Rockies, Rail and an Alaskan Cruise

This two-week escorted holiday with Travelsphere opens in Calgary where a visit to the city’s observation deck offers a first glance of the Rockies on the horizon. After a night nearby, the route leads to Banff National Park with its forest trails and chance encounters with bears and eagles, followed by a quiet walk to the waterfalls at Johnston Canyon and the jade-hued waters of Lake Louise.

Then comes two days aboard the Rocky Mountaineer train, travelling from Banff to Kamloops and finally Vancouver through mountain passes and alongside the Thompson and Fraser rivers. The ride includes tasting local flavours served at your seat, all framed by oversized windows.

After a free day to soak up Vancouver’s mix of forest, sea and city, travellers join a seven-night cruise along Alaska’s Inside Passage. Stops include Juneau, surrounded by wilderness and without road connections; Skagway, a preserved frontier town from the gold rush; and Glacier Bay with its towering glaciers and possible calving spectacles. Ketchikan offers totem poles and a salmon industry scene. The passage unfolds through fjords and forested islands, leaving plenty of chance to spot wildlife from deck.