JoaSolo

Hi all!

My name is Joachim and I'm a 21 y/o student from the Netherlands.
Always wanted to visit Canada to explore its wildlife and wilderness (western Canada).
I think it's quite the challenge, as I would visit the country without car (won't have my licence long enough).

I booked a retour to Toronto for the dates Aug 19 - Sep 4. That's the only thing I've booked so far, so the rest is open for suggestions.
Not planning to stay in Toronto for long though, as I'm more interested in western Canada for the beautiful flora and fauna!
Secondly, I like to discover as much as possible. I'm on my own so I don't mind a serious roadtrip by public transport and domestic flights.

I've done a lot of research already (can never be enough ). This includes an itinerary as well which I'd like to share!

Aug 20
Arrive in Toronto

Aug 21
Visit the Niagara Falls (day tour)

Aug 22
FLIGHT Toronto -> Vancouver

Aug 23
Take the seaplane from Vancouver Harbour -> Tofino

Aug 24, 25
Tofino

Aug 26
A. VIconnector: Tofino -> Nanaimo --- Shuttle is on daily basis
B. Ferry: Nanaimo -> Vancouver

Aug 27[
Vancouver

Aug 28
VIArail train Vancouver -> Jasper (departs 15:00 pm)

Aug 29
Arrive in Jasper

Aug 30, 31, Sep 1
Jasper National Park

Sep 2
Brewster shuttle: Jasper -> Calgary (Icefield Parkways) --- Shuttle is on daily basis

Sep 3
FLIGHT: Calgary -> Toronto

Sep 4
FLIGHT back home

Additional information:
- Accommodations are no issue
- I can rent a bike to move around more
- Domestic flights would be with Lynx
- I do like cities, but highlights is enough - .That's why my stops in Toronto and Vancouver are short and I don't mind missing out on some things in the cities.

Disclaimer: I am aware Canada is a big country and I included a lot of stops.
Two domestic flights, seaplane, two big bus tours and a very long train is not nothing.
I did my best to reduce the consequence when transport goes wrong though. I know Europe is known for it's precise public transport - not expecting this level in Canada!
Aside from changing accommodations, I should survive any delay of one day without huge expenses.
However, that's just my take! And while I may have searched on the internet a lot, I don't live in Canada!

I would really want to know what the risks are in my itinerary. The last thing I want is to get stuck somewhere or sacrificing my wallet.
And of course, suggestions are welcome. Recommendations for alternatives, moving dates or anything will help!! Last but not least, I have a preference for VI & Rockies - they seem to be nice places to spot wildlife as well which is one of my main goals.

Thanks in advance!!

jrhind3166

My recommendation would be so fly directly to western Canada and make your way from Calgary to Vancouver Island and then fly home out of Vancouver.
Calgary has Heritage Park and the Stampede in July but it’s best to get to Canmore/Banff/Lake Louise and follow the highway through BC to Vancouver then get to Victoria/Tofino back to Vancouver and home
the mountains are unbelievable. There is so much to do and see. Revelstome/Kamloops are great
i do a lot of solo travel and to have a good vacation it is better to pick the region you want to see the most. Niagara Falls is a 3 hour excursion and Toronto has a couple of museums. May be best to save Toronto for an Eastern Canada trip another time or choose Montreal instead of Toronto. More Character

Southam

If you can rearrange your flights, travel to Vancouver as directly as possible. Then fly home from either Calgary or Edmonton. There will probably be less choice than from Toronto or Vancouver but you will save a major amount of time. You indicated that you are new to long-distance travel so you may not know about multi-destination routing. You should be able to buy one ticket that takes you into one city and home from another. The itinerary often costs about the same as a simple round trip, considering you don't pay to return to your original arrival city. And the time saved is considerable. Many airlines and on-line agencies put together these complicated itineraries, They have to be located through a multi-destination search function (do not try to purchase the various legs separately.)