Alberta is stunning! Home to five national parks, including world famous Banff National Park, Alberta also hosts a stretch of the Canadian Rockies, Lake Louise, Jasper and the rugged Canadian Badlands site of some of the world’s richest deposits of prehistoric fossils and dinosaur finds.
It's a year round destination with summer opportunities for:
- Boating & Swimming
- Camping (including adventure and wellness experiences with indigineous peoples)
- Canoeing & Kayaking
- Climbing & Mountaineering
- Cycling & Mountain Biking
- Fishing
- Golfing
- Hiking
- Horseback Riding
- Scenic Flights
- Whitewater Rafting
And winter activities like:
- Cross-Country Skiing
- Dog Sledding
- Ice Climbing
- Ice Fishing
- Ice Skating
- Ice Walking
- Skiing & Snowboarding
- Snowmobiling
- Snowshoeing
For 10 days every July, Calgary hosts ‘the greatest outdoor show on earth’ when the Calgary stampede comes to town. The Stampede has been running since 1912, it’s a celebration of Canada's western and multicultural roots and it is FUN! If you only ever go to one rodeo in your life – make it this one! Rodeo aside, the Stampede has enough live music, tasty food, local beers and cultural events to appeal to anyone.
TIP – If you have been wowing at the scenery on HBO’s The Last Of US, expect to be even more wowed when you see it all for real. The show was shot exclusively in Alberta!
Vancouver sits on the edge of the Candian Rockies, on the pacific coast and is one of Time World's Greatest Places to Visit for 2023. It’s a beautiful city in all seasons.
Visit in the winter and you can enjoy stunning snow scenes and a range of winter sports, spring brings cherry blossoms and warm days, summer has opportunities to explore by bike and to ponder by the coast or one of the lakes and in autumn the scenery explodes into a riot of rich colour.
There’s lots to see and do in Vancouver, as a sampling;
- the whale watching season runs from May to October; it is possible to see orcas, humpback whales, minke whales and grey whales as well as porpoises, seals, sea lions, eagles, and a variety of seabirds.
- Visit Stanley Park, at 1000 acres this is Canda’s largest green spaces featuring lovely beaches, miles of well-maintained paved and dirt trails, and a range of restaurants and cafes.
- Visit North Shore – known as “the Holy Land for mountain bikers” it’s possible to join a guided mountain bike trail and awe at the scenery.
- Cultural events run throughout the year from the Polar Bear swim on January 1st to spectacular New Years celebrations on December 31st
Beyond Vancouver, British Columbia is known worldwide for the fantastic skiing and awesome scenery at Whistler. But don’t think of Whistler as a winter only destination, summer brings opportunities to hike, bike and horse-ride. You can go bear hunting (for photographs only, obviously), salmon fishing, zip wiring, white water rafting – pretty much anything is possible!
British Columbia produces some excellent wines; we would recommend visiting a vineyard for any wine-lovers. But why stop at one? Take a wine tour; you could opt for a self-guided or organized group tour or think outside the box and tour by helicopter, hot-air balloon, kayak, bike, or classic car.
Manitoba
Canada’s central province has a mix of landscapes, rich history and great opportunities for wildlife spotting. The Northern town of Churchill lies on the migratory path for polar bears and beluga whales with seasonal opportunities to see both. More cosmopolitan Winnipeg, the province capital, has great arts, culture and history events as well as opportunities for outdoor adventures including world-class fishing, snowmobiling and more.
Saskatchewan
They say that ‘if you can do it on snow, you can do it in Saskatchewan’ - tobogganing, snow tubing, hockey, skating, curling, dogsledding, ice fishing, sleighing, downhill skiing and winter festivals, Saskatchewan has it all! It’s a pretty active place for the rest of the year too with fantastic opportunities for horse-back riding, fishing, hunting, hiking and camping.
The state capital of Regina hosts fascinating museums, galleries, heritage and science centres.
Both provinces are great destinations for family trips, there are no direct flights from the UK so combining with a stay in Vancouver could be a great way to visit.
