Butchart Gardens, near Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria in the Spring
April 12–23, 2010
12 days
It will run again in 2011
Note: The itinerary may change.
Day 1: Travel from Saskatchewan to Canmore, Alberta for overnight. Enjoy a Welcome Reception where you will join hosts for singing and music. Bring your musical instruments!
Day 2: Enter the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and travel through Banff National Park, then drive to Golden. Continue driving through Rogers Pass and Glacier National Park. Travel west through the Rockies to Kamloops and Hope. Pass through the Cascade Mountains, then arrive in downtown Vancouver for overnight.
Banff, Alberta
Day 3: Enjoy a morning tour of Vancouver. Drive southwest to the ferry at Tsawwassen. Cross the Strait of Georgia to arrive in Victoria. You will spend seven nights in the Inner Harbour area.
Victoria's Inner Harbour
Day 4: This morning, enjoy the city tour of Victoria where you will view the British Columbia Parliament Buildings, Olde Town, and pass by Crystal Garden. View mile ‘0’ of the Trans Canada Highway, then continue to Fort Rodd Hill and the Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site. Stroll the Inner Harbour near the hotel this afternoon. Overnight in Victoria.
The British Columbia Parliament Buildings
Fisgard Lighthouse
Day 5: A free day. You can visit sights such as the Royal BC Museum, the Maritime Museum, Imax Theatre, Undersea Gardens, or take a local whale watching trip. Overnight in Victoria.
Day 6: Drive to Crofton to board the ferry and sail to Saltspring Island with its community of artisan studios and galleries. You'll have time to see their paintings, sculptures, pottery, jewelry, weavings, and more. Have lunch and relax in one of the cafes or bistros. Overnight in Victoria.
Getting a smoothie on Saltspring Island
Day 7: Enjoy a free day in the Inner Waterfront. Overnight in Victoria.
Day 8: Tour the Craigdarroch Castle, a Victorian-era Mansion. Drive the scenic coastline to visit Butchart Gardens, “the world’s premier floral show gardens” from 1904. This is a 55-acre garden with 26 greenhouses. Have lunch at the garden, then visit the Butterfly Gardens before travelling along the Saanich Peninsula to the Sidney Wharf. Stroll past the yachts and have coffee before returning to Victoria for the night.
Craigdarroch Castle
Day 9: Do the Malahat tour today: Visit the totems and forestry of Duncan plus the murals of Chemainus. Continue north to Nanaimo to view petroglyphs and visit the harbour boardwalk. Continue across to Cathedral Grove, an old growth forest area. Overnight in Victoria.
Day 10: Travel back across the Gulf Islands to Vancouver and into the Rockies. Travel the Coquihalla Highway and head into the Okanagan. Overnight in Vernon.
In the Okanagan
Day 11: Drive up to Sicamous and through the Monashees to Golden. Cross back to Alberta and view Castle Mountain as you pass Lake Louise and Banff. Enjoy the windup banquet in the Calgary area where you'll stay the night.
Castle Mountain
Day 12: Return to Saskatchewan with fond memories of the fellowship, friends, and fun!
To see more photos, click here.
Note: Itinerary is subject to change.
Contact us for a full itinerary, for price information or about any other questions you may have.
Photo Credits: Butchart Fountain by jikido-san on Flickr, DSC02937 (Banff townsite) by Satoru Kikuchi on Flickr, Victoria's Inner Harbour by SqueakyMarmot on Flickr, BC Parliament Buildings by Ryan Bushby in the Wikimedia Commons, Fisgard Lighthouse, Vancouver Island, BC by Savannah Grandfather on Flickr, The Island Smoothie by iwona_kellie on Flickr, Craigdarroch Castle by Jason Swadley on Flickr, 2005_08_05 (Okanagan) by sporkist on Flickr, Castle Mountain by angelamermaid on Flickr. All photos on this page have a Creative Commons Attribution License.