full day on board is spent crossing the Canadian Shield. On Day 6 we arrive in Winnipeg, where the train stops for the morning, giving us the opportunity to explore. We continue crossing the prairies and arrive in the province of Saskatchewan in the late evening.

After passing Edmonton, we begin the climb into the foothills of the Rockies passing pine forests, glaciers, plunging canyons and soaring peaks. We arrive in Jasper in the early afternoon and spend two nights at the Amethyst Lodge, surrounded by majestic mountain scenery.

Today we enjoy a sightseeing tour of beautiful Jasper National Park, including the spectacular Maligne Canyon, a 164 foot (50m) deep gorge of sheer limestone walls, waterfalls and unusual rock formations. We also see the gorgeous turquoise waters of Maligne Lake, the largest glacier-fed body of water in the region.

We depart by coach along the world-famous Icefields Parkway, a 230km road that links Jasper with Lake Louise and takes us through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world. We travel along a lake-lined valley past many of the highest and most rugged peaks in the Rockies to the Icefields Centre at the foot of the vast Columbia Icefields. Here we stop to marvel at the breathtaking Athabasca Glacier, and you have the option to enjoy an exciting ride over the icefield by giant snowmobile. We continue to Banff for a three-night stay at the Rundlestone Lodge.

Today we explore the Rockies. We begin by taking a cable car ride up Sulphur Mountain to enjoy the panoramic views, then we travel to the emerald waters of Lake Louise. Enjoying a stroll along the lake shores, we can admire the incredible scenery all around us. Day 11 is free for you to explore Banff at leisure.

We embark on a daylight journey through the Rockies on the world-renowned Rocky Mountaineer. This 309 mile (497km) trip to Kamloops takes in the scenery of the 'First Passage to the West' route, passing through Banff National Park and across the Continental Divide. We travel in Red Leaf Class, marvelling at the passing scenery and enjoying breakfast and lunch served at our seats. We overnight at a hotel in Kamloops.

Our Rocky Mountaineer experience continues on one of the most dramatic stretches of the line, travelling along the Thompson and Fraser Canyons. As you keep your eyes open for Canadian wildlife, the line descends towards the Pacific Coast. On arrival in Vancouver, we spend two nights at the Blue Horizon Hotel.

Our morning sightseeing tour visits historic Gastown, an area of coffee shops, galleries and native art stores. We also experience the exciting scents and sights of Chinatown, and leafy Stanley Park, with its colourful Totem Poles. Our tour then takes in Granville Island and Queen Elizabeth Park. This afternoon, you are free to explore this diverse city at your own pace.

With a morning at leisure, you are free to do some final sightseeing, or perhaps indulge in some last-minute shopping. This afternoon we transfer by coach to the airport for our flight back to London, arriving in the morning of Day 16.