Rocky Mountaineer & Alaska Silversea Cruise

On arrival in Calgary, a private transfer will whisk you away to Banff, a mountain resort town cradled between the soaring peaks, glistening lakes and alpine forests of the Canadian Rockies. Check into your accommodation – either in the town centre or on the nearby mountainside – where you’ll be staying for the first two nights of your trip. 

Stay: The Moose Hotel and Suites (Superior/SilverLeaf) or Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection (Deluxe/GoldLeaf)

Spend a full day exploring Banff and its namesake national park, including a scenic cruise on Lake Minnewanka, which sits beneath the towering peaks of Mount Aylmer, Mount Inglismaldie, Mount Girouard and Mount Costigan. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife, including elk, big horn sheep, deer and eagles, before returning to Banff to explore the town's shops and museums at your leisure. You’ll also enjoy a ride on the Banff Gondola, which offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, perhaps followed by relaxing soak in the steaming, mineral-rich pools of the Banff Upper Hot Springs.

Stay: The Moose Hotel and Suites (Superior/SilverLeaf) or Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection (Deluxe/GoldLeaf)

This morning, a private transfer will bring you to Banff Station where you’ll board the gleaming carriages of Rocky Mountaineer. As you enjoy breakfast onboard, admire the spectacular scenery outside your window as you glide over mountain passes and along rocky lakeshores, through remarkable tunnels and across the ranchlands of the interior. Highlights include the Continental Divide, the Spiral Tunnels, Kicking Horse Canyon, Rogers Pass, and Craigellachie, where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven. A gourmet lunch will be served as your journey continues west through British Columbia towards the picturesque town of Kamloops. You’ll arrive here early in the evening and check into your hotel for the night.

Stay: Kamloops accommodation (Rocky Mountaineer allocated)

Step back aboard Rocky Mountaineer this morning as you roll past dramatic river canyons, dense fir forests and the mighty Cascade Range, accompanied by another delicious breakfast. If travelling in GoldLeaf, you’ll benefit from a split-level carriage with a private dining room on the lower level, as well as an exclusive outdoor viewing platform, perfect for those all-important holiday snaps. Then, after another gourmet lunch onboard, served to a backdrop of the British Columbia wilderness, you’ll arrive in Vancouver. After disembarking, check into your stylish downtown hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure.

Stay: OPUS Vancouver (Superior/SilverLeaf) or Loden Hotel (Deluxe/GoldLeaf)

Over the next two days, you’ll have the opportunity to explore Vancouver at your own pace. Take a stroll through Stanley Park, head out on a hike on nearby Grouse Mountain, peruse the food stalls and art studios of Granville Island, embark on a whale watching excursion, or head up the Vancouver Lookout Tower for the ultimate 360-degree views of the city. The Victorian-style red brick buildings, cobbled walkways and buzzing cafes of Gastown, the historic core of downtown Vancouver, also warrant your attention, as does Yaletown, where former warehouse buildings have been converted into an array of world-class restaurants and trendy bars. 

Stay: OPUS Vancouver (Superior/SilverLeaf) or Loden Hotel (Deluxe/GoldLeaf)

Enjoy a relaxing morning in Vancouver before taking a transfer to the port to board your Silversea ship, Silver Whisper – your luxurious home at sea for the next seven nights. Expect spacious ocean-view suites, superb spa facilities, exquisite dining, excellent onboard entertainment and warm, personalised service throughout your voyage. 

Stay: Silver Whisper

Setting sail from Vancouver, the first stretch of your Silversea cruise sees you travel north along the lush, rainforest-carpeted shores of Canada’s Inside Passage. This coastal region of British Columbia is a stirring sight to behold, with its scattering of forested islands, beguiling fjords and snow-dusted peaks. Look out for bald eagles circling above and breaching whales emerging from the water – particularly along the Johnstone Strait, where pods of orcas hunt plump salmon in great numbers.

Stay: Silver Whisper

Awake this morning to your first sight of Alaska as you arrive in the frontier city of Ketchikan, also known as ‘The Salmon Capital of the World’. You may be interested in visiting the Totem Heritage Center – home to the world's finest collection of 19th-century totem poles – to learn about the culture of the indigenous Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian communities, or you could head to the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary – a 40-acre wildlife reserve where you can take a guided nature hike to spot black bears and bald eagles in the wild. There’s also the chance to visit a local oyster farm, embark on a kayaking adventure, or even take to the skies of a sightseeing flight above the Misty Fjords National Monument – an immense wilderness of mesmerising sea cliffs, labyrinthine fjords, glacial lakes and majestic waterfalls. 

Stay: Silver Whisper

Your next port of call is Icy Strait Point, the only private cruise ship port in Alaska, and a wonderful base from which to embark on all manner of exhilarating adventures – both on land and at sea. Choose from the likes of whale watching safaris, ocean rafting, bear watching and even riding a zipline over the largest temperate rainforest in the world. Alternatively, you might be tempted by an interactive Alaskan food workshop, in which you’ll learn about wild, natural and sustainable local seafood before trying your hand at grilling freshly-caught fish. 

Stay: Silver Whisper

Continuing north, you’ll sail into Skagway, the former epicentre of the Klondike Gold Rush during the late 1890s. Learn all about its rich history as you explore the downtown area, and perhaps take a journey back in time on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway, a narrow-gauge railroad built between 1898-1900 to link the coastal port of Skagway with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. Ascending from sea level to the White Pass Summit at an elevation of 873 metres, you can experience a captivating section of this route, weaving between steep ravines and cliff-hanging turns along the way. Other optional excursions include hiking or cycling along the historic Chilkoot Trail, summer husky sledding in the Tongass National Forest, or a fjord cruise in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve.

Stay: Silver Whisper

Formed over the last 100 years by the retreat of the Guyot, Yahtse, and Tyndall glaciers, Icy Bay certainly lives up to its frigid name. Its mirror-like, sapphire waters are speckled with glistening icebergs, which, in combination with the mountains of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, makes for a truly awe-inspiring spectacle. It’s a prime spot for wildlife watching, too; harbour seals are often spotted here, alongside a plethora of other marine species and sea birds. 

Stay: Silver Whisper

The penultimate stop on your Alaskan coastal voyage is Valdez, a remote port town tucked away at the head of a fjord in Prince William Sound. The looming peaks of the Chugach Mountains form an impressive backdrop, while the nearby Columbia Glacier is one of the fastest-moving glaciers on Earth, calving colossal chunks of ice into the ocean. You can get up close to it on a glacier cruise, which presents the opportunity to spot seals, sea lions, sea otters, eagles, puffins, porpoises, humpback whales, orcas, and more as you go. Or, perhaps you’ll join a river rafting or sea kayaking excursion. There’s even the option of a helicopter ride and a glacier landing, affording you unbeatable views of the region’s spellbinding landscapes. If you’d prefer to remain in Valdez itself and get a feel for the town’s history, there are guided tours available. 

Stay: Silver Whisper

Your cruise reaches its final terminus in Seward, where you’ll disembark for a shared transfer to Anchorage, bringing your Alaskan adventure to a conclusion.