Canada: Vancouver & The Rockies — Self-Launched

Arrive in Vancouver and head straight out of the city. The SkyLynx YVR-to-Whistler service or the YVR Skylynx/Epic Rides bus runs the Sea to Sky Highway in about 2.5–3 hours (roughly £30–40 one way); a slightly cheaper combo is the SkyTrain Canada Line to downtown plus a Pacific Coach/SkyLynx departure. If you have more than two people, a shared rental car from YVR quickly pays for itself and gives you freedom for the whole loop. Check into Pangea Pod Hotel in Whistler Village — the very same pod hotel Contiki uses, bookable directly or via Hostelworld for around £35–50 per pod. Evening: stroll the village stroll and grab a cheap dinner at a food truck or the El Furniture Warehouse.

🚌SkyLynx/Skylynx bus YVR or downtown Vancouver to Whistler, ~2.5–3 hrs, £30–40

🛏Pangea Pod Hotel, Whistler (pod/dorm)

• →Sea to Sky Highway scenic drive
• →Whistler Village stroll

Full free day in Whistler — pick and choose instead of paying for the whole optional menu. Best value is the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola day pass (day tickets around CAD $89 peak season, or cheaper if you buy a sightseeing pass online in advance), which includes the Whistler Village Gondola and the record-breaking Peak 2 Peak between Whistler and Blackcomb. Alternatively hire a canoe on Alta Lake / the River of Golden Dreams (canoe rental ~CAD $55–70 for a few hours — note Contiki lists CAD $66 for a group excursion) or book a zipline with Ziptrek or Superfly (CAD $135+). Free option: the Lost Lake trail network or the Train Wreck hike from Function Junction.

🚌On foot / local Whistler bus

🛏Pangea Pod Hotel, Whistler (pod/dorm)

• →PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola day pass (~CAD $89)
• →Canoe rental on Alta Lake (~CAD $60)
• →Optional zipline (from CAD $135)
• →Lost Lake or Train Wreck hike (free)

The long transfer day. There's no direct public bus from Whistler to Sun Peaks, so the practical independent options are: (a) rent a car in Whistler and drive Highway 99 north through Lillooet, Cache Creek and Kamloops (~5.5 hrs, the same scenic Lillooet Mountain Range route the tour uses), or (b) take the Ebus/Rider Express from Whistler or Kamloops to Kamloops, then a local taxi or shuttle up to Sun Peaks (about 45 mins). Sun Peaks Lodge is the same property Contiki uses and is bookable direct — around £70–95 per room, cheaper split between two. Pick up groceries in Kamloops; the resort village is pricey.

🚌Shared rental car via Highway 99/1 through Lillooet (~5.5 hrs) or Ebus to Kamloops + local taxi to Sun Peaks

🛏Sun Peaks Lodge (or similar), Sun Peaks

• →Scenic drive through the Lillooet Mountain Range
• →Evening walk in Sun Peaks village

Drive north on Highway 5 through Clearwater and Valemount, with a stop at Mount Robson (the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies) and the visitor centre viewpoint. It's roughly 4.5–5 hours plus stops. Enter Jasper National Park — buy the Parks Canada Discovery Pass or day passes online before you arrive (a Discovery Pass is the best value if you're visiting Jasper, Banff and Yoho; roughly CAD $75–80 per adult). In the afternoon, optionally join a white-water rafting trip on the Fraser River with a local operator (about CAD $95–110 — book via the operator direct or GetYourGuide). Check into the Athabasca Hotel in Jasper townsite, a well-located budget option around £85–110 per room.

🚌Shared rental car on Highway 5 via Clearwater and Valemount, ~5 hrs; Parks Canada Discovery Pass ~CAD $78

🛏Athabasca Hotel (or similar), Jasper

• →Mount Robson viewpoint stop
• →Optional Fraser River white-water rafting (~CAD $95)
• →Jasper townsite evening walk

Start early with the free-to-walk Maligne Canyon trail — a 2–3 km loop over six bridges through a dramatic limestone gorge, and often far quieter before 9am. Then drive about 45 minutes out to Maligne Lake and take the Maligne Lake Cruise to Spirit Island (around CAD $78–95 in peak season with Pursuit; Contiki lists CAD $56 as a group rate, book direct or on GetYourGuide). If the cruise budget doesn't stretch, kayak rentals or the Mary Schäffer loop walk are cheap alternatives. Back in Jasper in the evening, look for elk along the Pyramid Lake road and catch sunset at Patricia or Pyramid Lake. Optional: a Parks Canada interpretive walk or a fireside talk at the Jasper Planetarium (one of the darkest skies in the Rockies).

🚌Rental car / local drive (~45 mins each way to Maligne Lake)

🛏Athabasca Hotel (or similar), Jasper

• →Maligne Canyon hike (free)
• →Maligne Lake Cruise to Spirit Island (~CAD $85)
• →Pyramid Lake sunset
• →Optional Jasper Planetarium talk

The highlight day — the full Columbia Icefield Parkway. Stop first at Athabasca Falls (short, free walk), then continue to the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre and ride the Ice Explorer onto the Athabasca Glacier (about CAD $110–125 — book the Athabasca Glacier Ice Walk or the Ice Explorer online in advance; walk-up tickets sell out in summer). Continue south for Peyto Lake viewpoint and Lake Louise, where you can walk the lakeshore for free or hike to the Lake Agnes Tea House (about 2 hrs up). Note: in summer the Lake Louise and Moraine Lake shuttles from the Park & Ride must be pre-booked via Parks Canada. End in Banff and check into a hostel such as the HI Banff Alpine Centre or the Banff International Hostel (dorm beds ~£40–60 in peak season), or a budget motel on Tunnel Mountain Road.

🚌Rental car on the Icefields Parkway, ~4.5–5 hrs driving plus stops

🛏HI Banff Alpine Centre or Banff International Hostel (dorm)

• →Athabasca Falls
• →Ice Explorer ride on the Athabasca Glacier (~CAD $115)
• →Peyto Lake viewpoint
• →Lake Louise lakeshore walk or Lake Agnes Tea House hike

Free day in Banff. The cheap highlight is the Bow Falls / Hoodoos trail and the Tunnel Mountain summit hike (free, 45 mins up, big views). Options to spend money on: the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain (around CAD $75–90 if booked in advance; hiking up Sulphur Mountain and riding down is a free-ish workaround), the Banff Upper Hot Springs (about CAD $17), a Mt Norquay via ferrata or the Cliffsideridge route for adrenaline, or a horseback ride from Warner Stables. If you'd rather head further out, pre-book the Parks Canada shuttle to Moraine Lake. Evening: cheap eats on Banff Avenue and a drink at a locals' pub.

🚌On foot / Banff local bus (Roam Transit)

🛏HI Banff Alpine Centre or Banff International Hostel (dorm)

• →Tunnel Mountain summit hike (free)
• →Optional Banff Gondola (~CAD $80)
• →Banff Upper Hot Springs (~CAD $17)
• →Optional via ferrata at Mt Norquay
• →Optional pre-booked Moraine Lake shuttle

A scenic transfer west through three national parks: Yoho (stop at Takakkaw Falls or Emerald Lake for a short walk), Glacier National Park and Rogers Pass, and Mt Revelstoke National Park. If you can, add a Skytram or the Giant Cedars boardwalk, and watch for the Spiral Tunnels viewpoint near Field. It's about 5.5–6.5 hours of driving with stops, so pick two or three stops max. Note there's no practical public transport on this route, so a shared rental car is the realistic option; otherwise Greyhound-style services no longer run here and Rider Express runs Banff–Calgary only. Overnight at a budget motel in Vernon, e.g. the Days Inn Vernon (same chain as Contiki's pick, ~£75–95 room) or a cheaper motel on Highway 97.

🚌Shared rental car via Trans-Canada Highway 1 through Yoho, Glacier and Revelstoke, ~5.5–6.5 hrs

🛏Days Inn Vernon (or similar), Vernon

• →Yoho: Emerald Lake or Takakkaw Falls walk
• →Rogers Pass & Spiral Tunnels viewpoint
• →Giant Cedars boardwalk, Revelstoke

Drive Highway 97 south through Kelowna and the Okanagan wine country, with a stop at a lakeside beach in Peachland or Penticton, then join the Coquihalla/Highway 5 back to Vancouver (~4.5 hrs total). Alternatively, if you've ditched the car, take the Ebus from Vernon/Kelowna to Vancouver (~5–6 hrs, £35–50). Drop luggage at a downtown hostel — HI Vancouver Central or the Cambie Hostel on Gastown's edge are cheap and central (~£35–50 dorm). Late afternoon: wander Gastown, see the Steam Clock, and walk to Stanley Park to find the totem poles at Brockton Point before sunset.

🚌Shared rental car on Hwy 97 + Hwy 5/Coquihalla (~4.5 hrs) or Ebus Vernon to Vancouver (~£40)

🛏HI Vancouver Central or Cambie Hostel, downtown Vancouver (dorm)

• →Okanagan Valley drive
• →Gastown wander & Steam Clock
• →Stanley Park totem poles at Brockton Point

A full Vancouver day using transit: buy a Compass Day Pass (about CAD $11) and take the SeaBus to the North Shore, then the free Capilano Suspension Bridge shuttle. Capilano Suspension Bridge Park entry is around CAD $70–75 in peak season if booked online (cheaper alternative: Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, free). Afternoon: Granville Island Public Market for a cheap picnic lunch, the seawall walk or bike hire around Stanley Park (bike rental ~CAD $20/hour), and English Bay for sunset. Optional splurge: a Dinner Cruise around Stanley Park from around CAD $100+, or a small helicopter flight from Vancouver Harbour if you're celebrating.

🚌TransLink Day Pass (~CAD $11), SeaBus and free Capilano shuttle

🛏HI Vancouver Central or Cambie Hostel, downtown Vancouver (dorm)

• →Capilano Suspension Bridge Park (~CAD $72) or free Lynn Canyon
• →Granville Island Public Market
• →Stanley Park seawall bike ride (~CAD $20/hr)
• →English Bay sunset

Final morning: a flat coffee-and-pastries breakfast in Mount Pleasant or Commercial Drive, a last wander through Chinatown and the Vancouver Art Gallery plaza, then the Canada Line SkyTrain straight to YVR (about CAD $10, 25 mins) for your flight home. If you have a late flight, leave bags at the hostel and squeeze in a Kitsilano Beach walk or a free walk through Queen Elizabeth Park.

🚌Canada Line SkyTrain to YVR, ~CAD $10

🛏N/A — departure day

• →Mount Pleasant or Commercial Drive breakfast
• →Chinatown wander
• →Optional Kitsilano Beach or Queen Elizabeth Park