Tour the Canadian Rockies - and enjoy a FREE flight!

Whether you choose to travel independently or to join a guided group, there’s no doubt that the Canadian Rockies have immense appeal to all types of traveller. And there are certainly advantages with both – with a self-drive holiday you can travel at your own pace, stopping as frequently as you like for those all-important photo opportunities and picking from an endless range of activities to suit your preferences. A traditional coach tour on the other hand offers total relaxation as you let someone else take care of the driving and navigation, so you can sit back and focus on the spectacular views afforded by the mountains, glaciers and lakes for which the region is renowned. 

But perhaps a compromise is what you’re after – the advantages of travelling with a knowledgeable guide, but with a little more flexibility?  Our Premier Plus escorted tours are the perfect solution! Including luxury accommodation throughout plus a memorable journey on the Rocky Mountaineer's Gold Leaf service, these are the best way to see the Rockies in style! And for those that want a sense of independence, these tours offer unique flexibility – you can dine with new-found friends or find a table for two in the restaurant of your choice.  Activity choices range from whale-watching and canoeing to spa treatments and afternoon teas - all included in the price of your tour, just take your pick and tailor your holiday to suit you!

THERE'S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BOOK: we’re currently offering 1 free flight per couple on selected Premier Plus escorted tours!  Book by 25 February and experience the best of the Rockies, Vancouver, Whistler and Victoria – limited spaces available, so hurry, book now!!

2012: a year of centenary celebrations

Who knows what 2012 may bring, but looking back to 100 years ago it seems that 1912 was a fairly epic year in terms of world firsts – some with some sadly tragic consequences. 

It was on 17 January 1912 that Captain Robert Falcon Scott arrived at the South Pole, only to find he had been beaten to his goal by Amundsen’s Norwegian team just a month earlier. On their return from the Pole, Scott and his 4 companions perished in the harsh Antarctic interior. Opinions of Scott may vary, but this year we should concentrate on celebrating his many achievements, including leading one of the most scientifically valuable expeditions ever undertaken in Antarctica.

That same year, 1912, saw another tragedy unfold as the world’s largest passenger steamship of the time fell victim to a mighty iceberg in the north Atlantic. The sinking of the Titanic resulted in the loss of 1,517 lives, of which 150 bodies were laid to rest in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

On a more positive ‘maritime’ note, 1912 was also the year that New Zealand’s TSS Earnslaw first set sail. This iconic twin screw steamer can still be seen today cruising the sparkling waters of Lake Wakatipu and is as much a part of Queenstown’s landscape as the spectacular Remarkable Mountains that provide a backdrop to the lake.

And finally, it was also 100 years ago this year that Canada’s first ever Calgary Stampede took place. This legendary rodeo is now an intrinsic part of Alberta’s events calendar, happening every July and made up of a number events including chuckwagon racing, steer wrestling, bull-riding, parades, concerts, fireworks and an endless supply of pancake breakfasts! Wills & Kate were guests of honour in 2011, but 2012 will see one of the biggest and best shows yet as the Stampede celebrates its Centenary.

But that’s enough about 1912 – back to 2012 and the start of a brand new year; it’s time to start planning your own adventures for the year ahead. Whether it’s a magical experience under the northern lights, an epic voyage to Antarctica or a long dreamt of self-drive exploration of New Zealand or Canada, there’s no time like the present so seize the day and book that trip!!

Bear vs. Beaver - Canada divided!

Canada is in uproar following recent demands from Senator Nicole Eaton to replace the country's long-standing emblem, the beaver, with "the stately polar bear". Alright, 'uproar' is a slight exaggeration, but it has sparked an interesting debate nonetheless!

In her statement to the Senate last week, Eaton described the poor defenceless beaver as an outdated and destructive rodent! However, the toothy little critter has held its position as national emblem since 1975, and played a pivotal role in Canada's early development. It was fur-trading that first attracted Europeans to the country, leading to the establishment of transport routes and trading posts that formed the basis of modern-day Canada. 

Eaton claims that the polar bear would be a much better representative for Canada today, portraying "strength, courage, resourcefulness and dignity". She may well have a point - there's no doubt that the polar bear is a more majestic and imposing symbol - but we can't help but think that maybe there's room for both. After all, Canada is nothing if not diverse!

Painting Canada: Group of Seven exhibition comes to London

We were very excited to be invited to attend the launch of a brand new exhibition at the Dulwich Picture   Gallery last night. For the first time since the 1920s, artwork by Canada’s renowned ‘Group of Seven’ has arrived in London, offering a rare chance to get a taste of Canada’s beautiful landscapes without needing a passport!

The Group of Seven were based in Ontario and many of their paintings feature impressionist-style landscapes from this province, with a particular emphasis on the lakes and forests of Algonquin Park and the Muskokas. They also travelled further afield throughout Canada, evidence of which can be seen in their artwork – such as Varley’s West Coast Sunset and MacDonald’s Lake O’Hara.

We were so inspired by these striking colours and epic landscapes that we’ve created a special collection of holidays to compliment some of our favourite Group of Seven paintings.  Find out more here.
 
And for more inspirational Canada holidays, you can pre-order your copy of our new Canada brochure here.

 

Painting Canada: Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven Exhibition opens to the public on 19 October and will be on display until 8 January 2012.  Tickets are £9 per adult, more details can be found here.

Discover the World of wildlife at Alexandra Palace

Discover the World is thrilled to be exhibiting at the inaugral Wildlife Xpo this coming Friday and Saturday at Alexandra Palace. 

The wonderful backdrop of Alexandra Palace is hosting a remarkable series of wildlife seminars and lectures as well as an excellent exhibition of everything to do with wildlife.  We are especially thrilled to be part of this show as so many of our destinations feature wildlife and natural beauty.

Meet our very own Nikki Rickett, who last austral summer worked for the Antarctic Heritage Trust as Base Leader at the historic Port Lockroy on the Antarctic Peninsula, for her talk on Friday at 1330 in the Palace Suite as she shares her exploits "Living with Penguins…and other Antarctic wildlife". Join Nikki to find out more about this captivating wildlife destination.

Join us and Cathy Harlow for her talk on Saturday at 1015 in the Londesborough suite to learn about the ultimate whale watching opportunities to be enjoyed around the world - including killer whales in Iceland and belugas in Canada’s Hudson Bay, to sperm whales in New Zealand and humpbacks in Antarctica.

Do visit us at the exhibition on Stand 93 in the Westhall to find out about our other wildlife destinations, New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Australia and the Polar regions.

 See you at the Wildlife Xpo!

Bowhead whales take the Northwest Passage

The BBC has reported that research published in the journal Biology Letters has confirmed that Bowhead whales that usually live on either side of the continent have been mingling!  Skeletons, DNA samples and harpoon heads have previously suggested this, but now scientists have used satellite tags to provide confirmation that the whales have been cruising the Northwest Passage.

The satelite data told the scientists that a whale from the Greenland side and one from the Alaskan side had arrived in the same place north of the Canadian mainland.  They spent about 10 days playing and circling in the same area of water.

And apparently this has happened way back in the past, the Inuit descended from the Thule culture spread across Canada to Greenland eating meat and blubber, also building houses from the bones of the bowhead whale.  

 

 

Kate Bush and 50 Words for Snow!

Kate Bush announced on the 13th September that she is launching a much awaited new album which is themed all around snow! The album is called "50 Words for Snow" and will be released in November.  The cover of the album features a sculpture made of ice. Some of the new tracks are SNOWFLAKES, 50 WORDS FOR SNOW and AMONG ANGELS.

The Sami people of Lapland don't just have 50 words for snow they have 300!  Following the reindeer east to west, and back again the whole Sami culture is built around these incredible animals and living in the winter wonderland of Lapand.  In order to work in the harsh conditions they have studied every aspect of snow hence their 300 words to describe in great detail each type of snow.

 

Further Adventures in the Yukon: Tombstones and Glaciers

Gold is all very well, but the Yukon has far more to offer than precious metals alone. For me the undoubted highlight of this fascinating territory is its epic landscapes. Breathtakingly beautiful, the scenery is vast and shows nature at its best. From vivid lakes and roaring rivers, via endless forests to soaring mountain peaks, here you will find Canadian wilderness at its best. Wildlife encounters are plentiful – well, it can be, although admittedly the wildlife doesn't always cooperate… As with the gold, my search for bears proved futile - but I did see moose in the wild for the first time, which more than made up for it!  Dall sheep, caribou and eagles are all frequently sighted and the forests are also home to lynx and wolves.
 
The city of Whitehorse is the gateway into the Yukon, and the capital of the territory. Yet it has a small-town charm, and is often called the ‘wilderness city’ due to its proximity to the surrounding natural landscapes.  The Yukon River is on the doorstep, eagles circle overhead and the forests begin where the buildings stop. Numerous trails make it easy to explore the area on foot, by bike or on snow-shoes. 
 
Further north from Dawson City it's just a 90 minute drive along the iconic Dempster Highway to Tombstone Territorial Park.  The Tombstones themselves are an aptly named range of granite peaks, providing a jagged backdrop to a range of hiking trails. In the far north autumn arrives early; even in late August some of the fall colours were already coming through, predominantly yellows but with a hint of red here and there - another week or so and the hills would be a blaze of colour. The Dempster, an unsealed road, winds its way through Tombstone and continues north across the Arctic Circle all the way to Inuvik in the North West Territories. 
 
Down in the south-west of the Yukon lies Kluane National Park. Together with adjacent Tatshenshini-Alsek NP (British Columbia)  and Wrangell-St Elias and Glacier Bay NP (Alaska), this one piece of land split by 3 borders makes up the largest protected land in North America.  As a result the wildlife is abundant and the scenery an untouched wilderness. Despite the fact I failed to find a bear, Kluane allegedly has the highest concentration of them in North America! The famous Alaska Highway travels alongside Kluane NP, from Haines Alaska up to Haines Junction, Yukon.  Haines Junction is the perfect base from which to explore Kluane - nearby is access to hiking trails, lake cruise, cycling, cross-country ski-ing...  

But the best way, without a doubt, to gain an understanding of the sheer scale of Kluane is with a sightseeing flight. I was lucky enough to join Sifton Air for a flight over Kluane's glaciers; Canada's highest peak, Mt Logan, pierced the clouds whilst Dall sheep clung precariously to some of the volcanic mountainsides below us. From the air, the glaciers looked like roads as they came together and joined as one. And after all this jaw-dropping beauty, it was from the plane that, on our way back to Haines Junction's airfield, we spotted not one, but two moose grazing happily in the wilderness below. 

In Search of Gold in Canada's Yukon

Canada Product Manager Liz Lunnon recently explored the highlights of Canada's wild west - the Yukon Territory...
 
The very name 'Yukon' immediately conjures up images of a vast and remote territory, immortalised by Jack London's novel 'Call of the Wild', images of the Yukon Quest - an epic annual 1000 mile dog-sled race that runs between Whitehorse and Fairbanks, and of course scenes from the infamous Klondike Gold Rush.  The Klondike stampede was sparked by the discovery of gold in 1896, and the rest is history...
 
I was recently lucky enough to head into the Klondike hills myself, and it's impossible not to walk along the edge of Bonanza Creek without keeping an eye out for something sparkly!  Bonanza was the site of the first find, following which thousands of men risked their lives in a bid to strike gold too.  But it wasn't easy to reach the goldfields.  The route from the south included an arduous winter climb over mountains, ususally via the terrifying Chilkoot Pass or the equally challenging White Pass. On arrival on the other side in Carcross hand-made rafts had to be built before continuing the journey down the mighty Yukon River to Dawson City, gateway to the Klondike. Countless lives were lost en route, and perhaps the saddest part is that those who did finally make it safely to the Klondike goldfields found that they were too late - most of the gold had already been taken. By 1899 the gold rush was over.
 
However, over a century later we find that's actually not strictly true, as another gold rush is currently underway to extract previously undiscovered gold in the area. We saw no evidence of this though - times have changed and desperate fossickers struggling with basic equipment have been replaced by highly efficient corporations and modern equipment.

The journey is certainly a lot easier these days too; the White Pass can now be enjoyed in comfort on a leisurely scenic rail journey between Skagway, Alaska, and Carcross in the Yukon. But it's still possible to see the original narrow trail clinging to the sheer hillside below - and it's sadly easy to understand how Dead Horse Gully got its name.

Dawson City can now be reached by regular scheduled flight, and the raucous settlement that sprang up  in the late 1890s is today a quiet and uniquely charming place to stay. The tiny city still features its original wooden buildings, and all new buildings are built in the same style, giving the streets an air of film set.  Its hard to believe people live and work behind these picturesque facias, but they do. The locals are intensely proud of their pioneering heritage and everywhere you go memorabilia stands testament to the epic 1897-99 gold rush.
 
Alas I didn't find my fortune in the Yukon, but I was lucky enough to enjoy a wealth of priceless experiences throughout the Territory, from Whitehorse to Tombstone Territorial Park to the breathtaking Kluane National Park... more about those in my next post!
 

Meet the ocean giants, deep thinkers and voices of the sea

Meet the ocean giants, deep thinkers and voices of the sea in the fascinating BBC1 series Ocean Giants. This three-part documentary showcases up close and personal encounters of the world’s largest creatures and also some of the most intelligent. Narrated by Stephen Fry, you are taken on an underwater adventure to different pockets of the ocean where these mammals thrive, feast and battle it out during mating season. Featuring footage that has never been captured before, you can view the final episode this Sunday at 9pm, or catch up on the previous episodes on BBC iPlayer – but don’t delay, as it is only available for another 12 days.

And after watching the series, we know you’ll be inspired to have your own experience with these majestic cetacean species and we can help you get there! Discover the World offer whale-watching expeditions in Iceland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway.

In Iceland, around one quarter of the world’s cetacean creatures have been recorded in its nutrient rich waters. Here there are regular sightings of minke, humpback, blue, fin and pilot whale just to name but a few! Or how about a wildlife holiday in Canada? You will be blown away by the options here, with more than 33 species of whale living in the Canadian oceans. You can view from zodiacs, sailing boats, kayaks and comfortable cruisers – take your pick!

You could head to Kaikoura in New Zealand, where sperm whales cruise the pure shores of Aotearoa all year round. You may also be lucky enough to view humpback, blue, minke, southern right, beaked or pygmy whale – just imagine it! Alternatively, as seen on the series, pop over to Western Australia where you could view the bottlenose dolphins shadowing stingrays as they hunt for octopus. You won’t believe what unfolds, until you see the documentary! Or finally, cruise the 2650km of coastline in Norway, where you can swim with dolphins or spot orca, pilot, sperm and humpback whales.

For more information on our whale-watching and dolphin holidays, click here.