From the Rockies to the Last Frontier

Renowned for its annual rodeo show, the Calgary Stampede, this city is also the gateway to the incredible Rockies. You will check in at Hotel Le Germain on your arrival night, a charming contemporary hotel in downtown which has a prime location by trendy bars and restaurants (and its own roast house where you can tuck into something hearty).

Picking up your car, you’ll be driving into the heart of the Rockies to Banff, where you’ll find one of Canada’s most instantly-recognisable landscapes: magnificent snow-capped peaks and electric-blue waters, hemmed by Douglas fir.

Be sure to visit the ethereal Hoodoo formations, sedimentary rock boulders sculpted over time by the wind and take a gondola ride to the summit of Sulphur Mountain for panoramic views of the area. You can also take a paddleboard, canoe or kayak out on the pristine waters of Banff National Park or go on a spectacular horseback tour.

Moose Hotel & Suites, where you’ll be staying, has the feel of a cosy alpine lodge and also boasts an amazing spa and two rooftop pools so you can have a dip while being surrounded by mountains.

Driving to Jasper, you will cross the scenic Icefields Parkway (one of the most beautiful drives in the world), where you will no doubt stop multiple times to snap some photos. More than 100 ancient glaciers, lakes and waterfalls are found in the area, including national treasures like Bow Lake, Lake Louise and the Crowfoot glacier, which as its name suggests, is shaped like a crow’s foot.

Explore the majestic Jasper National Park, where mountain lions, caribou and bears roam freely, and waterfalls, like the tiered Tangle Creek Falls, gush. The remote Miette Hot Springs offer a relaxing time in soothing thermal waters amid a picturesque landscape, and there are plenty of pretty trails for hiking and cycling.

The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is an ideal place to retreat to in the evenings, located within the national park itself, with easy access to Canada’s number one golf course and an award-wining spa on site.

Taking you from Jasper to Vancouver, this journey on board the Rocky Mountaineer is one of the most iconic tick-box Canadian experiences and gives you a fantastic vantage point over the Rockies. Take in the wonder of these impressive peaks from the comfort of your carriage.

As part of the Gold Leaf experience, you will have access to an exclusive viewing platform — a glass-dome carriage, which is the ideal spot to take photographs and spot bears and moose. The driver will even slow down to give you time to capture the best scenery and wildlife sightings on camera. You will stay overnight in Kamloops.

With its unique combination of mountains and coastline, Vancouver has a cityscape like no other. Renowned for being one of the most liveable cities in the world, it is rich in art, culture, history and has some super scenic nature hot spots to lose yourself into. The urban Stanley Park boasts 405 hectares of unspoilt greenery and is particularly popular with cyclists and hikers. You can also see the fascinating First Nations totem poles there.

The Rosewood Georgia will be your base in Vancouver – a sophisticated property that is the height of luxury and whose guests have included Elvis Presley among other A-listers.

Departing Vancouver, you will board the award-winning Silversea Silver Shadow cruise to Alaska. Going along the Inside Passage, you will cross quaint islands teeming with wildlife and picturesque fjords. Stopping off at colourful Ketchikan, see the island’s famous totem poles and rich fishing heritage.

You’ll also visit Alaska’s mountain-strewn capital Juneau, and Skagway, accessible via the Klondike Highway (a famous route known as the Golden Circle Tour with spectacular lake, forest and mountain scenery). Arguably the biggest highlight of the cruise is the Hubbard Glacier which spans across the coast of Yakutat, six miles wide. It is a remarkable sight and makes for dramatic photos.

The ship is super luxurious, with ample space and warm service and hospitality, along with the only Relais & Chateaux Wine Restaurant at sea.

Once on land in Seward – a beautiful city surrounded on all sides by the Kenai Fjords National Park, Chugach National Forest and the impressive Resurrection Bay – you’ll be taken by private transfer to Anchorage.

Sitting between 5,000-foot mountains and the glassy, whale-inhabited Cook Inlet, Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city. Despite its urban front, Anchorage has an abundance of nature and wildlife so it is not uncommon to come across the odd moose or bear meandering along the footpaths and bike trails.

You will spend the night at the elegant Hotel Captain Cook, named after the legendary sea captain who mapped the Alaskan coastline in the 18^th century.

You’ll return to the Rosewood Georgia in Vancouver on your last night. Enjoy the culinary delights on offer or indulge in a massage or beauty treatment at the Sense Rosewood spa before your flight the next day.