How much time do people usually spend in the Rockies?
When planning a trip, all travellers have to consider how much free time they have available. Often, there is some form of time constraint that needs to be considered. Whether you are retired, have unlimited vacation days, or also want to see more of Canada or North America, there is almost always a date that you need to return home by.
This is why some guests find that they usually have less than a week, or just a few days to spend in the Rockies. But a short timeline is no reason to miss out on the one-of-a-kind destinations that draw people to the Rockies each year!
What kind of tour should I choose if I can only spend a few days in the Rockies?
For any vacation, the best advice is to make sure that you don’t sacrifice quality for duration. In other words, you should insist on a tour that both fits your timeframe for travelling, and also allows you to enjoy the main highlights at your destination.
To some, it may come as a surprise that our bestselling tours have a relatively short duration – 4 days/3 nights. But in reality, this short timeframe is the key behind the popularity: it fits many vacationers’ travel plans, and provides them with an excellent overview of the highlights in the Canadian Rockies!
What are the essential elements of a great tour to the Rockies?
There are several important features that will determine how enjoyable a shorter tour can be. With this in mind, several considerations are important to travellers:
1) A comfortable way to travel. With Key West Travel, guests travel in large, luxury coaches that not only ensure a smooth and comfortable trip, but also have an onboard washroom, air conditioning, and an audio/video system.
2) The company of like-minded people. While student tours have many merits, our tours are usually enjoyed by the more mature traveller who prefers a leisurely pace.
3) Experienced tour directors. All of our tours are led by professional tour directors who have a wealth of knowledge about the locations you will see. After each tour, we receive countless compliments about their friendly attitude and great sense of humour!
4) Accommodation in the heart of the Rockies. At Key West Travel, all of our tours will spend one night in Jasper, Banff, and Lake Louise (the three main towns in the Rockies), in hotels located in the heart of each town. This means that you won’t have to worry about commuting into town from outlying areas, which will cut down on wasted time and let you make the most of each day!
5) A well-planned itinerary. Longer tours also include stops in Jasper, Banff, and Lake Louise, but will usually spend 2 nights or more in each area. While there are definitely several amazing activities to do in each area, the towns are quite small, and if you have limited time, spending only one night in each town is ideal!
What activities will I have time for on a short tour to the Rockies?
On a Key West tour, you will have an excellent opportunity to experience the main attractions in the Rockies. In Jasper National Park, you will walk or hike in Maligne Canyon, see the Athabasca Falls, and enjoy scenic drives on the Icefields Parkway. At the Columbia Icefields, you can travel in the Ice Explorer to the middle of the Athabasca glacier, or take in breathtaking views on the Glacier Skywalk. In Banff, you can see beautiful Moraine Lake, decide to relax in the Upper Hot Springs, or go on a gondola ride. These are just some of the many highlights you will see in each of these stunning locations!
The itinerary also gives guests the time to explore these sites on their own, because just like longer tours, our 4-day tours includes lengthy visits to each site (another advantage of staying in centrally-located hotels: your commute will be very short!).
The Canadian Rockies are an amazing place to visit, and our 4-day tours are an excellent choice for those wanting to make the most of their time in the Rockies.