By: Francois Bredenkamp | Tue Sep 17, 2019 at 08.12 AM
A fabulous tour through what could possibly be some of the prettiest areas in the world! It's so nice to leave all of the logistics in the capable hands of the tour guide and bus driver and just enjoy the experience. I commend Gordon for th..e excellent way he managed the tour.Read full review
I am usually the taking-a-rental-car type of traveller, but I am so glad that I did the tour cos it gave me a great introduction not just to the park, but also to all the practicalities around. I would never be able to recognise all the mou..ntains and lakes and all the stories behind if I were to do it on my own.
Also I am glad to see that the national parks in Canada have stricter rules on how many people/cars are allowed to each spot, the parking lots are generally smaller and off-site and people would need to take a shuttle to get there. Not to mention that even the road to the Moraine lake is closed (already around 10pm in early September) when the parking lot (for private cars) is full. However, being on a tourbus you don't have to worry abou none of that since they are designated parking for that.
Note that the cruise to the Maligne lake is very weather dependent, all cruise on the morning of Sep 5 (sunny day) was cancelled due to the heavy fog just surrounding the lake area. The lake staff the best time is to come here in a hot clear day in the afternoon.
I was on two different busses during the 4-day tour with two different guides. The first driver we had – Mike, was a great driver and full of charisma. I saw him documenting each stop we made with his logbook very carefully, also sang for us and explained about the park environmental issues.
Some improvements would be better cleaning of the buses, I could see stains on the bus windows which is not so pleasant when you wnat to take lots of pictures.
And yes the tour is mostly catered to Chinese tourists, some guides are better in English than others, but generally I think all the non-Chinese speaking on our buses were quite content.
You might not get the best hotel rooms with a view, or do an upgrade.
Afterall very content with the tour, ready to go back and explore on my own now I know which are my favorites.Read full review
My family and I joined the three days Rockies tour. Tour guide change everyday. I am not sure it's normal or not. Second and Third day tour guides are nice.
Great trip and the Rockies/Banff are amazing. We were explicitly and unnecessarily told to print the eticket which wasn't possible while travelling and although I was told on query just to have it on my phone no one ever asked as they had a.. list of attendees! The gondola was 'optional' and I elected not to do it due to the weather - being told there was a hot spring next door so I could bring a swimsuit would have been useful!Read full review
Excellent tour for day trip, breathtaking sights, tour guide knowledgeable about area and the region, very glad we did this tour it’s a full day of touring but worth it.
Bilingual translation is excellent needs to be inclusive with all.. passengers, noticed a drop off very early in the day and tips expectedRead full review
The guide was very nice but could barely speak English. I couldn't understand what was said half the time. There is also a hidden $9 per person mandatory "tip" that is demanded of you in cash at the end of the tour. You have to really read ..the terms and conditions to find that out. My boyfriend did not have cash on him so they dropped us off at a bank that had a 3$ fee to take money out. When we gave the guy a 20 and asked for change he pretended to not have any. When further pushed he magically came across some in his pocket. Overall, we paid for the tour plus $21 in tips and could barely understand the tour. Not impressed.Read full review
Excellent communication, professional service and an outstanding experience. For my first tour with this company, I was highly impressed! Would take another tour, anytime! Dr. G
Tour guide and driver were knowledgeable and friendly. Driver drove cautiously. Nice places to visit. What I disliked was the hotel included in the package. Hotel was old, and untidy.