Day 1 - Arrive Vancouver
Upon arrival at Vancouver International Airport, pick-up your rental car and drive to your Vancouver hotel. The remainder of the day is at your leisure.
This evening you will enjoy dinner at Diva at the Met, located a couple of block from your hotel. Tonight you will experience a 6 course Chef's Table dining experience. The Chef will personally present each dish with a brief presentation & wine pairing for every course.
Luxury: Overnight Fairmont Waterfront Hotel - Fairmont Gold Harbourview (includes deluxe continental breakfast and afternoon hors d'oeuvres)
Day 2 - Vancouver Exploring via See Vancouver & Beyond Smartvisit's Card
Enjoy a full day exploring the beautiful city of Vancouver, Canada's largest western city. Today is your first day using your 5 day See Vancouver & Beyond Smartvisit's Card. This all-inclusive attraction pass offers free admission to over 50 attractions in Vancouver and the surrounding area. The following itinerary is a suggested itinerary, but you can choose to visit any of the attractions that are listed in the Smartvisit's Card guide.
In the morning, take a 3.5 hour Vancouver City Tour. A sightseeing tour is the perfect way to get orientated in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. On this Vancouver city tour you will discover the world famous Stanley Park, see spectacular mountain views from Prospect Point and English Bay beaches. Experience the vibrancy of Chinatown, historic Gastown and Canada Place before disembarking to visit the Vancouver Lookout! Harbour Centre Tower. Another highlight of this tour is a trip to Granville Island where visitors and locals alike shop at the Farmer's Market and the local artisans' workshops.
In the afternoon, your choices are endless. Take a Sea Safari Eco Tour aboard a high speed 30 ft ridge-hull inflatable a harbour cruise around Burrard Inlet, visit Capilano Suspension Bridge, cycle around the breathtaking seawall at Stanley Park or visit the Museum of Anthropology for a mesmerizing collection featuring the culture and art of the peoples of BC in years gone by. Your options are endless and it is up to you - visit as few or as many attractions as you like with your Smartvisit's Card.
Luxury: Overnight Fairmont Waterfront Hotel - Fairmont Gold Harbourview (includes deluxe continental breakfast and afternoon hors d'oeuvres)
Day 3 – Vancouver to Whistler
Today depart Vancouver and drive to Whistler Village, home of the alpine and nordic venues for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Travel along the famous Sea to Sky Highway. Enroute stops can be made to view the awesome Shannon Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in British Columbia. You may wish to stop in Squamish and use your Smartvisit's Card to visit the West Coast Railway Heritage Park with over 70 vintage railway cars and locomotives on display or take a guided bike tour along a winding mountain trail offers easy cycling through nearby wetlands and the river banks of an estuary. Afterwards, stop at Brandywine falls and take the walking trail that leads from the parking lot at Brandywine Falls Provincial Park to an observation platform at the top of the falls. The spectacular 70 metre waterfall is best seen from this viewpoint, which also presents some marvelous views of Daisy Lake and the surrounding mountains.
Luxury: Overnight Fairmont Whistler Hotel - Fairmont Gold (includes deluxe continental breakfast and afternoon hors d'oeuvres)
Day 4 - Bear & Wildlife Viewing Tour on Whistler/Blackcomb Mountains
Join world-renown bear expert Michael Allen on a tour to view bears doing what they do best… being bears. Experience the wildlife, vegetation, glaciers and rainforests of Whistler Blackcomb Mountains. These forests interspersed with ski trails provide diverse food and shelter for some 50 black bears. Experience the pristine views of wildlife, glacial peaks and memorable sunsets in a 4x4 vehicle as you learn how conservation and enhancement initiatives help to sustain healthy populations. Visit a bear den. Wander through pristine alpine meadows and old growth western hemlock forests. View one of the most spectacular alpine settings in the world.
From May through July, bears wander along the open ski trails grazing on clover, grass and horsetail. Later, from August through October, the feeding activities of black bears can be followed through high elevation timber-shrub forests as they feed on sugary huckleberries in preparation for hibernation. Sightings range from 3-10 in the spring and 5-12 in fall; distance to bears varies 20-100 meters (60-300 feet) depending on individual bears (it’s how you see the bear not necessarily how many bears)
Synopsis of Bear Viewing Periods:
Early Spring (May 15-Jun 15) - Bears graze along lush green ski trails; observe resident mothers with cubs and/or yearlings; start of breeding period - males move into ski area; short walk to daybeds and hair-trap sites.
Peak Grazing and Mating (Jun 16-Jul 14) - Bears continue grazing following grass and clover up-slope; best opportunity to see pairs of adults bears during courtship and mating activities; potential interactions between adult males and mothers with cubs; short walk to daybeds, dens and hair trap
Summer Transition (July 15-Aug 15) - Mating season ends in late July; bears scatter feeding activities from grazing on high elevation grass and sedge to foraging for carpenter ants (from rotten logs and tree stumps) and searching for first ripening berries; interpret daybeds, den, and berry use; brilliant fall colours for photography.
Peak Berry (Aug 16-Sep 20) - Bears concentrated in high elevation berry shrub-fields; interpret daybed, den and berry use.
Late Berry (Sept. 21-Oct 31) - Bears at high elevations searching for scattered berries while some bears reverting back to grazing grass and clover at lower elevations; interpret daybeds, dens, feeding sites and hair trap sites, pristine alpine photography.
Luxury: Overnight Fairmont Whistler Hotel - Fairmont Gold (includes deluxe continental breakfast and afternoon hors d'oeuvres)
Day 5 - Whistler to Harrison Hot Springs
Today you will discover one of Vancouver's great escapes, Harrison Hot Springs. Return to Vancouver along the Sea to Sky Highway and take Highway 1 east, enroute you may wish to stop in Langley and use your Smartvisit's Card to visit the Mountain View Conservation & Breeding Centre, Canadian Museum of Flight or the Fort Langley National Historic Site of Canada. At Rosedale, you will take Highway 9 and make a stop at Minter Gardens, one of the impressive show gardens in the world with 11 themed gardens within 32 acres. After visiting the gardens, continue a short distance further to Harrison Hot Springs. On the edge of southwestern British Columbia's largest lake, with sandy beaches, mountain scenery, and natural mineral hot springs, Harrison looks and feels a lot like a European spa town.
Luxury: Overnight Harrison Hot Springs Hotel - Deluxe Lakeview room
Day 6 - Hell's Gate AirTram
Today you may decide to use your Smartvisit's Card and visit the famous Hell's Gate, in the scenic Fraser Canyon. Discovered by intrepid explorers during the gold rush, Hell's Gate is where towering rock walls of the Fraser River plunge toward each other, forcing the waters through a passage only 110ft wide. Admiring the spectacle is considerably easier than in pioneering days. An aerial tramway takes you on a gentle descent from the highway to river level. After this breathtaking 500ft journey, observation decks and a suspension bridge allow you to get close to the torrent and observe the International Fishways. Hell's Gate is approximately a 1 hour drive from the resort. In the afternoon you can relax and soak in the hot pools at the resort.
Luxury: Overnight Harrison Hot Springs Hotel - Deluxe Lakeview room
Day 7 - Harrison Hot Springs to Vancouver Airport
Today your journey comes to an end. Depart Harrison Hot Springs and travel back to Vancouver. Travel to the Vancouver International Airport and drop off your car rental in time for your afternoon homeward or onward flight.
PACKAGE INCLUDES:
- 6 nights hotel accommodation, any mandatory service charges and room tax
- 7 day Full size rental car including unlimited mileage LDW, GST, personal accident insurance, personal effects coverage, provincial tax, PVRT, additional authorized operator fee
- 5 Day - See Vancouver & Beyond Smartvisit's Card - an all-inclusive attractions pass offering free admission to over 50 attractions in Vancouver and the surrounding regions
- 6 course dinner & wine pairing Chef's Table at Diva at the Met including gratuities
- 3 Hour Bear & Wildlife Viewing Tour (NOTE: Tour is via custom suburban 4 wheel drive buy may involve walking short distances to view bear beds/dens and bear activity)
- Personalized documentation package
PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
- Car Rental: Refueling service charge, drop fees, gas, parking, baby seats, toll highway charges, additional driver taxes, and credit card security deposit
- BC Ferries to/From Vancouver Island
- Meals
- Gratuities
- Trip Cancellation Insurance (Insurance can be purchased from your Vacation Specialist, ask for more details)