North America: Canadian Rockies

Arrive in Calgary, where you are met and transferred to your hotel. Tonight, gather with your fellow guests for a cocktail reception and welcome dinner.

This morning after leaving Calgary, meet your Cree guide of the Kwarakwante people of Jasper for a medicine walk that will teach about how their ancestors survived on the land for millennia. Continue the drive through the Bow Valley to glacially fed Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, where you experience an A&K-exclusive hands-on lesson in wildlife and landscape photography from a professional. Try your new skills on one of the most beautiful lakes in the Canadian Rockies. Finish the day at your historic resort set on Lake Louise.

Travel through serene Yoho National Park, pausing to view the Spiral Tunnel and explore Takakkaw Falls before proceeding to Emerald Lake, vibrantly colored by glacial sediment. Meet with your expert guide, who reveals the geological and natural forces behind this scenic lake and describes the breathtaking natural surroundings and habits of the endangered grizzly bear. After lunch, weather permitting, view the Kicking Horse Natural Bridge.

Travel to the scenic Icefields Parkway for a full day of adventure. Set along the backbone of the Canadian Rockies and named after the area’s sprawling ice fields, the parkway represents one of the world’s great drives. See Crowfoot Glacier and stop at the massive Athabasca Glacier (7,000 feet) for an exciting ride across its surface on a specially designed vehicle. Also visit Sunwapta Falls, followed by a barbecue lunch in a stunning, remote setting before continuing to the town of Jasper.

Cruise along the mile-high Maligne Lake to the famous Spirit Island, a tiny islet surrounded by the towering snow- capped Rockies. You may opt to join your fellow guests for a hike with your Resident Tour Director through the Maligne Canyon, taking in its impressive 200-foot-tall limestone walls.

Today, stop for photos of Athabasca Falls and Peyto Lake as you return along the Icefields Parkway to Banff National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site established in 1885 as Canada’s first national park — stopping for a picnic lunch en route. Arrive at your extraordinary hotel, which is styled after a Scottish Baronial castle and known as the “Castle in the Rockies.”

Bordered on all sides by wilderness, Banff is a national park resort community surrounded by spectacular nature. Embark on a float trip down the majestic Bow River, before ascending to the summit of Sulphur Mountain on the Banff Gondola to take in the striking views. This evening, gather for a farewell dinner.

This morning, drive to Calgary International Airport, where your journey concludes.