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Canada
The outdoors next door Iconic attractions within easy reach of the city p47;
Family Youngster-friendly options p50; News Suppliers and operators p53
o
lumbia
T
ourism British C
Orcas breaching, Vancouver Island
Nature on
single highway, which runs alongside some
fabulous beaches. Activities include whale-
watching, sea kayaking, surfing, fishing and
hiking. Driving takes around six hours;
flying in a twin-prop plane takes an hour.
the doorstep
Sample price: 1st Class Holidays has a day trip
to Whistler from £72, while a whale-watching
tour is priced at £80. Vancouver hotels start
at £55 per room per night.
Many of Canada’s top natural attractions are easily ■ 1stclassholidays.com
accessible from a city base. Rob Gill reports
Flights: Air Transat’s one-way fares to
Vancouver start at £151.
V
isiting the world’s second-largest Two to three hours ■ transatholidays.co.uk
country can mean spending a lot Whistler is a two-hour drive – this will soon
of time travelling. But there is be quicker thanks to highway improvements
CALGARY.
fantastic scenery and wildlife in for next year’s Winter Olympics. Or suggest The Albertan city, best known for the
the vicinity of Canada’s major cities. Here the Whistler Mountaineer train. Stampede which celebrates the cowboy
are some great options within easy reach. Summer activities lifestyle every July, is the gateway to the
include the “ziptrek” Rockies, making it a great base.
VANCOUVER.
treetop tour, mountain
Within one hour biking and off-roading. Within one hour
Just 30 minutes after leaving downtown The mountains of Kananaskis are where the
Vancouver, tourists can be onboard a Zodiac Four hours or more Oscar-winning movie Brokeback Mountain was
speedboat exploring the Gulf and San Juan Vancouver Island’s shot. For an authentic cowboy experience,
islands, famed for their large pods of orcas. isolated west coast com- working ranches close to Calgary can be
For an alpine experience, take the cable car munities of Ucluelet and booked through specialists such as American
up nearby Grouse mountain. Tofino are connected by a “Ziptrekking” in Whistler, BC Round-up and some mainstream operators.
03.04.2009 47
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