Canada Tour and Alaska Cruise

Day 1: Arrival in Vancouver
Meet & greet at the airport with a LRH representative, who will transfer you to the hotel. Check in and overnight stay, with breakfast included.

Day 2: Guided Tour of Vancouver
Guided van tour by request, to visit main touristic areas and Downtown Vancouver. This includes an excursion to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Salmon Hatchery; Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium; as well as a visit to West Vancouver and Dundarave Park, with picnic by the sea. In the afternoon you will be escorted to Downtown Vancouver and climb aboard a seaplane for a striking and scenic flight over the Gulf Islands, bay of Vancouver and Lions Bridge, which is a few tens of metres high. Upon return, enjoy dinner at a restaurant and overnight stay at your hotel.

Day 3: Vancouver Island
In the morning you will pick up a car, and with our representative’s guidance, embark on the ferry 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, driving along highway 4 for about 2.5 hours until you reach Port Alberni. The signs of each path are indicated in your Road Book. After a stop in Port Alberni, you will come across Cathedral Grove, one of the most beautiful Sequoia and Red Cedar parks in the region, filled with beautiful centenary trees. In the late afternoon, you will reach the beautiful village of Tofino. Here, you will stay at Ocean Village Resort facing one of the most spectacular beaches along the Pacific Rim.
Distance from Nanaimo to Tofino: 208 Km

Day 4: Pacific Rim, Whales and Sea Lions
This marks your first day of travel across the ocean to the Pacific Rim, famous for its fascinating and violent storms in the Pacific. This is a destination for passionate travelers and nature photographers chasing the beautiful images and creatures of nature, which still live in harmony here, including whales, orcas and sea lions. You will set out via speedboat to approach these amazing animals, and navigate through the magnificent Broken Group Islands. Once you have docked, you will have the opportunity to enjoy a rejuvenating relaxation treatment provided by the natural hot springs of the region. In the afternoon, head out for another boat excursion to Meares Island for a walk through the ancient giant rainforest trees. Afterwards, return back to your hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 5: The East Coast of Vancouver Island
After breakfast in the morning, you will leave the West Coast of Vancouver Island and move across toward its East Coast. Campbell River, your destination, is called ‘the capital of the salmon’. Here, you will stay at the splendid Painter’s Lodge. In the afternoon, or next morning if required, you’ll head out on a trip to see whales, orcas and dolphins. After that, you’ll return to the lodge and have dinner on the promenade in front of Quadra Island.

Day 6: The Grizzlies of the Great Bear Rainforest
This morning you will leave your lodge for a beautiful trip to the Great Bear Rainforest, the jewel of Canadian nature recognized as one of the most beautiful rainforest parks in the world. The variety of wildlife in this park is truly unique, with many grizzly and black bears, gray wolves, bald eagles, moose, deer, otters, dolphins and sea lions, along with orcas and various other species of whales at sea. On the way back from the excursion, you will head north to the quaint fishing village of Telegraph Cove, where you will stay in a cabin on the boardwalk of this historic waterfront. En route, visit the village of Port McNeill, another beautiful town of the East Coast.

Day 7: Killer Whales
This morning’s trip is universally recognized as the best whale-watching excursion. You’ll surely see many other species that make up the fauna of this area, but killer whales are of course the stars of the day. In the afternoon, you will return to Nanaimo where you’ll embark on the ferry back to Vancouver.

First day of cruise

Day 8: Inside Passage – Second Day of Cruise
The Inside Passage is one of the most beautiful waterways in the world. Here, you’ll find the absolute best of Alaska, including rainforests, glaciers, high waterfalls, beautiful fjords and majestic snow-capped peaks. The beautiful wildlife include whales and sea lions, as well as countless other species underwater, in the sky and on the land.

Day 9: Icy Strait Point – Third Day of Cruise
Fifty miles West from Juneau, at the mouth of Glacier Bay, lies the Icy Straits historical point. You will have a unique opportunity to learn about the Tlingit culture and observe incredible wildlife. Icy Straits Point, which was historically used by the canning industry, is now a dock for cruise ships and one of the main routes to access the magnificent Tongass National Forest. The city of Hoonah is less than 2 km from the port. From the coast it’s very easy to observe local fauna, especially eagles in the sky and whales in the sea.

Day 10: Hubbard Glacier – Fourth Day of Cruise
The Hubbard Glacier is the only glacier in the world that does not move at a glacial pace. In fact, its pace is quite the opposite! In 1986, the Hubbard Glacier moved an average of just under 5.5 feet per hour. The ice at the foot of the Hubbard Glacier is about 400 years old: it takes that long for ice to traverse the length of the glacier. The front of the glacier routinely calves off huge icebergs, up to 10 km long. Hubbard is also the largest tidewater glacier in North America. While navigating through the Yakutat Bay, be attentive: you might witness historical geological events. Hubbard Glacier surged forward twice during the last quarter-century, blocking the outlet of Russell Fjord and creating the new ‘Russell Lake’, filled with runoff.

Day 11: Juneau and Various Excursions – Fifth Day of Cruise
Juneau, Alaska’s capital, is a fascinating city. Here, the pioneer spirit lives on in an interesting blend of urban-chic and frontier roughness. Don’t miss a visit to the Alaska State Museum along with other great natural attractions such as Juneau Glacier Bay (excursion on request) and Mendenhall Glacier, a stone’s throw from the city. Let us hop on a helicopter to Mendenhall and go for an exciting hike along the ice. The area around Juneau is abound with wildlife, such as bears, porpoises, seals, sea otters, mountain goats and Sitka black-tailed deer, which can be easily seen during the various excursions.

Day 12: Ketchikan (Misty Fjords on request) – Sixth Day of Cruise
Ketchikan is an ideal starting point for wonderful excursions by seaplane to the Misty Fjords National Monument, and about 2,200 acres of beautiful nature. This is an area that was completely covered by glaciers 17,000 years ago, creating the marvelous scene of present day. This region showcases long and narrow fjords with cliffs that can rise more than 100 metres high; mountains wrapped in mysterious fog (which the park is namedafter); and incredibly turquoise lakes and waterfalls, and endless evergreen forests. Ketchikan is the ancestral homeland of the Tlingit tribe, and one thing not to miss is the largest collection of totems in the world.

Day 13: Inside Passage – Seventh Day of Cruise

Day 14: Eighth Day of Cruise
Disembark in Vancouver for the end of your cruise and trip. Otherwise, start out for a new destination.