Grand Tour Canada and Alaska cruise

Day 1: Arrival in Vancouver
Welcome to Canada! Meet & greet with one of our representatives, who will transfer you to your hotel (Westin Bayshore, Century Plaza, Sheraton or similar, with breakfast included).

Day 2: Vancouver Tour
Your guide will take you on a tour of the city of Vancouver, starting in the green heart of the city, Stanley Park, which boasts a beautiful seawall and aquarium. You will then move north across the Lions Gate Bridge to visit Marine Drive and Dundarave Park, where you will have a snack in one of the local restaurants. In the afternoon, you will be taken to pick up your rental car. From here, you will be directed to Highway 99 and escorted by a member of our staff to the ferry terminal to Vancouver Island. You will arrive in Nanaimo after 1 hour and 35 minutes of crossing. When you’ve reached Vancouver Island, follow the map northward to Campbell River, where you will be staying in a beautiful lodge. Overnight stay including breakfast.

Day 3: From Campbell River to Port Hardy
This morning, from your lodge in Campbell River, you will embark on an exciting excursion focused on bear and whale-watching in the area of the Great Bear Rainforest. The magnificent Great Bear Rainforest is described in a recent issue of National Geographic as the jewel of Canadian nature, and has been recognized by the WWF and the UN as the most beautiful temperate rainforest park in the world. There is a large variety of wildlife present in this park, featuring animals of both land and sea: big bears, gray forest wolves, bald eagles, giant moose, bull deer, otters, orcas, dolphins, sea lions and various species of whales. After the excursion, head to Port Hardy where you will stay overnight at a lodge.

Day 4: Discovery Coast
The Queen of Chilliwack departs at 10:15 am from Port Hardy. Be sure to arrive at the dock check-in 2 hours before, and after parking the car in the designated bridge, head to the upper decks to enjoy the extraordinary show (don’t forget your binoculars!) You will see long and towering fjords, and observe wildlife on the shore through the narrow channels. The ferry sometimes slows down to allow you to take in the beautiful sight of orcas packs. Upon arrival in Bella Coola, transfer to your beautiful B&B.

Day 5: Great Bear Rainforest
Today marks another beautiful excursion in the Great Bear Rainforest, this time in the central part of this very extensive and important protected area. Watch out for orcas, whales and grizzly bears; explore the small islands, inlets and tiny bays; and visit the estuaries of rivers chosen by salmon for their seasonal journey. Then, return to the lodge for an overnight stay.

Day 6: From Bella Coola to Williams Lake, 1 or 2 Excursions
Despite today being a travel day from Bella Coola to Williams Lake (453 kilometres / 8-9 hours), the journey will once again offer the opportunity to view pristine nature and wildlife. You will pass through Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park, one of the largest protected parks in British Columbia. With its natural history and variety of landscapes, the flora here is particularly diverse, with many different types of berries. Where there are berries, there are bears – and grizzly and black bears and especially known to roam these territories. It’s also worth making a detour to admire the Hunlen Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in British Columbia. The rest of the road does not disappoint, neighbouring numerous lakes through lush green forests. Arrive in Williams Lake in the late afternoon for an overnight stay in a lodge, with breakfast included,

Day 7: From Williams Lake to Whistler
Today you will make your way from Williams Lake to Whistler, one of the venues of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Cross 440 km through the beautiful nature of British Columbia, and in the afternoon you will arrive in Whistler. Check in to the Westin or Fairmont hotels, or similar.

Day 8: Whistler
Whistler is one of the most popular holiday resorts in B.C., during both summer and in winter. It is equipped with modern ski facilities and was the site of the recent 2010 Winter Olympics. At any time of year, you can board the Peak-to-Peak Gondola, which transports tourists and skiers from the summit of Whistler Mountain to Blackcomb Mountain. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 9: on cruise
Transfer back to Vancouver, return your rental car and board cruise ship to Alaska.

Day 10: Vancouver – First Day of Cruising
Today we will set sail, slipping under the Lions Gate Bridge and entering the Inside Passage, the scenic waterway filled with natural wonders.

Day 11: Day at Sea – Second Day of Cruising
Relax and enjoy the day at sea along the scenic Inside Passage and immerse yourself in the elegance of Holland America Line. The mythical Inside Passage is one of the most spectacular waterways in the world, and one of the few where large cruise ships can sail near steep mountain walls. The scenery is amazing, with forests in a hundred shades of green, turquoise glaciers and cities full of history, culture and adventure. With most of southeastern Alaska accessible only by boat or plane, the Inside Passage is an anchor of salvation, allowing the remote region to communicate with the outside world.

Day 12: Ketchikan / Misty Fjords (on request) – Third Day of Cruising
Ketchikan is a port city is famous for its rich native culture, salmon fishing and the spectacular Misty Fjords National Monument, located on the banks of the Tongass Narrows. In addition to the main attractions – including Creek Street, Tongass History Museum, Totem Bight State Park and Saxman Village – a breathtaking hike to the Misty Fjords is not to be missed. These deep-water fjords, formed by the retreat of glaciers, are bordered by granite rocks towering hundreds of metres above sea – and the countless waterfalls from these rocks offer unforgettable shows.

Day 13: Juneau and Various Excursions – Fourth Day of Cruising
Enjoy a full day exploring the capital of Alaska. Located at the foot of a mountain on the Gastineau channel, Juneau is walking distance from the massive Mendenhall glacier and the impressive Juneau Ice Fields. You can choose from exciting excursions on the ground, or reserve time for shopping. Hike the Mendenhall Glacier, explore the lush Tongass National Forest or visit the rustic shops in town. You may also choose to go kayaking, dogsledding, whale-watching, rafting along the pristine rivers, trekking through the forests surrounding them or even enjoy a gorgeous panoramic flight.

Day 14: Skagway – Fifth Day of Cruising
Go back in time with an exciting excursion to the glory days of the gold rush, and then devote the rest of your day to some shopping. You can travel on the same narrow gauge railroad used by miners, which winds through high rock walls and gives you an idea of how life was during the time of the gold rush. You can visit small local shops, appropriately named ‘Trail Bench’ or ‘Lynch & Kennedy’s Dry Goods’. The ‘Red Onion Saloon’, with its honky tonk pianist and waitresses dressed in costumes, is an authentic museum of memorabilia, with portraits on the walls of the period’s characters. To complete the picture of those roaring days, visit the nostalgic ‘Trail of ’98’; while the restored buildings and wooden walkways of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park invite you to take a walk into the past.

Day 15: Glacier Bay – Sixth Day of Cruising
Enjoy the gorgeous eight-hour cruise between the icy fjords of this national treasure. As a biosphere reserve and heritage site, the Glacier Bay National Park protects a unique ecosystem of plants and animals living in an environment of ever-changing glacial landscape. What do you feel when a monumental piece of ice comes off a glacier and crashes into the sea? The noise is like thunder. The impact projects water at hundreds and hundreds of feet in the air that we will breathe in while capturing the moment on the film. In Glacier Bay, there are more glaciers active in calving (breaking off into the water) than in any other part of the world.

Day 16: College Fjord – Seventh Day of Cruising
Icy rivers surround the College Fjord on three sides. Here, you’ll pass by one glacier after another: a magnificent assembly of glacial wonders truly showcasing the forces of nature. Ivy League College funded the Harriman expedition, which discovered the College Fjord in 1899 – resulting in all glaciers of the fjord named in honour of various schools. The glaciers on the left are titled after the female college, with those on the right are after the male college.

Day 17: Seward, Anchorage and Kenai Fjord – Eighth Day of Cruising
Excursion to Kenai Fjord upon request. After a good meal on board, disembark and enjoy a scenic Anchorage tour. The city, beautifully located in Cook Bay and surrounded by the Chugach Mountains, is a busy centre complete with restaurants, frontier saloons, museums and art galleries.. Take advantage of the many optional tours to learn about Alaska’s history, culture and nature. Nearby, the high rock faces and valleys carved by the glaciers of Kenai Fjord National Park offer the spectacle of abundant wildlife. Located on the Kenai Peninsula on the southeast coast of Alaska, this region houses the Harding Ice Field, the largest glacier in the United States. Here, you’ll see collared eagles, sea lions, seals, porpoises, sea otters and whales. Listen to the sounds of thousands of seabirds. The gateway of the park is the historic city of Seward, where quaint shops await your visit.

Day 18: Denali National Park – Ninth Day of Cruising
Climb aboard the luxury bus to Denali. Settle into your lodge and explore the village.

Day 19: Denali National Park – Tenth Day of Cruising
Free day to explore Denali or an excursion (optional).
Transfer by deluxe coach bus to Fairbanks.
Today you will explore Denali, a park of international importance. Here, you’ll see the highest mountain in North America: Mount McKinley (also known as Denali, ‘the tallest’ in the area’s native language). The area was established as Mount McKinley National Park on February 26, 1917, and is the largest protected natural ecosystem in the world. Every bend on the park road leads to a new wonder as you travel miles in this incredible nature reserve with your expert guide. You can spot many forms of wildlife, including moose, bighorns, caribou and bears. You will surely see ptarmigan in the open valleys (the symbol of Alaska) as well as eagles patrolling the skies alongside crows, magpies and gray jays. With a bit of luck, you will find a grizzly crossing the stream, sheep jumping between the steep rocks and moose grazing in the meadows. You’ll also be amazed by the massive glaciers, and admire the many moraines, waterfalls and ice bridges. This adventure will finally lead you to the grandeur and wonder of Mount McKinley.

Day 20: Fairbanks – Eleventh Day of Cruising
When the gold rush in the Klondike came to an end, the disappointed researchers went west to Fairbanks, hoping to make a fortune there. The problem was that the gold in Fairbanks was under a deep layer of mud, which needed to be excavated. To fix this issue, special barge was created that combined the four parts of the search process: excavation, separation of gold from other materials, storage of gold and the disposal of tailings. One of these giant diggers was the Gold Dredge No. 8, a massive machine as high as a four-storey building, which ran until 1959. The barge is a valuable reference for the historical archives of Alaska and has been included in the register of national historic monuments. Today, it is one of the few dredges for gold still open to the public. Holland America Line purchased and restored the barge in 1996, and now the family of Binkley Fairbanks runs and owns it.

Day 21:
The tour ends this morning in Fairbanks.