Alberta holidays - Adventurous, exciting and beautiful
Known for its incredible National Parks, sweeping landscapes of the Canadian Rockies and thrilling outdoor recreation, Alberta is a province for those wild at heart. Alberta holidays enjoy access to some of the finest escorted tours and outdoors culture anywhere in the world, with a host of amazing summer and all set against a backdrop of epic mountains, glacial lakes, eerie stone formations and endless forests.
From the fossil fields of Drumheller, where dinosaur hunters flock to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology to the distinct, prehistoric hoodoo landmarks and the world famous resorts of Banff, Jasper and Lake Louise, holidays to Alberta offer access to the vast range of attractions and activities.
Explore Alberta
Alberta has five national parks and sixty provincial parks, making it the ideal location for wildlife viewing, hiking and pony-trekking. The Icefields Parkway Ridge Trail is a popular hiking destination offering spectacular views over the valley and mountain ranges. Whether you relax better on horseback; in a rubber boat with a paddle in your hand; a pair of binoculars hung around your neck; or swinging a golf club, holidays in Alberta really do offer something for everyone.
Touring in Alberta is absolutely the best way to get the most out of this wonderful province. It boasts some of Canada’s top cities and mountain resorts including; Jasper, Jasper National Park, Banff, Calgary, Canmore, Edmonton, Lake Louise. Northern Alberta is mostly covered by boreal forest and has a subarctic climate that makes it perfect for arctic escorted tours and wildlife viewing experiences. Holidays to Alberta also enjoy a rich cultural heritage based around the aboriginal peoples such as the Blackfoot tribes. The West Edmonton Shopping Mall is very popular and is reckoned to be the largest of its kind in North America. It has some 800 outlets under one roof and incredibly includes its own water park, cinema, sea life centre, ice rink and other indoor family attractions, all set within distinctly-styled zones.
When to go to Alberta
Climatic conditions can vary considerably in Alberta due to its size. Winters can see average temperatures in January of around -8°C in the south to a -24°C in the north. In summer, the average temperatures range from around 21°C in the Rocky Mountain valleys and far north to 27°C in the dry prairie of the southeast. Calgary sees average summer high temperatures of 22.9°C in July and winter lows of around -15°C.
Visiting Alberta
The beautiful Alberta landscape offers opportunities for a huge array of outdoor activities including; camping, hiking, pony-trekking, fishing, white water rafting, climbing, glacial tours and more. Organised tours have a wealth of sights to choose from including; glacier tours, sleigh rides, northern lights and viewing experiences.
The visitor centre at the evocatively named ‘Head-smashed-in Buffalo jump’ is a Unesco World Heritage archaeological site that traces the effective hunting techniques of the aboriginal people, who used the high cliffs to drive herds of buffalo over for more than 6,000 years. One of the best ways to get to grips with this beautiful landscape is on horseback and Alberta offers some fantastic working ranches and opportunities to join real cattle drives with expert cowboys who will tailor the experience to your skill level and agenda.
Holiday highlights
The national parks such as Banff, Jasper and Waterton Lakes
Icefield Parkway and Athabasca Glacier
Lake Louise
And all the other lakes such as Bow, Minnewanka, Upper & Lower Kananaskis, Waterton and Peyto
The province of Alberta is famous for its stunning Canadian Rockies scenery with soaring mountains, gem-like lakes, glistening glaciers and abundance of wildlife.
There are fewer places more stunning than Alberta during the winter months; think brilliant blue skies, snow-draped landscapes, and (surprisingly) plenty of sunshine.
Explore a myriad of indoor and outdoor cultural experiences in Alberta including Edmonton's Muttart Conservatory and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, Calgary.
Ever wanted to see the incredible Northern Lights? Alberta’s brilliantly dark night skies are the perfect backdrop for the bright colours of the Aurora Borealis.
