Canada is a country that creates awe. It has those snow-capped Rocky Mountain peaks, the vast prairies, waterways galore, and forests – ones you can get lost in like the Great Bear Rainforest, roughly the size of Ireland. But it’s not just the scenery, the awe of Canada is that amongst these great landscapes you have some of the friendliest people on earth and excellent eats and drinks to sustain you through all adventures. Traverse Canada on any of our Authentic Canada trips and you’ll be in awe, which is just what the doctor is ordering.
Starting at the famous Rocky Mountains, a must for first-timers, but it is equally a place many are happy to return to and explore deeper. Maybe you were there in summer, then try winter. It’s a whole other paradise. Jasper, your first destination inside the Rockies is home to the world’s largest, easily accessible, Dark Sky Preserve. The planetarium visit, on our Authentic Canadian Winter Wonderland trip, not only has you in awe of an abundance of constellations but you’ll hear Aboriginal constellation stories, get tips on how to photograph the Milky Way and Northern Lights, and try out the largest telescope in the Rockies. This remote town, also has some outstanding restaurants, and its own brewery, you will be surprised by that too.
Travelling in summer, then jump aboard the Rocky Mountaineer, you can choose a 2 day journey to Jasper or Banff and we can incorporate it into a custom Canadian trip for you. Rocky Mountaineer’s highlight is the views, large windows, domed cars in their GoldLeaf service and an ever-so Canadian menu en-route, encapsulating local specialties of the terrain you are passing through. We have several itineraries that include this rail journey of a lifetime.
We also take you to the culinary heights of Canada, literally. Peak Nic is a 4km intermediate hike up to the mountain top where, with a stunning backdrop, you learn to prepare a gourmet meal in an energy efficient, environmentally friendly way. This coupled with a cowboy cookout and very local foodie tours in Vancouver and Victoria make up the Sip and Savour Canadian Flavours itinerary.
For all Antipodean, nothing is more awe-creating than a winter Canada experience. Dogsledding, snowmobiling, and doing a bit of ice-fishing whilst enjoying a bbq, are all possible in the Yukon. And if you travel over to Churchill, Manitoba, you can stay in the extraordinary tundra buggy lodge and get a close-up view of the polar bears at the time they gather to wait for the ice to form on Hudson Bay. It’s survival in this climate, by humans and the magnificent and many animals you will meet, that leaves you in pure awe.
Discover our Authentic Canadian Winter Wonderland and the full range of Authentic Canada itineraries here.
And why is awe essential – it takes us outside our self, quietens our self-critic, places us in a larger world, community, context. (New York Times, 3 Jan 2023, “How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health”).