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It’s All About The Trains 11Days/10Nights Select Wednesday & Friday Departures
This package is “All about the Trains”. You would be hard pressed to find a more exciting combination of top caliber rail travel. Start with the excitement of a sleeper train as you board VIA Rail’s Canadian in Silver and Blue Class bound for Jasper in the Canadian Rockies. Enjoy the comforts of your private bedroom, meal service in the dining room and access to the domed viewing cars. From Jasper, you will travel aboard the Rocky Mountaineer in their first season of operations on their “Fraser Discovery Route.” Few train trips offer such dramatic scenery. These two days of daylight rail travel will take you on a 634 mile odyssey that will astound you with the diverse beauty of Canada’s West. And just when you think scenery couldn’t get any better, you board the New “Whistler Mountaineer” from Whistler to Vancouver from mountain peaks to shimmering ocean views on their Sky to Sea route. Along the way, you will stay in wonderful hotels and resorts.
Cartan’s Tour Highlights
* (See price charts for your selection of hotels and rail accommodations)
Welcome to Toronto, “A World Within A City”. Your package provides a voucher for the airport shuttle bus. The bus will take you to your hotel. Our choice of the Fairmont Royal York puts you in the heart of Toronto. While in Toronto, don’t miss taking a walk across the glass floor at the CN Tower, the worlds tallest freestanding structure, see the Hockey Hall of Fame, and visit the SkyDome or tour Casa Loma, Toronto’s majestic castle. Lake Frontage, friendly people, wonderful food and great shopping are a few of the reasons people return again and again. Overnight – Toronto
Day 2 & 3 - VIA RAIL Your train is scheduled to depart at 9AM.The Fairmont Royal York is just across the street from the hotel. Nothing shows you Canada like a trip on the train. Once aboard the train, the staff will see you settled into your room. Your sitting room by day converts to upper and lower berths at night. As a Silver and Blue Class passenger, your fare includes all meals, use of any of the lounges and access to the domed skyline car for spectacular viewing. The VIA Rail staff will brief you on the dining schedule. Seating in the domed skyline cars is on a first come first serve basis. Hot tea and coffee is available in the lounge area throughout the day and evening. Overnights – VIA Rail
Day 4 – ARRIVE JASPER You will arrive into Jasper mid to late afternoon. The long summer days will give you time to explore Jasper and enjoy the mountain scenery. The staff of the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge will provide a transfer from the station to your hotel. The Lodge has one of the finest golf courses in Canada. When the Lodge installed a sprinkler system, the local elk population thought it was done on their behalf. Bring your camera, as munching elk are not unusual. In addition to great golfing, you can bike, swim, hike, or go horse back riding. Consider a visit to Mt. Edith Cavell, secluded Maligne Lake or rafting on the Athabasca River. Overnight – Jasper
Day 5 - JASPER DISCOVER JASPER TOUR Jasper, fascinating in beauty and history, is set amid some of the most rugged peaks in the Rockies. This 4-hour excursion encompasses the area's outstanding features, Medicine Lake as well as Maligne Canyon with its narrow gorge and limestone walls falling 50 metres to the floor below. From June 1-September 30 we highly recommend you add the Maligne Lake Cruise. Overnight – Jasper
Day 6 – JASPER – COLUMBIA ICE FIELDS This return excursion includes stops at Athabasca Falls and Columbia Icefield. Time will be allowed at the Columbia Icefield to take an Ice Explorer Ride (Snocoach) onto the Glacier and lunch (not included). Please note that you will be at the Icefield Centre for at least 4 hours. The Ice Explorer Ride (Snocoach) is about 1.5 hours the interpretive center has a restaurant, cafeteria, gift shop, and a Parks Canada Glacier Gallery. Short hikes are also available there. You will depart the Columbia Icefield Centre for your return to Jasper at 2:45 pm. Overnight – Jasper
Day 7 – JASPER TO QUENSEL The new Rocky Mountaineer Fraser Discovery Route is a two-day breathtaking journey through the diverse beauty of Canada’s West. Your journey departs at 7:00am and you begin traveling through Yellowhead pass continuing to Mt. Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. Entering the Rocky Mountain Trench you are surrounded by the steeply rising Rocky Mountains to the north and the Cariboo Mountains to the south. Travel through the forests of British Columbia into Prince George and then follow the Fraser River into Quensel, known for its gold mining. Scheduled arrival time is 4:30pm and you be taken to your hotel from the station. Overnight - Quensel
Day 8 – QUENSEL TO WHISTLER All Aboard at 7:00am for day two of your journey! Following the Fraser River out of town highlights included are the Deep Creek Bridge one of the highest railway bridges in the world, sweeping views of Fraser Canyon, glacial fed Seton Lake, and the shorelines of Anderson Lake. You will pass through the rolling hills and vast ranchlands of the Cariboo Plateau, the desert-like conditions of Fraser Canyon, and the lush farmland of the Pemberton Valley before your scheduled arrival into Whistler at 6:30pm. Overnight – Whistler
Day 9 - Whistler to Vancouver Your morning is free take in the quaint village and the beauty of the area before departing Whistler. The Whistler Mountaineer deaparts at 2:30pm for the scenic train trip to North Vancouver. Cross over the pinnacle of Brandywine Falls before descending a steep grade through the Cheakamus Canyon, where the river below tumbles through a craggy gorge. Pass through the town of Squamish, BC, home to the West Coast Rail Association and the Royal Hudson steam train, and look out for the spectacular dome peak of Mount Garibaldi, rising 2,678 meters (8787 feet). Continuing south, pass the impressive cascade of Shannon Falls, as the train hugs the eastern shores of Howe Sound with the British Columbia Coast Mountains rising steeply to the left and stunning views of ocean and mountain to the right. As you approach the end of your rail tour enjoy views of downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park from the scenic waterfront of West Vancouver's exclusive residential area, before passing under the Lions Gate Bridge and arriving at North Vancouver Rail Station. Overnight –Vancouver
Day 10 - VANCOUVER Your “Hop on Hop Off” sightseeing tour includes 21 stops around Vancouver. The Double Decker Attractions Loop Tour conveniently allows you to spend as much time as you like at all of Vancouver's most popular attractions - or ride the entire 2-hour loop for a quick introduction of the city. Each Double Decker ticket allows you to board our authentic British double-decker coach for fun and easy transport between attractions. Pick up or drop off at 21 attractions and sites, including Robson Street, Stanley Park, Canada Place, Granville Island, Yaletown, Chinatown and Gastown. Overnight –Vancouver
Day 11 – VANCOUVER HOME Airport transfers have been arranged from your hotel. (If you need an extra night due to your flight schedule, we will be pleased to assist with the arrangements.) If you would like more information on any of our tours, please go to our "Request Form". Site Map For Tour Package Information Contact SNOWBIRD TRAVEL AGENCY Snowbird Travel Agency@Copyright 1998-2008. All rights
reserved.
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