8 DAY CANADIAN HEARTLAND: EXPLORING HISTORIC SASKATCHEWAN & ALBERTA
Steeped in history and rich with Aboriginal culture, where wide open prairie meets vibrant cities, Saskatchewan and Alberta, are the pulse of the Canadian Heartland. On this tour visit both provinces for the ultimate cultural experience.
Availability:
September 18, 2022
For details on pricing or to book, contact your local Maritime Travel Advisor.
PLACES VISITED
Calgary, Medicine Hat, Regina, Saskatoon
Start Location: Calgary
End Location: Calgary
TOP HIGHLIGHTS
UNESCO World Heritage Site Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Medalta Museum
Moose Jaw Prohibition Tunnels Tour
Batoche National Historic Site
RCMP Heritage Centre
Calgary City Tour
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
Regina City Tour
Studio Bell National Music Centre
Heritage Park Historical Village
Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park
Wanuskewin Heritage Park
The Fort Museum
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Roundtrip airport transfers in Calgary
Professional Tour Leader
Transportation on deluxe motorcoach
11 meals: 7 breakfasts, 4 dinners
7 nights of accommodation (3.5-4 star)
EXCLUSIONS
5% provincial tax on top of tour base rate
Gratuities to driver (Recommend $3-$4 per person per day)
Gratuities to guide (Recommend $5-$7 per person per day)
Items of a personal nature
Meals not listed
Attractions not listed
Credit card payment fees, where applicable
Airfare — domestic and international (Unless Specified)
Travel insurance (Strongly recommended, ask us for a quote!)
Items of a personal nature
ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrive in Calgary, AB
Welcome to Calgary, a cosmopolitan city rooted in cowboy history and more recently the heart of Canada's oil industry. With two rivers, the Bow and the Elbow running through the centre of the city, Calgary is an active community where the great outdoors and urban living collide.
Overnight: Calgary
Meals: Dinner
Day 2: Calgary, AB
Today we embark on a tour of Calgary and discover the history, arts and culture that define the city. Explore unique communities including Eau Claire, Kensington and Inglewood, named the best neighbourhood in Canada in 2014.We spend time at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre of Canada, which honours and preserves Canadian Music's diverse history through interactive exhibits and displays showcasing all musical genres.This afternoon we step back in time at Heritage Park Historical Village, Canada's largest living history museum. Explore nearly a century of Alberta's history from the fur traders and first nation way of life in 1860 to a more modern time of the 1950's. From the antique midway, the steam train and Gasoline Alley, showcasing one of the largest collections of antique cars in Canada, there is something for everyone at Heritage Park.
Overnight: Calgary
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3: Calgary - Saskatoon, SK
Travelling north east of Calgary, we soon arrive in Drumheller, Alberta. Located in the Badlands of the Red Deer Valley, Drumheller was once a booming Coal town with over 100 active coal mines in the region. Now, it is best known as the home of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. Royal Tyrrell Museum was named after, Joseph Burr Tyrrell, a geologist who accidentally unearthed the first dinosaur fossil in the Red Deer Valley in 1884 while searching for coal seams. Royal Tyrrell opened in 1985 and is a world renowned museum boasting over 130 000 fossils and one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) skeletons in the world. This afternoon we continue through the Badlands to the golden prairies as we cross from Alberta in to the province of Saskatchewan known as Land of Living Skies. Saskatchewan is primarily known for its agriculture production but also has significant oil reserves and is the world's largest producer and exporter of Sylvite, commonly known as Potash. We arrive in Saskatoon, a bustling city with a thriving art scene on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River late this afternoon where the evening will be at your leisure.
Overnight: Calgary
Meals: Breakfast
Day 4: Saskatoon, SK
This morning we travel a short distance north of Saskatoon to Wanuskewin Heritage Park, a place steeped in Aboriginal history. Wanuskewin, which means Gathering Place, is an ancient site dating back 6000 years where nomadic tribes who roamed the Northern Plains came together to hunt, gather food and shelter themselves from the frigid winters. Archaeological sites at Wanuskewin date back 6000 years which make them older than the Egyptian Pyramids. Much of Wanuskewin has been unearthed and preserved, and continues to be discovered with active archaeological digs but a great deal remains undiscovered.We continue onto Batoche National Historic Site, originally a Metis settlement, it has become known for its role in the Northwest Rebellion of 1885. The Northwest Rebellion was a brief uprising by the Metis people, led by Louis Riel and ultimately ending in the definitive battle at the Siege of Batoche. Discover the story of this important moment in Canadian history at Batoche, where bullet holes from that fateful battle can still be seen today.Travelling back in to Saskatoon, we discover the inspiration for the city name, the Saskatoon Berry at a local berry farm. Saskatoon berries are grown primarily in Western Canada and north western regions of the United States. A sweet, dry berry, now used locally for baking and preserves, was once used by Aboriginals to make pemmican, historically, a staple of their diet.Our day ends with a peaceful dinner cruise on the South Saskatchewan River, under the lights of downtown Saskatoon.
Overnight: Saskatoon
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5: Saskatoon - Regina, SK
Departing Saskatoon this morning we travel south to Regina, the capital city of Saskatchewan. The home of Saskatchewan's government, Regina was named originally names Wascana, Cree for 'Buffalo Bones' before being renamed Regina, Latin for 'Queen' in 1882 honouring Queen Victoria.We explore Regina on a city tour featuring the Saskatchewan Legislature, Government house, and the Wascana Centre. Wascana Centre is the largest urban park in North America, more than double the size of Central Park in New York City, honours the original city name and has become an important community space for Regina residents.Our tour of Regina ends at the RCMP Heritage Centre and Depot Academy, the home of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), where RCMP members have trained since 1885 and even today remains the only RCMP training site in Canada.
Overnight: Regina
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6: Regina - Medicine Hat, AB
Heading west on the Trans-Canada Highway, we arrive in Moose Jaw, a small city with a big history. Moose Jaw, home of Canadian Forces Base Moose Jaw which is the base of the world renowned Snow Birds, an Air Force aerobatic flight team. Moose Jaw is also famous of the Tunnels of Moose Jaw, prohibition era tunnels used by Al Capone himself between Chicago and Moose Jaw, which we explore on a guided tour.Continuing west the flat prairie, turns in the rolling hills as we once again cross the Saskatchewan, Alberta border as we arrive back in Alberta and in the small city of Medicine Hat. Home of the 'World's Largest Teepee' and perched along the banks of the South Saskatchewan River, Medicine Hat is a thriving small city. In Medicine Hat, we visit Medalta Museum, showcasing the history of Medicine Hats clay industry. Beginning in 1885, the clay industry in Medicine Hat produced bricks, tile, pipe and cement for much of western Canada and was one of the few industries that managed to survive labour shortages created by WW1.
Overnight: Medicine Hat
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7: Medicine Hat - Calgary, AB
Our first stop today is at Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park and National Historic Site in south eastern Alberta, featuring the largest collection of rock art in North America. Petroglyphs and pictographs carved and painted on sandstone walls record the history of the Blackfoot and Shoshone, dating back thousands of years. We continue on to the small Alberta town of Fort Macleod, home of the Fort Museum of the North West Mounted Police, featuring exhibits curated from over 8,000 artifacts telling the stories of the First Nations people, the early history of the Northwest Mounted Police, and the settlement of the region. Just outside of Fort Macleod, we visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump, one of the world's oldest, largest, and best preserved buffalo jumps. The Jump bears witness to a method of hunting practiced by native people of the North American plains for nearly 6,000 years. Finally, we travel north to Calgary where we enjoy a special farewell dinner and reflect on our journey.
Overnight: Calgary
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8: Depart Calgary, AB
Following breakfast, bid farewell to your fellow travellers as you begin your return journey.
Meals: Breakfast
*Terms & Conditions:
Itinerary is subject to change. Terms and conditions may apply.
Note: Our tours are planned one year in advance and occasionally the itinerary may need to be adjusted, or schedule changes may occur. Tour management reserves the right to make any adjustments in plans, which may be necessitated due to circumstances beyond our control. The tour organizer reserves the right to make any changes before or during the tour for the comfort and enjoyment of the passengers.