Western Canada Explorer

Departure Date: August 14, 2020

Tour Highlights

• 15 Meals (8 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 4 dinners)
• Round trip airport transfers
• Spend 3 nights in cosmopolitan Vancouver
• Take a panoramic tour of Vancouver to see its downtown core, spectacular North Shore and beautiful Stanley Park and visit Capilano Suspension Bridge
• Travel the scenic “Sea to Sky Highway” to and enjoy the PEAK 2 PEAK experience, a 1.88-mile long gondola ride between Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains
• Travel by BC Ferry to Vancouver Island and visit world-famous Butchart Gardens
• Included city tour of Victoria with its delightful English flavor, red double-decker buses and Tudor-style buildings
• Visit Victorian-era Craigdarroch Castle and take the walking Victoria Food Tour, a delicious culinary experience
• Enjoy a First Nations Cultural Experience at the I-Hos Gallery featuring a weaving workshop and included lunch with traditional Bannock bread
• Spend 2 nights at the illustrious Painter’s Lodge, located on the banks of the Discovery Passage
• Included exciting Grizzly Bear Tour featuring specially-designed viewing platforms and a delicious lunch
• Travel by BC Ferry to Vancouver for a farewell dinner
• $45 in Mayflower Money

Day 1 – Arrive in Beautiful British Columbia: Welcome to Canada’s rugged Northwest in Vancouver and transfer to your hotel. Meet your Tour Manager in the hotel lobby at 6:00 p.m. for a welcome dinner. Meal: D

Day 2 – Vancouver Sightseeing and Capilano Suspension Bridge: Vancouver, the home of Canada’s Golden Triangle with its dramatic location between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean is sure to inspire you. Enjoy an included sightseeing tour to see Vancouver’s downtown core, the spectacular North Shore and beautiful Stanley Park. In the afternoon, head to North Vancouver and visit the impressive Capilano Suspension Bridge. Originally built in 1889 the bridge stretches 450 feet across and 230 feet above the Capilano River. Cross the bridge for spectacular views of the rainforest and learn the history of the region in the Story Center. Meal: B

Day 3 – Whistler’s PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola Experience: Travel the fabulous “Sea to Sky Highway” today to beautiful Whistler. At the base of Blackcomb Mountain climb aboard the first of three gondolas for a ride to Rendezvous Lodge high atop Blackcomb. The views are spectacular on the PEAK 2 PEAK gondola, a 1.88-mile long ride across the mountain valley to Whistler Mountain. At Roundhouse Lodge, have a bite to eat and explore the mountain. Your final gondola takes you down to Whistler Village where quaint shops and stores await. Time for shopping before going back to Vancouver. Meals: B, D

Day 4 – BC Ferry to Victoria and Butchart Gardens: This morning, board the BC Ferry Service for the journey across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver Island. Here, discover why Butchart Gardens are world-famous for ornate landscaping and superb Italian, Japanese, and rose gardens. On a sightseeing tour, picturesque Victoria maintains a delightful English flavor, spiced with red double-decker buses, Tudor-style buildings and immaculate gardens. A guided tour features such sights as the Parliament Buildings, the British Columbia Provincial Museum, Beacon Hill Park and Christ Church Cathedral. Meals: B, D

Day 5 – Craigdarroch Castle and Victoria Food Tour: Begin the day at the Victorian-era Scottish Baronial mansion, Craigdarroch Castle. Built by coal baron Robert Dunsmuir this National Historic Site has been meticulously restored and gives a glimpse of the privileged life in the 1890s. Then, meet a Victoria Food Tour guide for a delicious culinary experience. This leisurely walking tour takes you to some of Victoria’s finest restaurants, local favorites and hidden culinary delights where chefs and cooks await with delectable morsels and culinary secrets. Meals: B, L

Day 6 –  First Nations Cultural Experience: Make your way up the east coast of Vancouver Island to Courtenay for a visit to the I-Hos Gallery and a First Nations cultural experience. In a traditional long house your First Nations host teaches the ins and outs of native weaving in a hands-on classroom. Everyone will come away with an item they have made. Next, have lunch of a Bannock taco featuring traditional Bannock bread. Later, continue to Vancouver Island’s gateway to nature and adventure, Campbell River. Your hotel, the illustrious Painter’s Lodge is located on the banks of Discovery Passage. Meals: B, L

Day 7 –  Grizzly Bear Watching Tours: Enjoy an included exciting Grizzly Bear Tour. Your comfortable, high-speed, covered vessel takes you to the Orford River Valley where specially-designed viewing platforms offer some of the best Grizzly Bear viewing on the west coast. Both trips include a delicious lunch. Meals: B, L

Day 8 –  Ride the BC Ferry to Vancouver: Travel south to the coastal town of Nanaimo. Here, board the BC Ferry Service again for the return journey across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver. Tonight, your Tour Manager hosts a farewell dinner where you gather to share memories of your Canadian adventure. Meals: B, D

Day 9 –  Return Home: Following breakfast, depart Canada from Vancouver Airport with flights out anytime today. Meal: B

Hotel Accommodations
Days One through Three and Eight – Pacific Gateway Hotel, Vancouver, British Columbia
Days Four and Five – Best Western Carlton Plaza, Victoria, British Columbia
Days Six and Seven – Painter’s Lodge, Campbell River, British Columbia

Departure Date: August 14, 2020

Pricing includes round trip airfare from Dallas-Fort Worth.

Air itineraries may not be available until documents are received. Air seats are assigned by the airline for the entire group. Seat changes can only be attempted upon receipt of tickets and documents at which time availability may be limited. If specific seat assignments are vital to your reservation, we recommend individual air reservations rather than booking air with the group.

Travelers Protection Plan (TPP) – $200 per person (optional))
This nonrefundable fee waives all cancellation fees when we are notified of cancellation one day before the tour departs. If you must leave the tour early due to personal illness, illness or death of a member of your immediate family, TPP guarantees full refund for any unused services after the departure of the tour. Other benefits include medical expenses for illness and injury, emergency transportation, 24 hour hot line, and lost or stolen baggage assistance. Return air transportation is included ONLY if your air tickets were provided by Mayflower Cruises & Tours. If you purchase the optional Travelers Protection Plan (TPP), you will be refunded all payments, including deposit amount, less the TPP premium amount.

Without Travelers Protection Plan (TPP)
• 61 days and more – deposit amount
• 60 – 31 days – 20% of the tour cost
• 30 – 15 days – 30% of the tour cost
• 14 – 1 day prior – 40% of the tour cost
• Day of departure or early departure
from tour – 100% of the tour cost
No refund on unused portion

Exclusions: Mayflower Cruises & Tours reserves the right to alter its refund and cancellation policy when a substantial amount of cancellation or postponement of travel is attributable to: conditions resulting from an act of God, natural or man-made disaster, fire, government action, civil disorder, war, hostilities between nations, or unavailability of transportation through no fault of Mayflower Cruises & Tours.