Mounties, Mountains & Moose

13 Days/12 Nights 

When you think of Canada what three icons come to mind?  The Royal Canadian Mounted Police otherwise known as Mounties, the majestic Mountains of Alberta and British Columbia, and of course the mighty Moose. Traveling from Ottawa to Prince Rupert will certainly give you the best opportunity to see these three icons as you travel across Canada on three of VIA Rail’s finest trains.

• Friday Departures

• Airport to hotel arrival transfer

• 9 Nights Hotel Accommodations

  • 2 Nights Ottawa *

  • 2 Nights Fairmont Royal York

  • 2 Nights Jasper *

  • 1 Night Coast Inn of the North - Prince George

  • 2 Nights Crest Hotel

• Station Transfers in Jasper

• Sightseeing in Ottawa

• Niagara Falls at night tour with dinner buffet and Maid of the Mist cruise

• Discover Jasper

• Kaien Island Circle Tour

• VIA Rail’s VIA 1 First Class Service with meal and beverage service Ottawa to Toronto

• 3 overnights aboard VIA Rail – Silver and Blue Class in a private bedroom from Toronto to Jasper, access to the domed-viewing cars, lounges, and all meals while aboard the train

• Discover Jasper tour 

• Two days of scenic rail travel from Jasper to Prince Rupert aboard VIA Rail’s Totem Deluxe Class providing spacious first class seating in a wraparound panoramic domed viewing car – delicious meals served at your seat by your attentive VIA Rail service staff

• Air transportation from Prince Rupert to Vancouver

• Maps and destination information

• Hotel, taxes & GST as applicable
  * (please see our price charts for your hotel plan choices)

 

13 Days & 12 Nights

Day 1 – Arrive Ottawa

Welcome to Ottawa, Canada’s Capitol. Canada’s capitol is a jewel. The soft green of the weathered, copper roofs and the weathered stone of Parliament Hill, give Ottawa an elegance enjoyed by few cities. Your hotel choice of either the beautiful Fairmont Chateau Laurier or the historic Lord Elgin, puts you right in the heart of everything: Parliament, twelve National Museums, Galleries, Public Statues, Libraries, the Rideau Canal, outdoor markets including the ByWard Market, as well as an array of restaurants all for your choosing.
Overnight – Ottawa

Day 2 – Ottawa

Today your hop on/off tour of Ottawa offers stops at historical landmarks, scenic waterways and beautiful parks. Parliament Hill, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Rideau Falls, Royal Canadian Mint and the National Gallery of Canada are just a few of the fascinating sites you will view while on your tour. During the summer, free tours of Parliament are offered daily. The changing of the Guard takes place at 10am – June thru August. The Sound and Light Show on Parliament Hill occurs from July 5 to September 13, and should not be missed. With the winds as hosts and storytellers, the Spirit of Canada is revealed in captivating music, shimmering lights and stunning giant projections on the Parliament Buildings. It is woven with a rich tapestry of words, music and sounds to tell the story of Canada. The free 30 minute shows in July are at 9:30pm and 10:30pm, and in August at 9:00pm and 10:00pm.
Overnight – Ottawa

Day 3 – Ottawa to Toronto

An afternoon train from Ottawa to Toronto awaits you today. Board VIA Rail in Business Class and sit back, relax, and enjoy the four and a half hour ride through the Ontario countryside with a delicious lunch included. Upon arrival into Toronto the Fairmont Royal York is conveniently located across the street from the station. Toronto as you will quickly come to realize; is a city where people live and play, as well as work. Lake frontage, friendly people, wonderful food and great shopping are a few of the reasons people return again and again.
Overnight – Fairmont Royal York

Day 4 – Toronto – Niagara falls by night including Maid of the Mist and buffet dinner.

Your morning is at leisure to shop or sightsee in Toronto. Don’t miss taking a walk across the glass floor at the CN Tower, the world’s tallest freestanding structure. See the Hockey Hall of Fame, and visit the Sky Dome or tour Casa Loma, Toronto’s majestic castle. The plans that we have made for your visit to Niagara Falls are just the best! This afternoon, board a first class motor coach for a drive through the orchard-laden countryside of the Niagara Peninsula. The lush green, rolling hills take you through historic Niagara-on-the-Lake, a picturesque community that prides itself on stylish Victorian Houses and picture-perfect lawns. No matter how many times you visit Niagara Falls, one’s sense of awe never fades. Thus; we wanted you to see the falls in daylight, up close, and somewhat wet on the “Maid of the Mist”. Then see the falls from the lofty heights of a penthouse dining room and at night, in dramatic color, as you watch the multicolored illumination show. Your tour includes a ride aboard the “Maid of the Mist” to the base of Horseshoe Falls. This is the perfect way to experience the power of the falls. Enjoy a buffet dinner with breathtaking views from the penthouse dining room. Time allows you to visit the flower-filled grounds while waiting for the illumination show to get started. On Fridays starting in mid-May, you will have the added bonus of a free fireworks display over the falls. Your coach will return to the Fairmont Royal York about 11PM.
Overnight – Fairmont Royal York

Day 5 – VIA Rail Toronto to Jasper

With VIA Rail's schedule, you have all day to enjoy this cosmopolitan city. Then it will be evening and time to check-in for your rail adventure.

Nothing shows you Canada like a trip on the train. Your bedroom is VIA Rail’s “top of the line” accommodation. Your sitting room by day, converts to upper and lower berths at night. Once aboard the train, the staff will see you settled into your room. As a Sleeper Touring Class passenger, your fare includes all meals, use of any of the lounges and access to the domed skyline car for spectacular viewing.

Your journey will take you out of Toronto and up through the “Canadian Shield”. This region of billion-year-old rock lies between the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay. Here, ancient glaciers scoured the bottoms of thousands of lakes, and filled them with remarkably clear water. On their rocky shores, outcroppings of granite, pink, grey, and black form rounded boulders that breathtakingly tower over the tracks. As you pass through this area of forests, lakes, and streams it is not unusual to see bear and moose. "Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer" and then it’s off to bed.
Overnight – VIA Rail

Days 6 & 7 – VIA Rail continue to Jasper

This morning, you arrive into Winnipeg where the Red, Assiniboine and Seine Rivers converge. You have time to get off the train, stretch your legs and get some fresh air here. There is a mall across the parking lot from the station with many shops and cafes. All Aboard!!! Departing Winnipeg, the train passes through the “Prairies” of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, known as the bread-basket of Canada. Sixty percent of the country’s wheat is produced here and is home to some of the largest grain farms in the world. Enjoy a delicious dinner and then it’s off to sleep.
Overnight – VIA Rail Sleeper Car

Day 8 - Arrive Jasper

Crossing the border into Alberta, wheat fields give way to oil wells. Edmonton has been a “Canadian Boomtown” from the fur trading days, to the Yukon Gold Rush, to the discovery of oil and is home to the famous West Edmonton Mall. After a brief stop in Edmonton, be sure to get a seat in the dome car. Soon you will be in a “sea of mountains” and heading into Jasper National Park, “the Gem of the Rockies”. You are scheduled to arrive into Jasper in the early afternoon. The long summer days will give you time to explore Jasper and enjoy the mountain scenery. We will provide a transfer from the station to the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge - wilderness luxury at its finest, or the conveniently-located and appealing Sawridge Inn.
Overnight – Jasper

Day 9 – Jasper - Discover Jasper Tour

Jasper, fascinating in beauty and history, is set amid some of the most rugged peaks in the Rockies. This four hour excursion encompasses many of the area's outstanding features. You will see Medicine Lake, as well as Maligne Canyon. The canyon’s narrow gorge and limestone walls fall 50 meters to the floor below. From June through September, we highly recommend that you add the Maligne Lake Cruise.
Overnight – Jasper

Day 10 – VIA Rail Jasper to Prince George (Lunch & Dinner on the Train)

Your morning is at leisure to enjoy and explore Jasper. Transportation from your hotel to the station is provided. The wilderness beauty of Jasper is but a picture of what is in store for you today, as you travel from Jasper to Prince George. The Skeena River valley route travels through country little changed by man. Your route takes you past Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, down the western slope of the range with its giant cedars and hemlocks, and across British Columbia’s interior plateau en route to the Skeena River valley. The Skeena arrives into Prince George at 7PM; the Coast Hotel is a short taxi ride from the station.
Overnight – Coast Inn of the North Hotel

Day 11 – Prince George to Prince Rupert (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on the Train)

An early morning is in order. The Skeena departs at 7:45AM. The rail station is a short taxi ride from your hotel. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served aboard the train, so settle back to enjoy another day of dramatically beautiful scenery. Highlights of your routing include Fraser Lake, the meeting of the Telkwa and Bulkley Rivers and Kathlyn Glacier and Twin Falls, one of the best views of a glacier from a passenger train in Canada. Then, to the river for which the train was named, the mighty Skeena River, taking you past snow-covered mountain peaks, graveled flood plains, and lush river beds to the Pacific Ocean tidal zone, where the river widens on its way to the ocean. Scheduled arrival into Prince Rupert is 8pm. When you arrive, take a taxi to your hotel.
Overnight – Crest Hotel

Day 12 – Prince Rupert

Today you are booked on a wildlife tour. The tour varies depending on the time of year, so it will either be whale watching or a bear watching tour. The city is small, so getting around is easy. The Crest Hotel is just delightful, built right at the water’s edge. It offers an array of ocean views. Cow Bay is a “must see” with great bovine decorating ideas at every turn. Fish lovers will find that the Halibut is so fresh and delicious you will want it for every meal. Try the fish and chips at the Peg Leg Café for lunch
Overnight – Crest Hotel

Day 13 – Prince Rupert/Home

We have made arrangements for your flight from Prince Rupert to Vancouver. The city air terminal is just a short taxi ride from your hotel. Here you will check-in for your flight and purchase your ticket for your transfer from the terminal to the airport.

 

 

Dates & Rates - 13 days & 12 nights

• Package starts on a Friday
• A senior discount is available if you are 60+
• Rates are in US Dollars, per person, double occupancy
• Airfare from most US cities is available, please ask our staff for assistance

Dates & Rates

Season	Land Only
May 7 - 21, 2010	$4,169
May 28 - June 25, 2010	$5,059
July 2 - August 20, 2010	$5,199
August 27 - September 3, 2010	$5,259
September 10 - 17, 2010	$5,329
September 24, October 1 - 8, 2010	$4,549
October 15, 2010	$4,489
October 22 - 29, 2010	$3,619

A baggage & housekeeping charge of $25 per person must be added to the rates shown above.