Travel to Canada

Paris to Seattle (USA)

The connecting flight in Charlotte (North carolina, USA) was three hours late. We reached Seattle around midnight and decided to find a motel outside the airport for the (short) night.

Seattle - Vancouver

Around 9am we hit the road bound for Vancouver that we reached after a 3 hour drive. We chose a B&B in dowtown Vancouver and started to visit the city: Stanley park, its totems and the amazing view on Vancouver.

Vancouver - Pemberton

We leave Vancouver around 9h, northbound to Whistler then Pemberton. On the way there are possibilities of nice walks around Pemberton... this is where we came across a bear !

Pemberton - Clearwater

When we left Pemberton, we thought we'll stop at Kamloops. During 1h30, we drove along superb mountaineous landscapes, until reaching flatter landscapes around Lillooet. The following 160 kilometers to reach Kamloops are not really fun except for the surprising Ginseng plantations.
But reaching Kamloops was a deception as the city looks like an industrial center rather than a city. We walked a bit by the lake and decided to hit the road for a better place. We finally reached Clearwater where we stayed for the night.

Clearwater - Jasper

The morning was dedicated to Wells Gray park: waterfalls, hiking in the forest... then, around 1pm we hit the road bound for Jasper that we reached around 4.30pm.

Jasper

The morning was dedicated to a small hike in the forest with a guide. We were able to spot wapitis, a coyote, a bear and many squirrels. In the afternoon we visited Jasper.

Jasper - Canmore

The road from Jasper to Lake Louise, called the glacier road, is breathtaking. There are many places where you can stop the car to gaze at the scenery. It is even possible to walk on the Athabasca glacier. It is a unique experience!
We then continued as far as Canmore where we stayed two nights at my cousins.

Canmore

We got back to lake Louise to enjoy this famous canadian lake. But actually it is not the most impressive. Moraine lake for example, only 18 kilometers away is much more beautiful. The turquoise color of its water due to many sediments and the surrounding summits make Moraine lake a gem.
After a two hour walk in a canyon we came back to Canmore.

Canmore - Revelstoke

We leave around 9h bound for Revelstoke. After leaving Banff national park, we enter Yoho national park, a bit smaller but with many wonders like emerald lake.
Then glacier park where we enjoyed walking in ancient forests with trees dating back 500 years. Once we reached Revelstoke we rented a room and headed on a high summit from which we had a terrific view on the whole area.

Revelstoke - Penticton

Today's destination is Penticton but what mattered most was the road portion between Kelowma and Penticton where there are many vineyards. We visited two of these wine farms and tasted with moderation many different (and good) wines. We very much enjoyed the "Ice wine".
Penticton is a nice city where we enjoyed staying for the night.

Penticton - Nanaimo

On the way we entered Manning park where we enjoyed hiking for two hours before hitting the road and taking the ferry at Horseshoe bay bound for Nanaimo on Vancouver island.

Nanaimo - Tofino

The road to Tofino is very sinuous and it's almost impossible to overtake, but it is worth the pain as when you reach Tofino the landscapes are breathtaking. Likewise with the Pacific Rim parks. We hiked in the humid forests and stayed a long time on the sand of longbeach to watch a beautiful sunset.

Tofino

We spent the morning cruising in the bay of Tofino to watch wildlife like : sea lions, salmons, seals. The highlight being the encounter with the grey whales.
In the afternoon we visited Ucluelet and enjoyed walking on the coast.

Tofino - Victoria

Victoria is a very beautiful city where we enjoyed strolling about.

Victoria - Vancouver

Back to Vancouver via the ferry where we continued the visit of the city and its sourroundings.

Vancouver - Seattle

Back to Seattle... this is almost the end of the holidays.

Seattle - Paris

Back to Paris, holidays are over.