Yelpir

Hi
I am planning two weeks in Western Canada sometime in the summer of 2011, covering Vancouver, Victoria and the Rockies. I considered an organised tour but they are too expensive for my budget so I am looking into going it alone.

I would be flying into Vancouver from South Africa. My rough itinerary would be as follows:
2 nights Vancouver
2 nights Victoria
1 night en route to Banff
2 nights Banff
2 nights Lake Louise
2 nights Jasper
1 night en route to Vancouver
Fly out from Vancouver.

Questions:
What would be the cheapest way to get from Vancouver to Banff?
What would be the cheapest way to get from Jasper to Vancouver?
Any suggestions regarding 3* accommodation at each place?
Is it necessary to have a car in the Rockies or can one get from place to place on public transport?
Which would be the best month (between May and September) to do it (my primary interest is in photographing beautiful scenery)?
If one hires a car, would it be better to do a circle so that one hires and drops off in Banff (meaning that one returns from Banff to Vancouver rather than from Jaspar)?

Many thanks in anticipation

krp329

Check into an "open jaw" ticket for your flight - fly into Calgary and out of Vancouver, or vice versa. It's often not a lot more than a return ticket, and saves you the expense and time of getting back to the original airport.

Cheapest transportation between Vancouver and Banff would be the Greyhound bus .... www.greyhound.ca (Actually, cheapest would be hitch-hiking, but that's probably not what you meant.)

I would suggest coming in late September - there is a quality of the light in the Rockies at that time of year that is wonderful, and you will get some fall colour (yellow aspens) and probably a dusting of snow on the peaks. It's also a slightly less expensive time of year, with the tourist season winding down, but all the attractions and seasonal roads are still open. In May and early June, the glacial lakes are still frozen, so no turquoise water photos, and some roads are not yet open. July and August are peak season, which is more expensive.

Banff and Jasper National Park are HUGE areas, and it's hard to see much without a car. In Jasper NP in particular, the main scenic attractions all seem to be about an hour's drive from town. There are tours you can take, but these get pretty expensive. You might want to consider taking public transportation between destinations, and renting a car for occasional days. Between Banff and Jasper, Brewster Tours operates a day tour by bus, with a stop at the Columbia Icefields. Greyhound's website shows that you can get from Banff to Jasper with them, but they do not travel up the Icefields Parkway - they go from Banff to Calgary, Calgary to Edmonton, then Edmonton to Jasper.

For inexpensive accommodation in Jasper, you might want to consider private home accommodation (PHA) - a room or suite in a resident's home: www.stayinjasper.com . These are usually about half the cost (or less) than a hotel room. A room with private bath would run $80 - $100; one with a shared bath would be $60 - $80. If you come later in September and would rather not book ahead, there are often a lot of vacancies posted on the PHA vacancy list at the visitor information centre - and lots of good deals. There are courtesy phones so that you can phone around to book.

Yelpir

Hi krp329. Thank you so much for your comprehensive and valuable reply. You really have helped me a lot. I have now begun the detailed planning, based mainly on your recommendations

krp329

You're welcome! Just holler if you have any more questions and I'll try to answer them.

rosetravels

I would be inclined to cut a night from Victoria and add it to Banff or Jasper. Victoria is not that big of a city and you're not there long enough (and it sounds as if you won't have a car there) to see Vancouver Island. The trip to Victoria is lovely, as you see the Gulf Islands, but I get bored quickly in Victoria. I'd suggest you cut it out entirely but you probably won't be back to this part of the world for a long time!

Yelpir

Hi rosetravels, thanks for your advice.
I visited Victoria in the 60s and liked it, but I probably wouldn't have gone back there this time around. However, my travelling companion is very keen to see the Butchart Gardens, so I included one day in Victoria for that. She has, however, agreed to adding an extra day in Banff and another in Jasper
You are right, we are not planning to have a car in either Vancouver or Victoria. I think I can manage driving on the right-hand side of the road out of the big cities, but I don't think I could cope with it in heavy traffic.
The current plan is:
Day 1: Land at Vancouver airport (she will be coming in from Australia and I will be coming in from South Africa via Heathrow) and immediately make our way to Victoria, where we will spend 2 nights.
Day 2: The full day that we have in Victoria will be spent in the Butchart Gardens with, maybe, a bus tour around the island (if that is even possible).
Day 3: Take the Greyhound bus to Banff. Overnight in Banff.
Day 4: Hire a car in Banff and spend the day exploring that area. Overnight in Banff.
Day 5: Exploring around Banff. Overnight in Banff.
Day 6: Drive to Lake Louise and stay for 2 nights.
Day 7: In and around Lake Louise.
Day 8: Drive to Jasper and stay for 3 nights
Day 9: In and around Jasper.
Day 10: In and around Jasper.
Day 11: Drive back to Banff and drop off the car. Overnight in Banff.
Day 12: Take the Greyhound back to Vancouver. Overnight in Vancouver.
Day 13: Exploring Vancouver. Overnight in Vancouver.
Day 14: Fly out; one to Australia and one to South Africa