British Columbia and Alberta self drive vacation

Planet

Any activities undertaken are strictly controlled within the park or region that they take place. ie. hikes and mountain bikes stick to trails so that they don’t disturb the naturally environment that they go through. Western Canada has a huge number of National Parks, including the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, Wells Gray Provincial Park and of course, Banff National Park, where hiking and biking is well controlled.

Any motorised boat trips stay away from environmentally sensitive areas, and we encourage families to enjoy kayaking and stand-up paddle where possible, which are less harmful to the environment, but allow them to enjoy the fabulous landscape without noise. Maligne Lake in Alberta is a great example, where canoeing across the turquoise blue lake adds to the serenity of the whole experience.

With our self-drive trips, we always suggest routings and attraction and accommodation ideas that are off the beaten track. This means clients avoid main roads and heavy traffic – and it encourages visitation to less well-known places, away from the crowds, where the tourism dollar is more needed and appreciated.

Wherever possible, we also actively support attractions, accommodation and service providers accommodations that have their own environmental policies in place and encourage our clients to ensure their own environmental footprint is minimised wherever possible.

People

We have taken time to work with our Canadian partners to ensure our clients are encouraged to use accommodation and support products that are authentic and support local businesses and communities. Our partners are Canadian based and comply with all relevant laws that protect the rights of their employees.

Prior to departure, we let our clients know about local customs, specially relating to indigenous communities and their traditions.

Wherever possible, we use locally owned accommodation that supports the communities in the area and provides employment to the local population. We also try to ensure that local produce is used and we suggest restaurants that are unique and used locally sourced ingredients. This itinerary has a huge number of options for local restuarants and ingredients. Kelowna which sits on the shores of Okanangan Lake, is well known for its wineries and great restaurants packed with local produce: The nearby town of Penticton is also a hub of local kitchen artistry.

In order to promote the overall health of their workforce, one of our first nation accommodation providers has also established the Employee Wellness Programme, which aims to address the holistic health needs of not only their staff, but also of the communities that surround their lodge. In essence, the programme is devoted to reducing the incidence of accident and illness in the workplace, promoting healthy lifestyles, maximizing potential and promoting optimum quality of life. The the First Nations Cultural Centre in Vancouver is one such example.