Western Canada self drive holiday
Description of Western Canada self drive holiday
The beauty of a self drive holiday is that you can set your own pace, and follow your own interests, with complete independence. And this Western Canada highlights tour gives you plenty of chances to do just that, with fantastic activities and experiences to consider every day as you make your way 850km northeast from Vancouver to Banff, staying in locally run hotels as much as possible. You can really escape the busier routes when you have your own car, so that your holiday can financially benefit communities that are less-known to tourists.
Begin with a few days to explore Vancouver, one of the coolest cities in North America. Its coastal waters are teeming with marine life, and its streets are teeming with food trucks where you can sate your appetite before exploring further. You’ll collect your hire car in Vancouver and head north to legendary winter sports resort Whistler. You might take a twilight canoe tour here, and look for bears, racoons, beavers and otters on the shore.
From Whistler your journey might continue on to Wells Gray Provincial Park, where black and grizzly bears reside, and where those with the nerve might tackle a white water rafting expedition. On any Western Canada self drive holiday you’re going to enjoy mindblowing scenery, but that of Jasper is particularly spectacular. When you reach Jasper National Park, you can hike, take a scenic boat trip, or relax in the hot springs.
It’s just a few hours of driving from Jasper to Banff so take your time on the stunning Icefields Parkway. Pack a picnic in your hire car; en route to Banff there are myriad opportunities for a lakeside lunch – Lake Louise is a particularly scenic spot. Once in Banff, you can try a walk through the boreal forest with a Cree guide, learning about medicinal plants and traditional survival skills.
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Reviews
1 Reviews of Western Canada self drive holiday
Reviewed on 02 Sep 2025 by Jill Cole
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Rocky Mountaineer train, whale watching and Niagara Falls.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Don’t spend more than 2 days in Toronto.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Local people, conservation - whale watching they knew the whales and recorded their sightings
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very good, shame we were affected by the Air Canada strike.
Responsible Travel
Planet
Any activities undertaken are strictly controlled within the park or region that they take place. ie. hikes and mountain bikes stick to trails so that they don’t disturb the naturally environment that they go through. Both British Columbia and Alberta have National Parks in abundance and rules are strictly followed in Whistler and the Blackcomb Mountains, Wells Gray Provincial Park and Banff National Park.Any motorised boat trips stay away from environmentally sensitive areas, and we encourage families to enjoy kayaking and stand-up paddle where possible, which are less harmful to the environment, but allow them to enjoy the fabulous landscape without noise. Specific examples in British Columbia and Alberta include when enjoying your activities on the Thompson River and the Athabasca River.
With our self-drive trips, we always suggest routings and attraction and accommodation ideas that are off the beaten track. This means clients avoid main roads and heavy traffic – and it encourages visitation to less well-known places, away from the crowds, where the tourism dollar is more needed and appreciated. There are plenty of towns away from Jasper and Banff that we suggest to avoid some of the more popular parts of Alberta.
Wherever possible, we also actively support attractions, accommodation and service providers accommodations that have their own environmental policies in place and encourage our clients to ensure their own environmental footprint is minimised wherever possible.
British Columbia is suitable for electric vehicles, but given the distances involved, it does require additional planning so you can be confident of the charging network. On this trip we are able to offer an Electric Vehicle upgrade, on request. If this is of interest please do contact us to discuss the support we can offer.
People
We have taken time to work with our Canadian partners to ensure our clients are encouraged to use accommodation and support products that are authentic and support local businesses and communities. Our partners are Canadian based and comply with all relevant laws that protect the rights of their employees.Prior to departure, we let our clients know about local customs, specially relating to indigenous communities and their traditions.
Wherever possible, we use locally owned accommodation that supports the communities in the area and provides employment to the local population. We also try to ensure that local produce is used and we suggest restaurants that are unique and used locally sourced ingredients. There are some fabuolus examples in this itinerary, including Gone Village Eatery in Whistler, and the wonderful Other Paw Bakery in Jasper.
In order to promote the overall health of their workforce, one of our first nation accommodation providers has also established the Employee Wellness Programme, which aims to address the holistic health needs of not only their staff, but also of the communities that surround their lodge. In essence, the programme is devoted to reducing the incidence of accident and illness in the workplace, promoting healthy lifestyles, maximizing potential and promoting optimum quality of life.
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