Destination: Canada

Itinerary: Best of the West

THREE TO FOUR WEEKS/BRITISH COLUMBIA & ALBERTA

Vancouver, the Inland Passage and the Rocky Mountains: prepare to feast on a smorgasbord of scenic delights on this 3000km traipse around British Columbia and Alberta. Allow at least three weeks for this epic journey by boat, car and train.

Start with a couple of days in dynamic Vancouver, where you'll be spoiled for choice by superb sights and western Canada's best cuisine scene. Hop on a ferry to Victoria, fill up with tea and crumpets, then rent a car and head north. On Vancouver Island you can sea kayak and dive off Quadra Island, hike and boat in Strathcona Provincial Park, absorb First Nations culture at Alert Bay and spot orcas off Port McNeill and Port Hardy. Port Hardy is also where you'll catch the ferry for an unforgettable journey through the Inside Passage to Prince Rupert, past ice-coated mountain peaks and rugged islands draped in dense forest. Grab binoculars for close-ups of eagles, whales, porpoises, seals and other wildlife. Prince Rupert is the jumping- off point to the mist-shrouded and mysterious Queen Charlotte Islands, with their unique ecosystems, old-growth forest and ancient aboriginal villages and totems. If you've got an extra five days, this is a must-do.

Otherwise, it's time to board VIA Rail's Skeena, which chugs past rivers, lakes and glacier-edged mountains on its two-day journey from Prince Rupert to Jasper, where you should rent another car. The national parks of Jasper and Banff form the dramatic core of the Canadian Rockies. You'll want to spend several days hiking, horseback riding, kayaking and otherwise exploring the great outdoors. Wildlife encounters are guaranteed. From there, head west back into British Columbia for more spectacular mountain scenery in Yoho, Glacier and Mt Revelstoke national parks. Finally, work your way back to Vancouver via the lake-studded Okanagan Valley, famous for its fruit orchards and wineries.