West Coast Canada Tour Companies

The overall tour covered all the key spots of interest. The hotels provided were all good, the driver did a super job however disappointed with the guide,

Main reason for booking this tour - lots of stunning natural scenery in locations that aren't easily accessible by public transport. There's wall-to-wall picture postcard scenes. Areas for improvement: * The itinerary says "Free time to explore the quaint town of Revelstoke" which is misleading. The (unadvertised) scheduled arrival time in Revelstoke is 8pm. For the October departure this meant that the stop at the location of the Last Spike was after sunset, which made it difficult to see anything. It also means many of the restaurants in Revelstoke close just one hour after being dropped off at the hotel. * Itinerary mentioned 'option to go canoeing' but the guide didn't mention it on day 2. After walking down from the hike the guide recommended I noticed there was a canoe rental place, I don't know if that was supposed to be the option available? * The advertised included lunch on day 4 was switched for an included dinner in Banff on day 2. This meant for day 4 the lunch stop was at a shopping centre. There's plenty of eating options in Banff and we arrived in Banff earlier than in Revelstoke or Valemont, so it didn't seem the best night to arrange an included meal for us. * The stop in Jasper for dinner on day 3 was omitted due to the wild fire damage a few months back. Discover Canada still used the Comfort Inn in Valemount as the final night hotel. It's on a busy road on the edge of the town, so doesn't have many eating options nearby and the road layout doesn't make it particularly safe for walking into town in the dark. Given the brochure price was £632 and the single supplement averaged £82/night I would have expected Discover Canada to have gone to the effort of arranging an alternative option, rather than just missing out Jasper and leaving everything else the same. It's not like it's priced as a budget tour.

Marvelous landscapes. Guide was a happy funny girl. But too much driving for one week.. This trip must be a 12 days trip.

Chuck was great, encouraging and super organized. Gave our choices and made sure all could do what they preferred.

Good choice of hotels, exellent tour guide and driver.

Nice. Cheap. But too much riding of bus. Hope you go with your friend or anyone, someone else. Well, our guide Madalena was fantastic.

Great tour - saw some amazing scenery (all those lakes, waterfalls, forest hikes, etc - each of them different and each worth doing), covered a lot of stops. Jeremy (the guide) was great - everything was organized well, communication was clear and the recommendations good. Had a good group of fellow tourists, as well. A nice, relaxing week, on the whole.

Fun time seeing the amazing views! Unforgettable experience!

Very good and well planned tour. Dan our tour leader was excellent. We had a blast and saw so much in the 4 days. Loved it. Life long memories.and lots of laughs.

This was an excellent way to tour the four national parks. The guides were knowledgeable and were remarkably fluent in at least three languages. A well organized business but some internal communications had glitches. The accommodations provided were better than expected. We bought the lunches which were adequate except the Lake Louise luncheon which was the best. We found the value for money spent was very good. All park entry fees were included, many daily sightseeing spots and good transportation included. Bowen was our favourite guide. He had a greater understanding of the country and more local knowledge. We were a visible minority on our tour but we were able to say that we are proudly Canadian!

Was a very good tour great Tour guide & First class Driver The only down for the tour was being let down by Costsaver by being put in sub below Hotel for 2 nights in Canmore when we all thought we would have been in Banff They obviously did not inspect rooms no heating working dusty smelly rooms toilets not flushing dirty sheets even with blood on them an absolute disgrace for the money we paid for this trip Was so disappointing as rest off accomodation was above our expectations

The tour was well organized and everything ran smoothly from beginning to end. The driver and tour director (Charlotte) were wonderful and went above expectations to keep everyone happy. Being in the Rockies was an amazing experience. Value for money. I highly recommend.

Our tour director, Cheryl, and our driver, Roy, were both excellent! We didn't appreciate the short notice about the changes in our itinerary. We understand why the changes were made, but for whatever reason, we weren't notified in a timely manner.

The overall organization was excellent and seamless as was the guide. Our original itinerary was side blinded because of the shutdown of Jasper, so our hotel accommodations for two nights ended up being at a casino somewhere in the plains of Alberta- pretty far from any city center. There were endeavors so keep us entertained although the location for those two nights was less than ideal although the accommodations were bright and clean. The journey on the Royal Mountaineer was elegant, but each day ended up being 14 hours which was way too long. The description said 9-10 hours and I didn't realize that meant each day, and that those days ended up being longer. The service was excellent as was the scenery, just way too long on the train.

Despite some very wet weather it was a thoroughly enjoyable holiday.

Overall: Overall, the Canadian Rockies are spectacular. All of the people in our group were fun to be with, and we made some great friends. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, patient, and flexible given the physical abilities (or inabilities) of the members of the group and tried to tailor the tour to accommodate as many people in the activities as possible. My issue was with Intrepid's misrepresentation of the physical activity level rating, the inaccurate pricing of optional activities, the required travel insurance policy, the sub-par lodging, and the labeling of the trip as a Northern Lights trip when there were only 2 nights out of 10 listed in the itinerary that gave us an opportunity to see them. Lodging: The hotels were sub-par. The Metterra in Edmonton didn’t have a functioning hair dryer and the TV didn’t work (during the SuperBowl) The Holiday Inn Express in Slave Lake didn't have a functioning fireplace in the lobby, where we gathered to eat dinner. It was cold as it was adjacent to the front doors the were constantly opening and closing. The TV in the breakfast room and where we met to eat take out dinner was on a political station and the volume was loud. The person working at the front desk stated that the remote control had been stolen, so we couldn't turn it off or adjust the volume. The Lake Louise Inn had disgusting carpeting that we didn’t even want to walk on with bare feet. The Rundlestone Lodge in Banff did not have any food or drink options in the hotel and we had to walk to another hotel to get our included breakfast. The breakfast at that hotel was also sub-par. The eggs were powdered eggs. The bread, bagels, and pastries were all stale and hard. Everyone had a room where the window looked DIRECTLY into the pool area. It was noisy with kids screaming at the pool. One of the members of our group had to pay to upgrade her room, so she wouldn't have to hear the noise from the pool area until 10:30 PM. Intrepid Activity Level rating: Intrepid listed this physical activity level rating as a 2/5, which is one step above sunbathing. It said that the activities were easy and no prior physical fitness was necessary to do most of the activities. First, many of the activities were done at higher altitudes than most were accustomed to, which makes any activity more challenging. Second, walking on ice, hiking on steep mountain trails, and snowshoeing in deep snow require a much higher level of fitness than casual walking. Itinerary: The itinerary was labeled a Canadian Rockies and Northern Lights tour. There were only 2 nights listed on the itinerary (in Slave Lake) that there was even an opportunity to go out to see them. The northern lights and weather conditions are unpredictable, so it should not be listed as a “northern lights tour” unless there would be an opportunity to see them every night. The tour guide had drive time restrictions and couldn’t take us out every night to remote areas to get the chance to see the northern lights. On an Iceland tour, we had our lodging (with restaurant and bar) in remote areas with minimal light pollution, so I could set my alarm a few times throughout the night to go outside to see if the lights were visible. The quality of northern lights can change on an hourly basis and it is not reasonable to expect to stay outside in a remote area without light pollution all night to see them. All the hotels we stayed at had significant light pollution preventing us from going outside the hotel to check the quality of the northern lights. Don’t label it a northern lights tour. It was a Canadian Rockies tour. Slave Lake activities: The ice fishing listed as a possible alternate activity was never discussed. No one said the lakes were safe or not safe for fishing. It was not discussed as an option at all. Snowshoeing was also listed as an activity at this location, but was not given as an option. Jasper activities: Walking on ice in the Maligne Canyon was challenging and risky for people who aren’t physically fit. There were a few people that had to skip the grotto for fear of injuring themselves by going further. Similarly, on the drive along the Icefields Parkway, none of us were able to hike all the way to the toe of Athabasca Glacier due to the level of fitness required. Lake Louise activites: Difficulties with the level of fitness required also impacted the hike at Johnston Canyon. Some people struggled but managed to make it to the lower bridge, but many could not go further due to the fitness level needed to hike up the steep trails. Snowshoeing was offered as an option and one group member had to insist to go snowshoeing here, since the terrain was flat. Otherwise, it was also not included as an option. Banff activities: This was the snowshoe hike at Sunshine Mountain. Despite it being listed as an option twice before on the itinerary, this was the first day we went as a group. It was challenging to say the least. Half of the group were not able to participate due to the level of fitness required that was misrepresented in the tour description rating. The next day the grotto ice walk was listed, but not offered and instead we went on a hike. Optional Activities: There was a SIGNIFICANT discrepancy of the prices listed for the optional activities on the tour description and the actual prices. It seems the prices listed by Intrepid were pre-COVID prices and had never been updated. I understand if there would be a minor difference in prices, but they were 40-70% higher than Intrepid quoted. Here are examples of the activity and price per person. Dogsledding (an anticipated highlight of the trip, which we ended up not going on due to price): Intrepid price $200 CAD and actual price was $315CAD. Lake Louise Sleigh ride: Intrepid price $37CAD and actual price was $52CAD Lake Louise Ice Skating including hockey stick: Intrepid price $20CAD and actual price was $29CAD Banff Hot Springs: Intrepid price $8CAD and actual price was $17.50CAD Travel Insurance: I have the AmEx Platinum card that has very good travel insurance coverage. Intrepid forced me to buy a separate policy stating that I needed a “policy number” and not just claims made coverage that my credit card supplies. I had to pay an extra $174USD to get travel insurance when my credit card already covers travel insurance. Then I found that one of the guests in our group used her credit card policy and did not require a separate travel insurance policy to go on this trip. That was infuriating! White Mountain Adventures: White Mountain Adventures was coordinating this trip and I felt they were at a disadvantage to plan a trip when the Intrepid itinerary and physical activity level was misrepresented prior to the trip. Scott, our tour guide, was very kind, knowledgeable, patient, accommodating, and flexible to try to meet the expectations and physical abilities of those on the tour.

the trip overall was good but a few things to be aware of: The Edmonton Sky shuttle has not been in service since 2020! You must take a taxi. The guide was surprised that we were told to schedule extras through her and by the time the trip started, much of what we wanted was already booked out. You must book the extras yourself. Neither intrepid nor tour radar does this. this was unclear in all the communications. you can't talk to a tour radar person. on line chat is fine if you are not in a hurry for answers. That aside, the guide was knowledgeable, pleasant, and worked hard to give all tour participants an extraordinary time.

Tour guide was excellent. Not happy with your advertising as it really is only 5 days of sightseeing. Some hotels were a distance from places to eat.

The tour from Trafalgar was great.

So many breathtaking views throughout the trip, but walking on the Athabasca Glacier is an experience that will stay with me forever.

Visiting the forests and lakes of Rockies

I had a blast! Mother nature threw rain, mosquitos and an aching hip my way, but all I have are fond memories of this adventure. Marge and Louie were well organized, keeping us informed of the itinerary and (mostly) on schedule while having the flexibility to adapt to unexpected things like a highway closure or the group wanting to go for beers after a day of rafting and adventure. The food was a great balance of healthy and comfort food meals - the bison burgers were a bonus. The hikes were amazing! I like how they made adjustments depending on the group's fitness level. The option to go rafting on the last day was a great addition to the adventure. I live close enough to the mountains I could do a lot of these hikes on a weekend trip, but I would definitely book again with Fresh Adventures just for the added experience they provided.

Great trip! Our guides, Jeremy and Laurie were amazing… because we arrived a couple of days after the Jasper fires they worked hard the whole time to adapt the plans to avoid smoke and fires around us. Their cooking was on another level - very healthy and we even had a fondue one day, up in the mountains!

One of the best trips of my life! Still thinking about it months later

It’s the best way to see the mountains, hit the slopes and see all the magic and beauty of Whistler and Banff

The trip exceeded our expectations. Doug Miller was awesome and took care of any needs. Glen, our driver was very friendly, funny and our ride was very smooth. The group on the bus was fantastic and we made new friends. And…. The Trip itself was wonderful. All the sights and stops were amazing.

Excellent value

Do not travel with this company! We booked both the Rockies tour and Washington/Niagara/ New York tour many months ago. Upon confirmation we booked our flights from Australia. Five weeks before the trip , they canceled BOTH trips with no explanation , leaving us with $10k worth of flights and hotels that we no longer need and can’t cancel.