How we spent two weeks in Canada
We spent two weeks travelling around Canada at the end of August 2025. It’s a trip we’d wanted to take for a few years, but since we’re not into winter sports, we knew we needed to wait until the summer months when outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, and paddle boarding are more easily accessible thanks to the snow melting.
British Columbia and Alberta, where we travelled to, only get three or four months of summer. So this is definitely something to consider when planning your trip (find our full packing list here). It’s also notoriously expensive, especially when it comes to food and accommodation. But it’s worth every penny. Canada is a beautiful country, and I’m so glad we finally made it.
This is our full two week Canada itinerary, with our highlights in each place we stopped.
Days 1-5: Vancouver Island
We landed in Vancouver at about 1pm and got the ferry to Nanaimo, Vancouver Island from Vancouver Bay with Hullo ferries, which cost $55 (CAD) per person. The ferry takes about 1 hour, and there are other options if you’re travelling with a car including BC ferries from Tsawwassen or BC Ferries from Horseshoe Bay.
Day 1: Nanaimo to Ucluelet
Our friends picked us up from Nanaimo port and we set off for Ucluelet. Our first stop was Goats on Roof, an affordable local shop with great ice cream and, as the name suggests, goats on the roof!.
Next, we stopped at Cameron Lake followed by Wally Creek, and finally the Kennedy river viewpoint for sunset. We arrived at NOMAD cottage in Ucluelet at about 9:30pm, ready to sleep after a long day of travelling.
Day 2: Ucluelet
In the morning, we were up early to walk the Ucluelet Lighthouse Loop before our kayaking tour. The loop is about 3km and can easily be completed in under an hour. It takes you along the peaceful coastline and past the old Ucluelet lighthouse.
At 8:30am we arrived at Ucluelet harbour for a 5-hour sea kayaking tour with Hello Nature. It cost $195 CAD per person including a home-made lunch, and was an amazing experience. Kayaking is hard work! But we saw sea lions, harbour seals, eagles, and wild salmon and stopped at a remote beach on the edge of First Nations territory for lunch. We were back in the harbour by 2:30pm.
Book your kayak tour with Hello Nature here.
Our next stop was Wickaninnish beach and the Rainforest Trail in Pacific Rim National Park on the way to Tofino.
In Tofino we stayed at The Flats, a self-contained Airbnb overlooking the mud flats. It was perfect for two couples as the second en-suite room has its own floor and entrance door, as well as a hot tub with fairy lights and outdoor shower.
From the kitchen window/balcony we saw bears crossing the mud flats at low tide in the evening and morning, which was an incredible sight to see on our first days in Canada. That night, we went for dinner at Wolf in the Fog, one of the best restaurants in Tofino.
Day 3: Tofino
We walked the Tonquin trail, which took about 1.5 hours to walk about 4km. We followed the trail from Tonquin Beach to Third Beach and Middle Beach and back, stopping for photos and view points.
We then headed into Tofino and wandered for an hour, picking up pizza slices for lunch from Adriana’s.
That afternoon, we went to Cox Bay Beach for sunbathing and surfing before hiking up to Cox Bay Lookout for sunset. The walk only took about 20 minutes to the top, but it’s very muddy and does get steep in places. It’s an amazing place to watch the sun set, but that does mean you’re heading back down in fading light, so bring a torch!
Day 4: Tofino to Victoria
On day four we were up early again, starting our bear and wildlife watching tour with The Whale Centre at 7:30am. It cost $160 per person for 2.5 hours, and we were back at 10:30am. It’s recommended to get the earliest tour of the day, as this is when bears are most likely to be out on the shores looking for food.
We saw our first bear within 20 minutes, and another about 10 minutes later. We also saw lots of seals, a bald eagle, and even a grey whale and a whole raft of otters as we made our way back to the harbour.
Next, we headed to Tofitian for coffee followed by Tacofino for lunch to fuel up for our five our drive to Victoria.
On the way, we stopped at Taylor River Rest Area for about an hour. This was one of my favourite things we did in Vancouver Island. The crystal clear water is a perfect place to swim or paddle board (although it’s very cold!) and there were lots of families out enjoying the sun on the afternoon that we stopped in.
Next we went to the Stamp River salmon ladder, where salmon leap upstream during the salmon run. Sadly we were a week or so early, so we saw no leaping salmon but quite a few swimming ones!
The final stop of the day was Cathedral Grove, a 15-20min walk through amazing towering trees. From here, the drive to Victoria took about 2 hours.
Day 5: Victoria
We started our first morning in Victoria with a whale and wildlife cruise with Eagle Wing Tours.
We met at 9am at Fisherman’s Wharf, and quickly saw sea lions, harbour seals, porpoises, humpback whales, and an elephant seal out swimming in the straight, which the guide had never witnessed before. Later, we follows an orca that was swimming along the coastline just outside of Victoria.
You can book the same tour here. It’s run by very informative marine biologists who can tell you everything about the local wildlife.
We were back at the harbour at 12:30/1ish and headed for lunch at Nourish, a health food cafe, before going paddle boarding in Oak Bay for the afternoon.
On our last night in Vancouver Island, we had dinner at Sen Zushi which had been recommended by locals. The food here is amazing and really good value.
Find out more about our five days on Vancouver Island and the activities we did here.
Days 6-10: Banff
We flew from Victoria to Calgary, which takes about 1 hour and cost under £100 per person including baggage. It’s very popular to drive around Canada, but it takes a very long time and the car ferry from Vancouver Island to the mainland is very expensive, so it’s far more time- and cost-effective to fly. We then collected our hire car from National, which cost about £350 for 8 days.
Day 6: Calgary to Canmore
The drive from Calgary to Canmore takes about an hour, and our first stop was for bear spray. It’s a legal requirement to carry bear spray while hiking in Canada and since there were recent bear sightings in almost every place that we hiked, it’s worth shelling out the $80 it costs to stay safe. We didn’t use ours, fortunately, and gave it to a family arriving in Calgary airport when we left a week later.
In Canmore, we stayed at the Basecamp Lodge which cost about £1000 for 4 nights. Accommodation in this area is insanely expensive, but Basecamp was nice, clean, well located, and the bed was super comfy. We didn’t use it, but it also had a sauna which would be great in the colder months.
After unloading the car, we headed straight out to the Grassi Lakes Upper hike, following the ‘interpretive trail; up and flat route back down. It took us about 50min to cover 3.5km including stops. The walk was steep but not challenging, and we were short on time but could easily have spent 1.5-2 hours here.
Next, we drove 45 minutes to the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain for sunset. During summer they have the sunset festival with live music from 6pm. Gondola takes 8min and costs about $90/£50 per person but gets more expensive the later you leave it, so book in advance. You can hike up, but it’s not a particularly interesting trail. We stayed here for about 2 hours and were able to get the gondola back down without waiting until the time we had booked.
You can book your tickets for the Banff Gondola here.
Day 7: Yoho National Park
Yoho National Park is about a 1.5 hour drive from Canmore, and is often overlooked in favour of the more popular Banff National Park. But we loved it here. Our first stop was the Wapta Falls trailhead.
It took just under an hour to cover the 4.25km out and back walk. We went to the falls viewpoint but you can go right down to the river, which would add another 30-60 minutes depending how long you stayed. The falls themselves are impressive, but the walk isn’t that interesting.
Next we drove to Emerald Lake, stopping for about 15 minutes at the natural bridge over Kicking Horse River. Parking is limited at Emerald Lake, and we had to walk 5-10min to the car park from where we parked on the side of the road. The walk around the incredible blue lake is a flat 5km loop but we just stopped for lunch and a short stroll along the shore.
We then drove 30min drive to Takakkaw Falls, where the walk to the base of the falls takes about 10minutes. It’s a flat, easy walk but the spray from the pounding waterfall is cold and creates a breeze, so take a layer even if it’s a hot day!
We then drove 30min to Sherbrooke Lake, but the rain came and we didn’t fancy a 6km hike getting soaking wet so we missed it. Instead, we drove back to Canmore for dinner and amazing craft cocktails at Where the Buffalo Roam.
Day 8: Lake Louise and Lake Moraine
The best way to see these two lakes in one day is to get a shuttle from the Lake Louise park and ride, which also includes a shuttle between the two lakes. You can book these in advance but if advance tickets sell out you’ll need to be online at 7am (Calgary time) to get one of the final 40% of passes that go on sale 48 hours ahead of the date you want to visit. They sell out fast so be online, with an account already set up and logged in, at 7am sharp to secure a place.
The shuttle costs about $15 per person which covers your travel for the day (not including your drive to and from the park and ride!) If you miss the Parks Canada shuttle tickets, you can still get a shuttle with alternative companies that run very similar services in the area.
It takes about 15 min on the bus from Lake Louise park and ride to Lake Louise lakeside.
We did the little beehive out and back trail, which is about 10km and took 3 hours although our moving time was only 2 hours 15 minutes. We took a lot of photo stops and had a snack break at the Lake Agnes tea house (which doesn’t sell coffee!) as we weren’t in a rush to complete the hike.
The connector shuttle to Moraine Lake takes 20min, and the rockpile walk takes less than 10 min to the top with incredible views over the bright blue glacial water. There are lots of hikes you can do here but we just wandered along the lakeshore for 45min to an hour.
The shuttle back to the park and ride takes 20-30 minutes, and we headed home for dinner at The Local in Canmore.
Find out more about our favourite hikes in Canada here.
Day 9: Kananaskis National Park
There was a bear warning in Kananaskis when we were there, meaning that some of the hiking routes were closed. This park is a local favourite, so we still wanted to see the trails that were open.
We drove an hour to the Ptarmigan Cirque trail which took an hour. During our visit, there was a pause on Parks Passes but if you’re entering the Kananaskis, then a Kananaskis Conservation Pass is needed, which costs $15.75.
After the hike we stopped for lunch at Upper Kananaskis Lake, where you can go swimming and paddle boarding or boating if you want. The lake is beautiful, but the hiking route along the shore was closed due to bear sightings.
Instead, we went to the Blackshale Creek Suspension Bridge, which is free (this is unusual as many of the suspension bridges in Canada are very expensive to access. It’s only a 15 minute walk from the roadside parking, and as we were leaving we spotted a grizzly bear eating from the bushes on the side of the road.
That evening, we walked the Canmore river trail which was beautiful and peaceful, then went for dinner at the incredible Ankor restaurant.
Day 10: Banff to Abraham Lake, Jasper
Rather than driving directly to Jasper from Banff, we spent a night at the peaceful Aurum Lodge on Abraham Lake. Before heading off, we stopped in Banff town for a quick wander. We were going to visit the hot springs, but the weather was so warm we ended up missing this.
Instead, we drove an hour to Bow Lake, which was very busy but a beautiful place to stop for lunch. We then drove on another 5 minutes to the even busier Peyto Lake Lookout. We were here for about 45min. Walking up to the viewpoint takes about 15min each way, and the view over the lake is incredible. You can also take the break in the fence through the woods to get below the platform for a less-busy photo
Our next stop was Mistaya Canyon, which is only a 10 min walk from the car park. There does come a point in Canada when you’ve seen enough waterfalls, though!
Days 11-12: Jasper
Day 11: Columbia Icefields
We drove along Icefields Parkway in the direction of Jasper, stopping to complete the Wilcox Pass hike. This was one of my favourite walks in Canada. The 9.5km route took about 3 hours including stops. It’s steep in places, but generally easy and the view looking out over the Athabasca glacier is incredible. In fact, if you complete this walk there is no reason to pay to walk along the icefields sky walk as you’ll get a better view from Wilcox Pass.
It’s then a 5min drive on to the toe of the Athabasca glacier, where you can walk 10-15 minutes right up to the point where the glacier turns to water. There are signs along the path saying how much the glacier has shrunk… 2km in 50 years at a rate of about 5m per year!
Our next stops were Sunwapta Falls and Athabasca Falls which each took about 15 minutes, before driving on to Becker’s chalets. We stayed here for two nights, which cost around $570/£300 (£150 per night) for a one bedroom chalet with kitchenette.
The restaurant there serves great food and cocktails, and though it’s not mega cheap it is good quality and very convenient.
Day 12: Jasper’s lakes
In 2024, Jasper was badly burned by wildfires. And as you drive around the area you can see the devastation, from acres of burned trees to burned down houses and empty lots that are being rebuilt. During our visit, there were more wildfires in the northwest of Canada, which caused a lot of smoke and fog in the sky.
As a result, it wasn’t a great day for hiking or sight seeing, but we still headed out to Maligne Lake. Here, we did the Moose Lake Loop which takes about 45min including a stop at the lake. Sadly we didn’t see any moose, but apparently this is a very common place to spot them.
Nearby is also the Bald Hills hike, but since the view was smoky and we’d just done another 10km hike the day before we opted for this shorter trail instead.
We then made a 15min stop at Medicine Lake and Beauvert Lake before driving into Jasper to wander around the town. The Miette hot springs are a popular tourist spot here, but we chose to give it a miss.
Find out more about our eight days in Banff and Jasper here.
Days 13-14: Vancouver
Instead of driving to Vancouver, we went back to Calgary (which takes about 4.5 hours from Jasper) and flew instead. This took about an hour and cost about £30 per person, making it much more time- and cost-effective than driving – especially since we knew we didn’t need a car in Vancouver.
Day 13-14: Jasper to Calgary to Vancouver
The drive to Calgary from Jasper is a good opportunity to stop at anywhere you missed on the way out, for example Goats and Glacers, Herbert Lake, and Waterfowl Lakes. We landed in Vancouver in time to head out for dinner. We were staying at Level in Yaletown, which cost about £250 per night for a full suite including a kitchen. Vancouver is not a cheap place to stay! But we liked Yaletown, and ate at Oshi Nori which was only a 10 minute walk from the hote.
Day 14: Vancouver sight-seeing
We packed a lot into our only full day in Vancouver!
In the morning, we walked through downtown and hired a bike to ride around Stanley Park for 2 hours ($36 for 2 from Yes). We cycled along the coast, stopping at English Beach before heading back to drop off our bikes.
Next, we walked around Gastown, and then caught a boat to Granville Island ($8 each) where we wandered around the island and stopped for drinks at Granville Island Brewing.
We then caught another boat to Kitsilano Beach ($6 per person) where we relaxed by the sea for about an hour.
That evening, we went back into Gastown for cocktails and then had dinner at Nightingale, a highly-rated local restaurant with amazing food.
Find out more about our two days in Vancouver here.
Note: I chose and paid for my kayaking and wildlife tours and Banff Gondola tickets independently. This post is not an advertorial and is a true reflection of my experience with Hello Nature, Eagle Wing Tours, and Banff Gondola. However, if you book yours through my Viator link, I might make a little bit of money through affiliation.