- Heart of the Canadian Prairies - Tours in Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, and Winnipeg
- Studio Bell National Music Centre and Heritage Park Historical Village
- Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology and Dinosaur Provincial Park
- Medalta Pottery and Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre
- Batoche National Historic Site and Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Métis Settlements
- Tunnels of Moose Jaw
- RCMP Heritage Centre and Depot Academy
- Canadian Museum of Human Rights
- Forks National Historic Site
- Roundtrip airport transfers in Calgary
- Professional Tour Leader
- Transportation on comfortable motorcoach
- 11 meals: 7 breakfasts, 4 dinners
- 7 nights of accommodation (3.5 - 4 star Or Best Available)
- 5% provincial tax on top of tour base rate
- Gratuities to driver (Recommend $3-$4 per person per day)
- Gratuities to guide (Recommend $5-$7 per person per day)
- Meals not listed
- Attractions not listed
- Credit card payment fees, where applicable
- Airfare — domestic and international (Unless Specified)
- Travel insurance (Strongly recommended, ask us for a quote!)
- Items of a personal nature
AVAILABILITY
START DATE
END DATE
PRICE
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
DEPOSIT
AVAILABLE
Thu, 01 Aug 2024
Sun, 11 Aug 2024
$1,010 USD
$500 USD
Welcome to Calgary, a cosmopolitan city rooted in cowboy history and more recently the heart of Canada’s oil industry. With two rivers, the Bow and the Elbow running through the centre of the city, Calgary is an active community where the great outdoors and urban living collide.
Overnight: Calgary
Meals: Dinner
Today we embark on a tour of Calgary and discover the history, arts and culture that define the city. Explore unique communities including Eau Claire, Kensington and Inglewood, named the best neighbourhood in Canada in 2014. We spend time at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre of Canada, which honours and preserves Canadian Music’s diverse history through interactive exhibits and displays showcasing all musical genres. This afternoon we step back in time at Heritage Park Historical Village, Canada’s largest living history museum. Explore nearly a century of Alberta’s history from the fur traders and first nation way of life in 1860 to a more modern time of the 1950s. From the antique midway, the steam train and Gasoline Alley, showcasing one of the largest collections of antique cars in Canada, there is something for everyone at Heritage Park.
Overnight: Calgary
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Travelling north east of Calgary, we soon arrive in Drumheller, Alberta. Located in the Badlands of the Red Deer Valley, Drumheller was once a booming Coal town with over 100 active coal mines in the region. Now, it is best known as the home of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. Before arriving at Drumheller, we will make a stop at the Horseshoe Canyon viewpoint. Stand on the edge of this huge u-shaped canyon and survey the beauty and mystery of the badlands. The two arms of the canyon extend approximately 5 km each and the platforms at the top provide amazing vistas for picture-perfect photos. After taking in the view, we will make our way to the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Royal Tyrrell Museum was named after, Joseph Burr Tyrrell, a geologist who accidentally unearthed the first dinosaur fossil in the Red Deer Valley in 1884 while searching for coal seams. Royal Tyrrell opened in 1985 and is a world-renowned museum boasting over 130 000 fossils and one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) skeletons in the world.
Overnight: Drumheller
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
As we depart Drumheller, we will make a stop to take in the spectacular views as we drive through the iconic Hoodoos and shape the landscape of the Badlands. Explore the outstanding landscapes, prairies and sights of southeastern Alberta. Our exploration of the Badlands will continue as we make our way to the Atlas Coal Mine on an underground experience. Here we join an Atlas interpreter on a journey exploring the Atlas’ underground and upper site spaces. This tour will take us on a 75-minute hike up the valley wall and through some of the site’s most unique (and darkest) spaces, as well as some of the best viewpoints in the Drumheller Valley. The tour involves enclosed spaces, heights and many rough steps cut into the valley wall. Guests are provided with hard hats and lamps to wear.This afternoon we will spend some time in Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated in the Red Deer River valley, and has become famous for its striking badlands topography, and abundance of dinosaur fossils.
Overnight: Medicine Hat
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Often described as an oasis in the midst of the prairies, the historic city of Medicine Hat has a vibrant art and cultural scene and a down-home atmosphere. Tour the Historic Clay District – the Medalta pottery made here was shipped around the world and partake in a Progressive Cafe tour, highlighting places favoured by the locals. Visit the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre. A marvel of contemporary Canadian architecture on traditional Blackfoot territory, just steps from the South Saskatchewan River, the Esplanade occupies an eminent position on downtown’s elegant First Street South. From its rooftop terrace, you can see Saamis, the shoreline escarpment which is the setting for the story of how Medicine Hat got its name.
Overnight: Medicine Hat
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
This morning we depart Alberta as we start our ‘Prairie Day’ as we drive through the open landscape of the golden prairies as we cross from Alberta into the province of Saskatchewan known as Land of Living Skies. World’s top exporter of lentils and dry peas, and supplier of more than a third of the world’s total exported durum wheat, Saskatchewan is primarily known for its agriculture production, but also has significant oil reserves and is the world’s largest producer and exporter of potash. This afternoon we will arrive in Saskatoon, the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was founded in 1883 as the proposed capital of a temperance colony, and its name was derived from Mis-sask-quah-toomina, a Cree word for a local edible red berry.
Overnight: Saskatoon
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
This morning we travel a short distance north of Saskatoon to Wanuskewin Heritage Park, a place steeped in Indigenous history. Wanuskewin, which means Seeking Peace Together in Plains Cree, is an ancient site where nomadic tribes who roamed the Northern Plains came together to hunt, gather food, and shelter themselves from the frigid winters. Archaeological sites at Wanuskewin date back 6,400 years which make them older than the Egyptian Pyramids. Much of Wanuskewin has been unearthed and preserved, and continues to be discovered with active archaeological digs. A great deal remains undiscovered. We continue onto Batoche National Historic Site, originally a Métis settlement known for its role in the Northwest Resistance of 1885. The Northwest Resistance was a brief uprising by the Métis people, led by Louis Riel and ultimately ending in the definitive battle at the Siege of Batoche. Discover the story of this important moment in Canadian history at Batoche, where bullet holes from that fateful battle can still be seen today. Travelling back into Saskatoon, we discover the inspiration for the city name, the Saskatoon Berry at a local berry farm. Saskatoon berries are grown primarily in Western Canada and northwestern regions of the United States. A sweet, dry berry, now used locally for baking and preserves, was once used by Indigenous Peoples to make pemmican, historically, a staple of their diet. Our day ends with a peaceful dinner cruise on the South Saskatchewan River, under the lights of downtown Saskatoon.
Overnight: Saskatoon
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Departing Saskatoon this morning we travel south to Moose Jaw, a small city with a big history. Moose Jaw, home of a Canadian Forces Base and of the world-renowned Snowbirds, an Air Force aerobatic flight team. The city is also famous for the Tunnels of Moose Jaw, prohibition-era tunnels allegedly used by Al Capone himself between Chicago and Moose Jaw, which we explore on a guided tour. Regina, the capital city of Saskatchewan, is home of Saskatchewan’s government. The area was originally known as oskana ka-asastēki, Where The Bones Are Piled (or Pile of Bones) in Plains Cree, before being renamed Regina, Latin for ‘Queen’ in 1882 to honour Queen Victoria.
Overnight: Regina
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
We explore Regina on a city tour featuring the Saskatchewan Legislative Building, Government house, and the Wascana Centre. Wascana Centre is one of the largest urban parks in North America, more than double the size of Central Park in New York City. It honours the original city name and has become an important community space for Regina residents. Our tour of Regina ends at the RCMP Heritage Centre and RCMP Academy, “Depot” Division, the home of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). RCMP members have trained here since 1885 and today, this remains the only RCMP training academy in Canada.
Overnight: Regina
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Continuing across the Canadian heartland, we leave Saskatchewan behind and enter our third province on our journey east, Manitoba. Manitoba’s landscape of lakes and rivers, boreal forests, and prairies, stretches from the northern Arctic tundra and Hudson Bay to the rich southern farmlands.Upon arrival inro Winnipeg, you will have some free time, we suggest you visit on your own, the award-winning Manitoba Museum, renowned for the vivid portrayal of Manitoba's rich and diverse history, Planetarium shows, and Science Gallery exhibits.
Overnight: Winnipeg
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Today we will explore the highlights of Winnipeg today including the Forks National Historic Site, the Exchange District, St. Boniface and the French Quarter, and finally, the Royal Canadian Mint. We will visit the iconic Canadian Museum of Human Rights, the only museum entirely devoted to human rights for humanity. From the breathtaking architecture to the moving stories and captivating exhibitions and programs, every part of the Museum offers a unique encounter as you experience human rights stories from Canada and around the world. If there is some free time in the afternoon, we suggest you visit on your own, the award-winning Manitoba Museum, renowned for the vivid portrayal of Manitoba's rich and diverse history, Planetarium shows, and Science Gallery exhibits.
Overnight: Winnipeg
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Following breakfast, bid farewell to your fellow travellers as you begin your return journey.
Meals: Breakfast