Ultimate Canada and The Rocky Mountaineer

After our flight from London Heathrow, we land in Vancouver for two nights, checking into our hotel on arrival.

We join a morning sightseeing tour this morning of one of the country's largest and most cosmopolitan cities. We visit historic Gastown, an area of coffee shops, galleries and native art stores that make up one of Vancouver's best-loved neighbourhoods. We also experience Stanley Park, larger than New York's Central Park and famous for its large collection of colourful totem poles, before uncovering the enticing scents and sights of Chinatown.

We embark on a daylight journey to the Rockies on the world-renowned Rocky Mountaineer, starting our journey in Vancouver and travelling to Kamloops along one of the most dramatic stretches of the line. Leaving the Pacific Coast, we pass through lush green forests and dramatic valleys, home to an abundance of Canadian wildlife, and make our way along the dramatic Thompson and Fraser Canyons before entering the desert-like environment of Canada's interior. Keep your eyes peeled for the Rainbow Canyon here, which gets its name from the huge number of colours that can be seen reflected in the rocks. You'll also want to watch for 'hoodoos' - tall skinny spires of rock that protrude from the dry arid surroundings of the Thompson Plateau. Local mythology describes these as giants that were turned to stone by the Great Spirit. The train arrives in Kamloops and we disembark for an overnight stay at a local hotel.

Re-boarding the Rocky Mountaineer, we enter the towering landscapes of the Rocky Mountains, following the 'First Passage to the West' route and crossing Stoney Creek Bridge. We experience the legendary spiral tunnels, allowing trains to easily overcome the steep gradients of the Rockies, and traverse the Continental Divide, the highest section of the line, before arriving in the town of Banff, our base for two nights.

Immersing ourselves in the natural beauty of Banff National Park with our local guide, we visit the Spiral Tunnels, seeing them from a different vantage point, as well as Emerald Lake, renowned for its vivid colours. We continue to the idyllic waters of Lake Louise, admiring the views of soaring peaks covered in verdant pine forests that slope away from the shore. Afterwards, we meet a retired member of the Royal Canadian Mount-ed Police, known locally as a 'Mountie', who gives a talk and answers our questions.

We depart by coach along the world-famous Icefields Parkway, a 144-mile road that links Banff with Jasper. Travelling along a lake-lined valley, past many of the highest and most rugged peaks in the Rockies, we stop at the Icefields Centre, set at the foot of the vast Columbia Icefields. Here we stop to marvel at the breathtaking Athabasca Glacier. Arriving in Jasper for two nights, we admire the majestic mountain scenery that helped make this area a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984.

Today is free. You could head into Jasper National Park to see Maligne Canyon, a 164-feet deep gorge of sheer limestone walls with a number of interesting rock formations, and Maligne Lake - the largest glacier-fed body of water in the region. There's plenty of wildlife to watch out for too, such grey wolves, hoary marmot, caribou and moose.

We begin our epic journey aboard The Canadian, travelling to Toronto over the next two days and nights. We settle into our berths for the journey through the foothills of the Rockies, passing pine forests, glaciers, plunging canyons and soaring peaks.

We continue our epic journey aboard The Canadian.

Today is our first full day on board, and we travel through the province of Saskatchewan, crossing the prairie lands on our way towards Winnipeg, a fascinating city home to over 50 different ethnic communities. Day 11 is spent crossing the Canadian Shield from the comfort of the glass-roofed panoramic observation car. Sit back and watch the world go by as we skirt the scenic lake-lands of northern Ontario ahead of our arrival in Toronto.

Stepping off the train, we make our way to our hotel for two nights. The rest of your day is free to start exploring Toronto, a multi-cultural melting-pot with an inviting, laid-back atmosphere. For something a bit different, why not try a Caesar Cocktail, Canada's national cocktail. A trendy take on a Bloody Mary, the celery is often replaced with a piece of crispy, Canadian bacon.

Today we visit the incredible Niagara Falls, which straddles the US-Canadian border. Split into three separate sections, American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, dating back about 12,000 years, when melting glaciers allowed a passage of water from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The Horseshoe Falls are the second largest falls in the world, after the Victoria Falls in southern Africa, and are also the easiest to access and view. We explore the falls on a guided tour.

Enjoy a free morning to do some last-minute sightseeing before we transfer to the airport for our overnight flight to London Heathrow.

We arrive back in London today.