Best of the West

Topping the list of the world’s best cities to live in, Vancouver is a cosmopolitan metropolis where you’ll find skyscrapers, mountains and the sea all in one unique setting. You’ll get to experience Canada from an aerial perspective not once or twice but three times.

On board the exciting Skyride, you’ll ascend the Grouse Mountain and learn about the local wildlife at the Theatre in the Sky. The FlyOver Canada experience takes you on a virtual journey from east to west as you are dangled 20 metres above a spherical screen – a unique way to see all of the iconic sights the country has to offer. Another high-altitude adventure which is also included is access to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park where you can cross one of Vancouver’s most famous bridges, built 70 metres above the river.

The exceptional Rosewood Hotel Georgia, that has counted Elvis Presley and Marlene Dietrich among its fans, will be your home during your stay. Get ready for the ultimate luxury break at a grand hotel where you might spot an A lister or royal if you’re lucky.

Picking up your car, you’ll be driving north to the alpine town of Whistler, located at the heart of the impressive Coast Mountains. With its own Olympic Park, it is a ski resort in winter and an ideal base for golf, mountain biking and hiking in summer when it is covered in lush greenery.

It is also the perfect base for high-adrenaline activities; you’ll be flying across a zip line over the verdant landscape, with a choice of five different zip lines and no experience necessary. Whistler is also a wildlife haven and you’ll have the chance to get up close and personal with its black bear population on a 4x4 expedition.

The Four Seasons Whistler, which will be your home for the next few days, has everything you need to soothe tired muscles after a long day including whirlpools, heated outdoor pools and glacial rain showers.

Driving to 70 Mile House, you will enter a place of untamed natural beauty. Once a roadhouse stop for gold seekers on the Cariboo Gold Rush Trail, this beautiful region is now an idyllic spot to reconnect with nature. Where better to do this than at the heart of British Columbia’s cowboy country, where the Siwash Lake Guest Ranch sits within 80,000 acres of unspoilt wilderness?

This family-run dude ranch is renowned for its outdoor adventures, remote luxury lodges dotted around swathes of greenery and rustic pasture-to-plate cuisine made from organic ranch-grown ingredients.

Tailored to your interests and experience level – which is especially great for children – the vast selection of included activities include horse riding, wildlife safaris (with the chance to spot black bears), guided eco-adventures and mountain biking. Try your hand at skeet shooting and learn some survival skills, or cruise leisurely down the river in a canoe or paddleboard.

Driving back to Vancouver, you will be staying overnight at the Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver, found on the city’s famous harbour. Take in the stunning coastline while soaking in the outdoor heated pool before your onward flight to Port Hardy the next morning.

Arriving in Port Hardy, you will be whisked off by a scenic floatplane transfer to the secluded Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort situated in the middle of the famous Great Bear Rainforest. One of National Geographic’s ‘Unique Lodges of the World’, the resort has exquisite wooden chalets on the water’s edge with some incredible wildlife on the doorstep, including grizzly bears, humpback whales and a host of aviary species like eagles and warblers. This sublime setting was where the BBC’s ‘Secrets of Our Living Planet’ documentary was filmed.

A ‘Wilderness and Wildlife’ package is included in this itinerary, combining all the best experiences that this special lodge has to offer. You’re in for a treat, with thrilling activities like boat tours, waterfall tours, snorkelling and of course, bear watching all included. Calmer activities like yoga classes, museum visits, beach combing and forest walks are added too for a perfect balance of relaxing and exploring. Also thrown in is gourmet cuisine, plus use of waterfall hot tubs, gym and on-site games room.

You will return to the Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver for your final night, where you can take in the unique mountain-strewn cityscape one last time while enjoying some scrumptious seafood chowder at the waterfront ARC restaurant, accompanied by live music.