Canadian Rockies & Vancouver Island: Canada Adventure Holiday

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

Average Review Rating: from 8 reviews.

Steve Morris

CANADIAN ROCKIES & VANCOUVER ISLAND

Written September 2011
Good holiday but quite a lot of travel. The minibus was a little cramped.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Mount Robson without clouds on its peak!!
What did you think of your group leader?
Excellent - we had to spend 31 hours on the boat fromBella Coola to Port Hardy instead of the expected 11. Michel sorted out our hotels etc very quickly cancelling our hotel in Port Hardy and booking us into another hotel in Parkville. He made a point of consulting us as to what the group wished to do - either spend two nights in Tofino or one night in Tofino and one night in Victoris.
Kathy Morris

CANADIAN ROCKIES & VANCOUVER ISLAND

Written September 2011
Mountains, glaciers, amazing blue lakes and lots of trees were on offer in abundance. Keep a sharp look-out and you might see bears and elk but you couldn't fail to see the cheeky chipmunks and the ground squirrels. This is just the trip for the outdoor type of person.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The amazing blue Peyto lake and the glacier and mini icebergs (and big fat snowflakes) at Mount Edith Cavell were some of the highlights of the trip.
Pre-dawn over the bay with the tide out at Parksville gave us a magical moment. This was an unexpected hotel stop caused by the extra day spent on the ferry from Bella Coola to Port Hardy - sleeping on the floor of the ferry for the night had it's compensations!
What did you think of your group leader?
Michel was efficient and friendly - he seemed to enjoy the trip as much as we did. He worked hard to pace the days according to the capabilities of the group and was always around for queries and questions. If he didn't know the answers to the questions, then he'd find out or lend us a book with the facts (obscure botanical questions were not his forte).
When the ferry captain of the boat between Bella Coola and Port Hardy was delayed at anchor by 20 hours he and the local company worked hard to re-arrange the accommodation. This had to be done several times as the captain changed his mind about the situation and the timing of our arrival in Port Hardy. Michel consulted with the whole group and a joint decision was made to drop the night in Victoria, keeping two nights near Tofino.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
ATMs - make sure you know which banks use Visa and which use MasterCard. The banks in Canada use one or the other and you can waste some time finding a bank which will accept your card. Shops and restaurants will accept either.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
There was not much cultural content - we learnt more about the first nations and the early history from our own museum visit in Calgary than we did on the trip.
Julia Marks

CANADIAN ROCKIES & VANCOUVER ISLAND

Written August 2011
There was a great mix of activity on this holiday. It was a wonderful experience
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Seeing the bears and the whales in their natural habitat.
What did you think of your group leader?
Good. Very knowledgeable.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Make sure you have taken suitable precautions for any injuries you may be carrying. Spraining my ankle again meant I couldn't take part in all the activities I wanted to.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
A really fabulous trip.
Frances Passey

CANADIAN ROCKIES & VANCOUVER ISLAND

Written August 2011
This was a trip through beautiful scenery with a good mix of sights and activities
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Seeing the humpback whales near Tofino.
The drive down the Icefields parkway.
What did you think of your group leader?
Joanne was very knowledgable about the area, and was good fun.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Don't take too much luggage - travel light!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If you're thinking of doing this trip - then just go for it!
Georgina Biltcliffe

CANADIAN ROCKIES & VANCOUVER ISLAND

Written July 2010
The trip was a lovely balance of exploring and wildlife. We covered a great distance in a short space of time but the itinery is very well thought out.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Whale watching in Tofino was totally amazing.
What did you think of your group leader?
Friendly and knowledgable. A real character.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Take lots of mosquito repellent!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I highly recomend this trip to anyone.
Anne Exley

CANADIAN ROCKIES & VANCOUVER ISLAND

Written July 2009
My husband and I recently returned from our first Exodus holiday and will definitely be booking further trips in the future as we enjoyed it so much. It was an excellent introduction to the phenomenal scenery of British Columbia and Western Alberta.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
It is difficult to choose one particular moment as there where so many fantastic experiences! The whale watching at Tofino and the fantastic scenery of the Icefields Parkway were possibly the most memorable.
What did you think of your group leader?
Our guide, Eric Poulin, was brilliant. He is very experienced in outdoor pursuits such as trekking, climbing, camping etc. He is very knowledgeable about the country, the flora and the fauna and we felt very safe in his care. He is well organised and kept us to schedule. He took us to some excellent restaurants for evening meals and cooked us delicious lunches! He is also great fun and kept us entertained with his funny stories. We couldn't recommend him highly enough. Excellent.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
The Exodus booklet advised us to take money in the form of traveller's cheques whereas we have always previously used ATMs to withdraw cash from our bank accounts. As it was difficult to exchange the traveller's cheques I would recommend you take your bank card.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We were very fortunate in that there were only 5 holidaymakers on our trip - below the normal minimum required for the trip. We therefore had plenty "elbow room" on the minibus and ample space to store our luggage in the back of the van. I think we may have felt quite crushed if the full complement of 12 travellers had been in the van for the long journeys which are inevitable in a country the size of Canada.
anita pond

CANADIAN ROCKIES & VANCOUVER ISLAND

Written October 2008
A well balanced trip - cities, mountains and wildlife, with a good variety of terrain and activities - walking/ ferries/ boat trips.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Difficult to choose!
Inside Passage A long day, but we saw so much
Tofino Bear and whale watching
Mount Edith Cavell The iceberg lake and the ice cave under the glacier
Quadra Island Sunset boat trip
Rockies Walking above Lake Louise
What did you think of your group leader?
The leader is the most important part of the holiday.
Joanne (Ratthe) was superb - very experienced and organised. She kept us fully briefed, informed us of options and provided background information throughout. She was thoughtful and remembered individuals requests and preferences.
The change in itinerary meant she was leading unfamiliar territory and had extra driving, but she researched options and organised a wonderful trip.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Lots of layers! (very mixed weather in September) We had snow in the Rockies, wet, windy and rough boat trips, but also warm sunny days and some lovely sunset evenings.
Be prepared for a full and active day.
The walks/treks were lovely (though curtailed by snow in the Rockies).
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We thought we'd be disappointed by not doing the Bella Coola section. But the change if itinerary was a bonus: a scenic trip to Prince Rupert (this area was much quieter than the Rockies), a personal guided visit to Ksan village, a long trip down the Inside Passage, and a visit to quiet and pretty Quadra Island.
The accommodation (mostly motels, but some small hotels and cabins) was very good.