Western Canada Tours & Trips

Top operators in West Coast Canada

Based on what we've heard from our travelers, G Adventures and Intrepid are the top picks for exploring the Canadian Rockies. Their guides really make the difference - folks who've traveled with Michelle Tepel and Will Flowers from G Adventures consistently mention how their deep knowledge adds layers to the experience. They know where to spot wildlife, understand the geology and share interesting stories about the area. Bindlestiff Tours does camping really well, and they provide quality gear that holds up in mountain conditions. But we've noticed some hiccups with their scheduling lately, and a few of our customers mentioned trouble getting responses from their customer service team when issues came up. Discover Canada Tours is a decent option and typically delivers good value, but they've got some room for improvement. The feedback we get is mixed - while the routes and stops are solid, sometimes the basics need attention. We've heard about buses that could use better cleaning and meals that don't quite hit the mark. If you're weighing options, I'd lean toward G Adventures or Intrepid, especially if you're after that genuine Canadian Rockies experience. They've got the logistics dialed in, plus you'll be traveling with guides who really know their stuff and groups that tend to gel well together.

• Intrepid Travel

  
  4.5 (11,925 reviews)

  "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.

  Average - by Cheryl C.

  Tours

  5 tours

  Age range

  5 to 99 years old

  Adventure type

  Explorer

  Response time

  8h

  Response rate

  88%

  Average price

  $471

  Intrepid Travel is an expert in:

  • Explorer
  • Hiking & Trekking
• Discover Canada Tours

  
  4.5 (443 reviews)

  "Discover Canada hosted an incredible Christmas trip into the Rockies. Our guide, Ryan, was knowledgeable, amusing, and brought amazing energy to the trip. The bus was clean and new and our accommodations each night were also clean and suitable. The trip involves a lot of of driving and bus time, but entirely worth it. I look forward to completing another trip with Discover Canada again in the future.

  Excellent - by Elizabeth A.

  Tours

  7 tours

  Age range

  6 to 99 years old

  Adventure type

  Explorer

  Response time

  60h

  Response rate

  88%

  Average price

  $350

  Discover Canada Tours is an expert in:

  • Explorer
• West Trek Tours Inc.

  
  4.5 (104 reviews)

  "Good choice of hotels, exellent tour guide and driver.

  Excellent - by Venice Y.

  Tours

  3 tours

  Age range

  6 to 99 years old

  Adventure type

  Explorer

  Response time

  35h

  Response rate

  100%

  Average price

  $205

  West Trek Tours Inc. is an expert in:

  • Explorer