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Overview
This one-way fly drive holiday covers the very best that Western Canada has to offer, with spectacular ocean and mountain vistas throughout. Your journey starts on Vancouver Island before a mini-cruise via ferry through the famous Inside Passage, then following the Skeena River to Jasper in the Canadian Rockies. You will follow the Icefields Parkway to Banff National Park, before dropping your car in Calgary to head home.
This itinerary is flexible and can be tailor-made to suit you; if you want to add extra days in one area, extend the holiday or maybe change the direction of travel. Talk to one of our experts about how to make this holiday the perfect one for you.
Frontier’s Personal Experience
“I loved my all-too-brief visit to Prince Rupert, which is definitely worth more than an overnight before/after the ferry. The Cow Bay area is full of fun shops, bars and restaurants – go to Dolly’s Fish Market for the best fish and chips! – and the full day bear or whale watching excursion is perfect if you are short on time and want to see wildlife.”
Itinerary (19 Nights)
Here’s a day-by-day guide to your itinerary. Feel free to ask us to add other days or ideas and excursions by contacting us directly, so we can give you the best price.
Days 1-2
Fly into Vancouver from the UK, where you will have two days with time to...
Days 1-2
Vancouver
Fly into Vancouver from the UK, where you will have two days with time to visit the highlights such as Stanley Park, Gastown, Granville Island, Grouse Mountain and Capilano Suspension Bridge.
2 nights in Vancouver.
Days 3-4
Collect your hire car and travel via the scenic ferry route to Victoria.  Victoria is a...
Days 5-7
Drive through Duncan and the enormous forest of ancient Douglas Firs known as Cathedral Grove...
Days 5-7
Victoria
to
Tofino
Drive through Duncan and the enormous forest of ancient Douglas Firs known as Cathedral Grove to Tofino on the Pacific Coast. Tofino is a delightful village in the Pacific Rim National Park from where you can take bear/whale watching trips, surf, walk the 5-mile beach and enjoy the rain forest.
3 nights in Tofino.
Day 8
Tofino to Port Hardy
Back across the mountains up north to Port Hardy maybe stopping for some whalewatching at Sayward....
Day 8
Tofino
to Port Hardy
Back across the mountains up north to Port Hardy maybe stopping for some whalewatching at Sayward. Although a long way, it is a pretty drive with little traffic.
1 night in Port Hardy.
Days 9-11
to Prince Rupert
A very early start is needed today for what will be one of the many...
Days 9-11
to Prince Rupert
A very early start is needed today for what will be one of the many highlights of this holiday as you travel the Inside Passage to Prince Rupert, one of the world’s most beautiful waterways. The ferry journey takes 15 hours but there is plenty to see enroute and the BC Ferry vessels include restaurants, lounges and even a cinema.
After a late arrival in to Prince Rupert, you have two full days to enjoy this lovely Canadian town. Explore Cow Bay and its quirky shops and restaurants -fish and chips at Dolly’s Fish Market is a must! – or maybe take a trip to the North Pacific Cannery to see how this historic site was part of the town’s lifeblood or even take a full-day bear or whale watching tour right from downtown.
3 nights in Prince Rupert.
Day 12
Prince Rupert to Smithers
From Prince Rupert you will follow the Skeena River on Highway 16 to Smithers, which...
Day 12
Prince Rupert
to Smithers
From Prince Rupert you will follow the Skeena River on Highway 16 to Smithers, which is a very pleasant 4-hour journey.
Stops can be made in the town of Terrace and in Hazleton; the area has nurtured northwest coast native cultures at ‘Ksan for over 7,000 years, with the Gitksan and Wetsuwet’en peoples always living here, where the Skeena River meets the Bulkley River. The Skeena River served as an ancient trade route, navigated by 60-foot cedar canoes travelling from the coast upriver to totem-filled villages with magical names like Temlaham, Gitanmax and Kispiox.
Smithers is a great town with its own brewery and many shops and restaurants to peruse during your stay.
1 night in Smithers.
Day 13
Smithers to Prince George
Continue following the Skeena River on the Yellowhead Highway for a 4-hour drive through spectacular...
Day 13
Smithers
to Prince George
Continue following the Skeena River on the Yellowhead Highway for a 4-hour drive through spectacular scenery to Prince George.
You will overnight in Prince George and have time to explore the town after your road trip.
1 night in Prince George.
Days 14-15
Prince George to Jasper
Today, you will arrive in the Rockies and the famous resort town of Jasper. Explore this mountain...
Days 14-15
Prince George
to
Jasper
Today, you will arrive in the Rockies and the famous resort town of Jasper. Explore this mountain resort and take the Jasper Tram for great views and take a cruise on Maligne Lake to view Spirit Island.
2Â nights in Jasper.
Days 16-18
Today travel from Jasper to Banff via the spectacular Icefield Parkway. Â Stop en route at...
Days 16-18
Jasper
to
Banff
Today travel from Jasper to Banff via the spectacular Icefield Parkway. Â Stop en route at the Athabasca Glacier and take a ride on the Snowcoach. At the summit of Bow Pass is the path to the beautiful Peyto Lake overlook.
Once in Banff, you have several days to explore all that this National Park has to offer. From hot springs to hiking, from spas to canoeing or just shopping on Banff Avenue.
3 nights in Banff.
Frontier’s Personal Experience
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