Best of British Columbia

Start your trip with airport lounge access before you board your day flight to Canada’s most liveable city. On arrival, you’ll make your way to your choice of central accommodation, leaving time to sample the city’s famed food scene; Asian delicacies are matched by just-caught seafood favourites. Don’t forget the craft brews.

Next day, you’ll have some time to explore Vancouver, perhaps taking in its waterfront parks, tropical conservatories and world-class art galleries. If you’ve more time, we highly recommend the whale watching or hopping over to Vancouver Island for some wilderness fun.

Depart Vancouver this morning along the scenic Sea-to-Sky Highway to Whistler, home of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Highlights along the way include the cascading Shannon Falls, the Stawamus Chief Rock where climbers from all over the globe migrate to climb the granite cliffs and the included Sea to Sky Gondola where incredible bird’s-eye views of Howe Sound sprawl before you. At the top, enjoy access to several interpretive walking trails, viewing platforms and the on-site restaurant and tea house. Continue onto Whistler to arrive mid afternoon

Next day enjoy a bear safari in Whistler Olympic Park’s untouched wilderness, housing numerous black bears. Witness them forage from your vehicle amidst pristine landscapes. Drive up iconic Ski Jumps for breathtaking mountain panoramas.

Stay: Delta Whistler Village Suites (Superior) 

Begin your spectacular drive on the Duffey Lake Road where you will see breathtaking views of Joffre Glacier. Continue on through Lillooet, known as the land of the Gold Rush Trail, and onto Cache Creek where we recommend a stop to visit the Historic Hat Creek. From here travel towards the sun & vineyards of Kelowna. Over 2,000 hours of sunshine and only 13” of precipitation annually allows for a wide range of outdoor activities and grape growing for various wines.

Stay: The Royal Kelowna (Superior)

Tour into the countryside combining the best of the Lake, the Valley and the Vines. Experience the wineries we call hidden treasures and sample the Okanagan’s finest wines.

Stay:The Royal Kelowna (Superior)

Your destination today is Yoho National Park. The word Yoho is the Cree word expressing awe. This 1313 sq. km national park is filled with gemcoloured glacial lakes and waterfalls, snow-covered peaks and dense forests of western red cedar and western hemlock. Historic railroads, spiral tunnels within mountain sides and steep rock faces where mountain goats roam are just some of the sights to be seen. Other Yoho marvels include a natural rock bridge over the Kicking Horse River, Hoodoos, some of Canada’s highest waterfalls and the Burgess Shale fossil find where over 120 marine animal species dating back as far as 530 million years were discovered.

Stay: Emerald Lake Lodge (Superior)

Located on the shores of the famous pristine lake, surrounded by some of the Rockies most impressive peaks. The lodge built of hand-hewn timber and featuring massive stone fireplaces and includes a formal dining room and quiet reading and sitting rooms. From the upper or lower large verandahs, enjoy the serene views of this wilderness landscape.

Stay: Emerald Lake Lodge (Superior)

Today your destination is Radium Hot Springs, which borders Kootenay National Park and the mighty Columbia River, and offers guests a recreational playground unparalleled in beauty and amenities. The Columbia River Valley is home to dozens of golf courses, endless hiking and fishing opportunities, and the breathtaking scenery of both the Rocky Mountains to the east, and the Purcell Mountains to the west.

Stay: Prestige Radium Resort (Superior)

Highway 95 will lead you to Cranbrook, the ‘Key City to the Rockies’. Along the way visit Fort Steele Heritage Town, a local settlement whose name was changed in 1888 to honour Superintendent Samuel Benfield (Sam) Steele of the North-West Mounted Police, who peacefully reduced tensions between the Ktunaxa and the white and Chinese settlers who were relatively new to the area. In Cranbrook, the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel is famous for the restored complete set of the TransCanada Limited, a million dollar train set built in 1929. Continuing on the way into Nelson, take a short detour over to Harrop and back to experience the Harrop Proctor Cable Ferry. Surrounded by the Selkirk Mountains, set on the shores of Kootenay Lake and clustered with some 350 heritage buildings, Nelson’s storybook charm and stunning scenery create the quintessential small town setting. Perhaps enjoy an evening cruise on the S.S. Moyie paddle wheeler.

Stay: Prestige Lakeside Resort, Nelson (Superior)

Today continue traveling westward to Osoyoos, Canada’s only deserttown. Visit the unique Osoyoos Desert Centre to experenice this phenomenon, and check out the Osoyoos Museum, winner of the “best small town museum” in BC. With expanses of orchards and vineyards, lake swimming and boating, this area has all the amenities a visitor could ever want.

Stay: Watermark Beach Resort, Osoyoos (Superior)

The grasslands and bald hills outside the town of Osoyoos are an extension of the Sonoran Desert that runs as far south as Mexico and creeps north to form Canada’s only arid desert. We suggest taking a guided or unguided 1.5km boardwalk through Canada’s desert landscape at the Osoyoos Desert Centre. Learn about the sensitive ecosystem which is home to 100 rare plants and 300 animals found nowhere else in Canada. The Centre also features an interpretive facility with hands-on exhibits and a native plant demonstration garden.

Another option is to head out for the day to visit the many wineries of the Osoyoos and Oliver region along the Black Sage bench and the Golden Mile.

Stay: Watermark Beach Resort, Osoyoos (Superior)

Today join the Coquihalla Highway and climb to an elevation of 1244 metres where over 10 metres of snow can fall in an average winter. You will witness incredible feats of engineering as you travel through the Great Bear snow shed, crossing the Dry Gulch Bridge (over 280 metres long and 175 metres high). Begin descending from the summit pass through some of the most beautiful landscapes in the province. This dramatic change of environment is always exhilarating, as you go from bright sunlight on the high rock faces to misty coastal cedars and tall firs in the space of half an hour. Approaching the Pacific coast, the canyon opens into the broad fertile Fraser Valley. Head into Vancouver and drop off your car rental, and enjoy the city one last time.

A final morning in Vancouver and the chance to explore before boarding the Skytrain to Vancouver airport for your overnight flight back to the UK, arriving on day 14.