7 days / 6 nights includes Pow Wow or Rodeo!
Departure every Saturday between May 19 and August 25, 2006

Itinerary

Day 1 Saturday – Home – Calgary – Guest Ranch (L, D)
You are met at Calgary arrival point in the morning, and transported across Alberta's rolling countryside to a rustic Guest Ranch where you’ll spend the next six nights.

After a hearty lunch, where you meet and get acquainted with the other tour guests, you'll have the opportunity to take a trail ride in the area. The Guest Ranch has horses to satisfy the expert to novice rider.

Once back from your trail ride you can relax on the deck or take a hike in this wilderness wonderland. Then it’s time to enjoy the very best of western hospitality, including our welcoming dinner, before spending a restful night in this western hideaway.

Day 2 Sunday, Rodeo Day! (B, L, D)
Get up early to help with feeding and grooming the horses, or spend a little extra time relaxing in your comfortable bed. Then, after a satisfying breakfast, it’s off to a Traditional Rodeo, or perhaps a Native American Powwow and Rodeo.

You will spend the day enjoying the exhilaration and excitement of bucking broncos, bull riders, steer wrestlers, calf ropers, and barrel racers. Don't forget that your tour guides are also professional photographers. In addition, you will have the opportunity to meet some of the rodeo cowboys and clowns for conversation and photographs.

Day 3 Monday, Guest Ranch/Banff/Guest Ranch (B, L, D)
After your morning trail ride or leisurely meander around the Guest Ranch, and another of those wonderful lunches, we’re off to the town of Banff. Your visit will include a gondola ride to the summit of Sulphur Mountain, Banff Springs Hotel, and time in Banff town for some unique shopping.

Day 4 Tuesday, Guest Ranch – Calgary – Guest Ranch (B, L, D)
We spend today in Calgary. Our first stop is The Canadian Wilds Exhibit at the Calgary Zoo. You will wander through this immersion habitat featuring animals from the Aspen Woodlands to the Rocky Mountains. It is a perfect location to start your wildlife viewing; get a close-up view of mountain goats, cougars and grizzlies, wolves and wood bison, as well as one of North America’s most endangered species—the whooping crane.

Lunchtime dining at The Calgary Tower's famous revolving dining lounge. After lunch, it's off to Heritage Park and a guided tour of this real frontier town.

As a special treat tonight you enjoy dinner at Ranchman's Restaurant. Often referred to as Canada's Greatest Honky Tonk and Country Nightclub, Ranchman's is the Official Hospitality Location of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association. Ranchman's proudly displays over sixty championship trophy saddles of Canadian and World champions.

Then it's back to the Guest Ranch for a great night's sleep before another full day of fun and enjoyment.

Day 5 Wednesday, Guest Ranch and surrounding area (B, L, D)
After another of the wonderful breakfasts that you’ve become accustomed to, you have the opportunity to enjoy another trail ride. Or, if yesterday’s activities were just too much fun, you can relax on the deck or take a quiet hike before lunch.

The afternoon provides you with a choice of activities. You can take a guided hike with licensed naturalists through the Sunshine Meadows, oryou may want to go white-water rafting in the Kananaskis Valley. This is a great experience for families, or as a group outing. Both the Kananaskis and Elbow Rivers are beautiful rivers consisting of grade I - III rapids (gentle to intermediate) and appropriate for first-time paddlers. You may prefer to enjoy a trail ride, or relax on the deck, or take a leisurely hike around the familiar environment of the Guest Ranch.

Day 6 Thursday, Guest Ranch/Columbia Icefields/Lake Louise/Guest Ranch
(B, L, D)
Today you will experience the incomparable beauty of the rugged and majestic Rocky Mountains. Our first stop is the Columbia Icefields, an area of glacial ice covering some 390 sq. km with a maximum depth of 365 m (1210 ft). Bigger than the City of Vancouver, the continuous accumulation of snow feeds eight major glaciers and its meltwater feeds streams and rivers that pour into the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans. You will take a tour of the icy slopes in a specially designed Snocoach that goes to the middle of the glacier on a 5 kilometer round trip journey. Your driver/guide will explain how glaciers are formed and point out interesting geological features as you travel in safety and comfort. At the icefall below the glacier headwall, you will have the option of stepping out onto ice formed from snow that fell as long as 400 years ago.

After lunch at the Icefields, it's a short trip to your first view of the imposing Victoria Glacier nestled behind beautiful Lake Louise. You will be left with no doubt as to why this is known as the "Jewel of the Rockies." Not only have international royalty, Hollywood stars and heads of state come to Lake Louise to relax, but increasingly the rest of the world is discovering its simple charms as well. Lake Louise, with its blue-green water set against the stark backdrop of Victoria Glacier, is probably the most beloved and most photographed scene in the Canadian Rockies. Chateau Lake Louise presents lakeside views of the glacier, while offering old-world charm and elegance amidst the wilderness.
Then it's back to the Guest ranch where, after a leisurely dinner, you can settle into your comfortable accommodations, and enjoy a good night's rest in preparation for another full day tomorrow.

Day 7 Friday, time to depart Guest Ranch for your home! (B, L, D)
After breakfast, you can go on a trail ride, savour the majestic scenery on the beautiful hiking trails as you watch for birds and wildlife, or just sit back and soak it all in. The morning, and the choice, is yours.

Then, after lunch, the next leg of your journey is a drive through Kananaskis Country. This is an unspoiled paradise of towering mountains, pristine lakes, evergreen valleys, and glacial streams. The name Kananaskis is rich with history. Captain John Palliser, an early explorer of the valley, identified the area by taking the name of a local Indian. Palliser wrote that he had heard of an Indian named Kananaskis, "giving an account of a most wonderful recovery from the blow of an axe to the head, which stunned but failed to kill him."

Located in the midst of the beautiful Kananaskis Valley is Boundary Ranch, a perfect venue to stop for an afternoon break amidst the surrounding beauty. The ranch is located on Highway 40 just five minutes south of the Kananaskis Village, and Calgary is just an hour away.

At the end of the day (5:00 pm or so) you arrive back in Calgary, where we'll be happy to deliver you to your onward location.

Prices for our 2006 tours will be available mid December 2005

Deposit: $500 due at booking, fully refundable until 31 days before departure

Balance due: 30 days before departure

Inclusions:
All meals, accommodation, transportation, and admissions (including gratuities); Calgary pick-up; Lunch at the Calgary Tower Revolving restaurant; Guided tour and visit to Heritage Park; 6 Nights at a Guest Ranch in the foothills of the Rockies; Columbia Ice Fields, Lake Louise and ½ Day tour & visit to Banff; escorted visit to the Canadian Wildlife Exhibit at the Calgary Zoo; 1 Day Rodeo and/or Native American Powwow; ½ Day Mountain Hike or White-water Rafting; four (4) Trail Rides; Tour of Kananaskis Country; Professional photographer in attendance at all scheduled locations; Calgary drop-off.

Exclusions:
Airfare from the city of your choice; any airport departure taxes; tour add-ons; items of a personal nature; alcohol and food outside provided meals; travel insurance; optional activities; baggage handling; items not mentioned as included in the program.

*GST (7% Goods and Services Tax) is EXCLUDED for international visitors who sign a GST waiver form in advance of arrival.

AgriTours Canada Inc. reserves the right to adjust the program if due to circumstances beyond our control, accommodations, technical visits or other components of the tour are required to be changed. AgriTours Canada will replace or supplement in case or cases of such changes, with inclusions of equal or higher value.