Whistler & the Rocky Mountaineer 2011 

We depart from London for Vancouver, where we arrive late afternoon and transfer to the Blue Horizon Hotel for a three night stay in the heart of this wonderful maritime city.

Our morning sightseeing tour is a great introduction to the city. We visit historic Gastown - an area of restored Victorian warehouses and dwellings, vibrant Chinatown and Stanley Park, with its colourful totem poles. We then cross Lions Gate Bridge to North Vancouver to see the world-renowned Capilano Suspension Bridge, which spans a gorge at the very edge of the Canadian wilderness. This afternoon, you have time to explore this diverse city and its wealth of museums, galleries, shops and parks.

A day at leisure in Vancouver allows you to explore at your own pace. Perhaps take the 'hop-on, hop-off' sightseeing tram (payable locally) to visit Vancouver aquarium, with beluga whales, sea otters and dolphins, Vancouver Museum overlooking English Bay, Vanier Park or Granville Island.

We depart Vancouver this morning, heading North into the Rockies on the Rocky Mountaineer, Whistler Sea to Sky Climb route. We pass through the Horseshoe Bay Tunnel and along the eastern shores of Howe Sound, with the British Columbia Coastal Mountains rising dramatically on the right and panoramic views of the ocean to the left. We arrive in Whistler early-afternoon, where we spend two nights in the Listel Lodge.

The town of Whistler, which part-hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics, is Canada's finest year-round resort. During a day at leisure you can enjoy a walk into the mountains, take the gondola 6,000ft above sea level into the Alpine region to enjoy majestic views or, if you prefer, simply relax and enjoy the pedestrian village.

We board the Rocky Mountaineer to continue our fabulous journey through the heart of the Rockies on the Rainforest to Gold Rush route. We pass Anderson Lake and glacier-fed Seton Lake. We cross Cariboo Plateau, a dry pastoral landscape, and follow the mighty Fraser River, whose rushing waters carve through rock layers from the western slopes of the Rockies all the way to the Georgia Strait and the Pacific Ocean. We pause overnight in Quesnel.

We depart Quesnel this morning and travel North to Prince George, where the tracks turn southeast into the Rocky Mountain Trench. Our route continues past Mount Robson, soaring a majestic 12,972ft (3,956m) above us and the highest of the Canadian Rockies. We continue into Jasper National Park, the largest of the Canadian Rockies Parks and a wonderful place to see elk, moose, bighorn sheep and perhaps even bears. On arrival in Jasper we transfer to the Amethyst Lodge for a two-night stay.

Today we enjoy a sightseeing tour of Jasper National Park. Our tour includes a visit to the spectacular Maligne Canyon, a 150ft (50m) deep gorge of sheer limestone walls, with waterfalls and interesting rock formations. We also visit the stunning Maligne Lake, the largest glacier-fed lake in the region and considered one of the most beautiful places in the Rockies.

We depart Jasper by coach along the world-famous Icefields Parkway, where snow-covered mountain peaks tower above turquoise lakes. We stop at the Columbia Icefield, one of the largest accumulations of ice and snow south of the Arctic Circle. The Icefield's meltwater flows to three oceans; the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific. Here it is possible to take a trip in a giant snow-mobile onto the Glacier itself. We continue our journey along the Icefield Parkway, to Banff for a two-night stay at the Rundlestone Lodge.

Today is spent at leisure in Banff. Take a stroll around the town or perhaps a walk through the forests to the famous Banff Springs Hotel, built in the style of a Scottish Baronial castle. Afterwards you may want to take a dip in the Upper Hot Springs, where the temperature is always between 37 and 40 degrees centigrade. Alternatively, take a trip on the Banff gondola ride up Sulphur Mountain for 360 degree views.

After a free morning in Banff, perhaps to do some final sightseeing or souvenir buying, we transfer to Calgary where we board our overnight flight to London, arriving in the morning of Day 12.