Mark Unrau, owner of Rocky Mountain Photo Adventures, picked up my wife and I promptly at 4 a.m. at…read moreour hotel in Banff and drove us a few miles to a lake at the base of Mount Rundle. For approximately the next three hours, Mark patiently showed me how to best use my Nikon and walked me through how to shoot a good landscape photo. Although Mark obviously is a highly skilled expert, he was never patronizing. He was always personal and professional. I recommend him highly.

When I was going to be in Banff for a conference, I arranged two consecutive private morning…read moresunrise workshops with Mark Unrau, owner of Rocky Mountain Photo Adventures. Right from the start, I was impressed with Mark's communication-- prompt, professional, and friendly. He picked me up both mornings from my lodge at 5:30am and took me to THE most gorgeous spots. We didn't stay clumped up with the rest of the photographers, as he knows the best spots away from the others so you can really focus (and get unique shots). I'm a hobbyist photographer who knows the basics, but I came away with a new appreciation for taking time to properly compose an image, working with a variety of filters to manage morning light, and understanding the ins and outs of long exposure shooting. I've been on many photo workshops in the past, and oftentimes the teacher is distracted by their own camera and capturing their own images while also trying to teach. This is NOT Mark. He does not bring out his camera (although he has ALL the equipment you could ever need) and gives you his 100% undivided attention. Mark is a truly gifted and passionate teacher who takes the time to learn about his student and their level of expertise, meets them where they are, and then extends their skills to improve their photography far beyond what I could have imagined. He's also an all around nice guy, who remains available to you after the workshop for questions, follow-up etc. I truly enjoyed my time with him and couldn't recommend him highly enough. Oh, and the shots I captured were truly breathtaking-- Thanks Mark!

Our group of five had a wonderful experience with Mary on our Walking Tour. We were given the…read morehistory of the area while walking from place to place. She knows all the inside scoop which makes it all so interesting. Not only did we stop in restaurants to eat, we also sampled chocolates and oils and vinegar. We took our time eating and at no time did we feel rushed or as if she was hurrying us along. This is a must do for anyone visiting the Banff area!!

We booked a tour with Columbia Icefield Adventures online. The process was smooth…read more On the day of our tour, we drove from Banff up to the icefield area near Jasper. The drive was a trip highlight. We did many stops along the way to enjoy the mountain views. The tour was awesome. You get on a bus which takes you to the glacier mobile and up to the glacier you go. What a unique experience. Our driver was knowledgeable and answered many questions. After you return to the bus, you are taken to the skywalk which is a glass bottom walkway over a gorge. So cool. I had almost as much fun watching people who were nervous about stepping on the platform as I did looking into the gorge. Parking at the icefield was a nightmare. We ended up parking in the RV lot or we would have missed our timeslot. It was also unfortunate that the digital tickets did not have your timestamp on them as we held up the line looking for confirmation of our timeslot.

It's once in a life time experience to walk on the Gracier. It was amazing…read more This Gracier is located in Jasper which is about a couple of hours away from Banff. The reason that I can't quite give five stars because the Columbia icefield truck was hot on the inside. They can make it a little more comfortable in summer for customers. The parking, the transfer bus, washroom, cafeteria are all great. Staff are friendly and helpful. Recommended.

The Fairmont concierge recommended the ebike to Johnston Canyon with White Mountain Adventures…read more I've never been on an ebike and always wanted to try one so I was game. There were 6 members of our group and we meet at the White Mountain Adventures office in town. Four of us started off on the ebikes while the other 2 drove to Johnston Canyon and hiked first...and then rode the bikes home. Luke from Australia was the guide for the 4 of us who started off on the ebikes. We did a little test run around a nearby parking lot to make sure we could handle the bikes, although he assured us if we could ride a bike we could be OK. At first i found it a little tricky because it was a little scary how the bike would just take off, but as the ride went on I got more comfortable. I found myself lagging behind the group at first and Luke would nicely come join me. Once I asked what gear everyone was on (6) and adjusted min to be the same I was keeping up with no issues. I actually loved the bike ride. You definitely don't get as much exercise as you do on a normal bike, but i think this 15 mile hilly trip would have been too much for me on normal bike...and it was perfectly enjoyable on a ebike. We also stopped about every 10-15 minutes to take in the beautiful scenery and get some pics. It took about 90 minutes to get to Johnston Canyon and I was a little bummed when the ebike adventure was over. My husband and I were such fans that we talked about buying them for our annual vacations in Sun Valley, Idaho- another place where it is so fun to bike, but can be difficult with all the hilly terrain. The hike itself was probably my least favorite hike that we did in Lake Louise and Banff. Luke was a great guide and the canyon itself was beautiful, but it was sooo crowded which made it less enjoyable. It was also pretty easy in comparison to some of the other hikes we did on the trip (tunnel mountain, agnes tea house). But if you're looking for an easy hike with little incline and don't mind the crowds this is recommended. I don't recommend parking though since it's super crowded so rent a ebike to get there! We were lucky enough to be with White Mountain Adventures so they had a van waiting for us after our hike to get us back to town. I would have loved to e-bike back, but we had our next adventure waiting (a trip up the gondola) so driving back was super convenient. While we could have easily rented an ebike on our own I do think it was helpful to have Luke get us there safely, especially since we were riding along the highway for quite a bit of it. It was also great to hear about Luke's adventures living in Banff and learn a little more about the area from him. While I didn't love the hike itself I thought the company did a great job and it was one of my favorite activities of our trip.

From the owner: With over 30 years of experience, White Mountain Adventures is Banff’s premier guided outdoor…read moreadventure specialist. We provide our clients with lasting connection to nature through innovative, tailored active-adventure experiences. White Mountain Adventures offers activities in Banff, Lake Louise, Canmore/Kananaskis and beyond, including guided public and private hiking, larch hiking, heli-hiking, guided e-bike tours, multiday hiking programs, snowshoeing activities, nature tours, walking tours, as well as custom events for individuals, families, and corporate groups. If you are looking for things to do in Banff, give us a call!

This was an interesting tour and really pretty. I love the open top Concepcion and I loved the…read morefacts that he gave about the cars such as they're worth $1.5 million. The only reason I give us a four not a five is because we did a lot in Banff. We were there for a whole week. And well, this was really cool, but if you miss it, that's OK. Especially if you have a car and can drive around to the places that he went to. The reason why we did this is because it was part of our pursuit pass package, which we did everything on there, because let's face it, you gotta get your moneys worth! They do give you sparkling apple cider in the middle of the tour, which I thought was a nice touch!

A terrific start to our Banff adventure. Our tour guide, Dylan was awesome. Providing great facts…read moreand stories about the area while also stopping at key points so we could take some great scenery and wildlife photos. The bus is an interesting piece in its own right but a great way to be introduced to the national park.

We did a two-hour e-bike tour with Bike Banff and really enjoyed it! It was a fun, easy-going way…read moreto see the more forested side of Banff and explore spots many tourists miss. Our guide was knowledgeable and gave great tips. The only suggestion would be to add headsets so we could hear the guide while riding--it would make the experience even better. Highly recommend for a unique and low-stress activity in Banff!

We were in Banff last weekend and did the Mountain Lakeside Paradise guided tour with Bike Banff…read moreand can't recommend it enough. We felt like we found a secret by avoiding all the tourist busses and getting a really good overlay of the town and highlights of sites to see. Our guide was great and this was the best way to cover a lot of ground. Highly recommend Bike Banff Tours and the train station free parking is right next door.

So much fun! I was in Banff with my running group and they booked a few excursions for us. After…read moreexploring the Town of Banff, we walked over here to the Canoe Club to load up in one of their canoes for the afternoon. The Banff Canoe Club rents canoes, kayaks and stand up paddleboards. They operate on a first-come, first-serve basis. Their rates are affordable and they are conveniently located on the edge of town by Bow Ave. After some brief instructions, a group of us headed out on the beautiful Bow River. The ride was peaceful and we had amazing views of Mount Rundle and other surrounding mountains on our three hour trip. We also saw some wildlife along the way. Our guide was great at giving us a history lesson about Banff National Park and all of the landmarks that we were seeing. Banff Canoe Club supplies you with everything that you need for the ride. I had a blast and highly recommend this company if you are visiting Banff and looking for some outdoor fun.

Located on the Bow river just outside of downtown Banff, this is probably the most convenient and…read moreaffordable rental place in Banff national park. They offer canoe and kayak rentals and tours. We rented a kayak and explored the Bow river, Echo Creek and Vermillion lakes for hours. Personally prefer this much more to waiting in long lines or crammed with other tourists at spots like Lake Louise or Moraine lake.

Amazing bus and drivers. I've never been on such a comfy bus that was roomy, spacious and clean…read more Hands down the best tour bus experience. The drivers went out of their way to accommodate everyone and make the experience unforgettable. They have outlets for your phone or in my case I brought my heating pad and the plug proved so helpful. The drivers were excellent drivers especially with snow etc. The bathroom on the bus was clean too. I sat back and relaxed with this tour and loved all the detailed stories. One of the pictures of a bear they have on some of their buses is famous is those parts and I loved how they honored her story.

On Friday, 12/13/2019, I went on a tour called the Banff Winter Sightseeing Tour. The website I…read morevisited to make arrangements for this tour used several names. One of the names they used was "Pursuit", another name was "Banff Jasper Collection", and another was "Brewster Sightseeing." Since the buses they used for the tour are Brewster's buses, I decided to write my review here. The Banff Winter Sightseeing Tour cost a total of $135.45 Canadian dollars (about $102.31 US dollars). The tour began at 12:30 pm and lasted until approximately 6 pm. Every customer was picked up at their hotel in a blue bus that had the word Brewster's written on the side. Even though there may have only been about 20 customers on our tour, I preferred riding that bus over the small shuttle vans I'd ridden on with another Banff tour company. We had more room to stretch out and breathe. We had a bus driver and a tour guide. The tour guide was a short blonde who was originally from New Zealand. She got us all to introduce ourselves. We had tourists from the USA, Canada, Australia, and Asia. Our first stop was at Lake Minnewanka. I had already been there two days earlier with another tour but it's so nice that I didn't mind seeing it twice. The edges of it were frozen and most of the land around it was thick with snow. It was here that this native Georgian got to wear snowshoes for the first time in my life. I thought they'd be awkward but walking in them felt natural to me. The tour guide was gracious enough to take pictures of us with our cameras whenever we asked. Our next stop was the Cave & Basin National Historic Site. Some people tend to overlook this place when visiting Banff, but because of the sulphurous hot springs here the idea of establishing Banff National Park first began. While we were there we saw two of the hot springs: one outside the cave and another inside. There was a very strong rotten egg odor as we first approached them. While we were viewing the one outside the cave, a Native American woman told us about the history of the hot springs and what they mean to her people. A long time ago people bathed in the hot springs because they thought it would cure various ailments, but that practice has stopped at this location. There's a tiny endangered snail called the Banff Springs snail that needs the hot springs in order to survive. We weren't allowed to put our hands in the springs but a small pail of the water was passed around and we could touch that if we wanted to. Then we entered a small building that was attached to the tunnel entrance of the cave. Inside the cave, we saw the second hot spring. A streak of light shone in from an opening in the cave's ceiling. There was a small platform built around the hot spring so you could safely get a closer view. After leaving the Cave & Basin, we were driven to our next stop and the the grand finale: the gondola ride up to the top of Sulphur Mountain. Each gondola seats four passengers and takes several minutes to reach the top. At the ride's highest point, you'll be about 7,486 feet above the bottom of the mountain. There are large windows for your viewing pleasure. At the top of the mountain is a small indoor restaurant and a kind of family recreational center that features a live Santa Claus for much of the Christmas season, but he wasn't up there during my visit that afternoon. My favorite part of the whole tour though was the outdoor observation deck on the mountaintop. It was like standing on top of the world itself. You could see the town of Banff in the distance and all of the other surrounding mountains. There were tables with small fires in the center of them so you could either warm your hands or roast bannock bread (a treat popular with local indigenous people that you roast like marshmallows on a stick). We were also given warm, delicious apple cider to drink. There were round, see-thru, heated, tent-like things you could sit in if you got tired of the cold air. As the sun went down, it got very cold up there but the view made it more than worthwhile. I looked down and saw the town of Banff all lit up as it got dark. It was a photographer's dream. When I rode the gondola back down, night had fallen and I couldn't see much of anything but darkness when I looked out the window. Once I exited the gondola, I stopped for a minute in the gift shop, then boarded the bus so they could take us back to our hotels. This tour was beyond 5 stars to me. I'd recommend it to anyone visiting Banff. Here is the link to the website I used to book my tour: https://www.banffjaspercollection.com/brewster-sightseeing/winter-wonder-tour/

I searched around to find the best price on ski and snowboard rentals for our week in Banff and…read morethis was the best price. The quality did not disappoint either as they used a third party to fulfill our rental. We were unaware of this so went to the Banff Adventures office at first, and then was directed to the shop just down the street. I was happy that we were allowed to get fitted the day before our rental started and that they delivered the gear to our hotel free of charge. They also picked it up from our hotel when we were done. The third party was very reputable and I wrote a separate review for them. I would use Banff Adventures again for my rentals!

My friend and I bought the "Best of Banff" adventure package well in advance of our trip. The price…read morewas so reasonable for all that we were able to do. We were so excited to ride the Banff Gondola, Horseback ride along the Bow River and Kayak on the Bow river as well. The first issue we encountered was when my friend's flight was delayed on her way to Canada and we had to push all of our scheduled activities back a day. The service at Banff adventures was excellent- we had to call a few different times to move things around but each time the attendant was patient and super helpful in helping us to reschedule our experiences. The day of our experiences, we were able to pick the times of our Gondola ride and the kayak but the Horseback riding was the only activity with a hard time. We chose to ride the Gondola first and it was so easy to check-in and ride up the Gondola. The view was spectacular and so peaceful. At the top there was a super cute cafe, which was a nice touch. We didn't eat there but it was nice to know it was there. Next we headed to our Horseback riding appointment. We arrived early so we had time to sign our waivers, get weighed and fitted for our helmets before the safety speech was given. We were each assigned a horse and given a few minutes to get acquainted with our steed. This wasn't my first rodeo, so I was ready to get on the trail right away. Once we were on the trail, it was smooth riding. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous and we were given opportunities for photos with our horses at the end of the ride. Finally, we went over to the Canoe place for our kayaks. It was easy to sign in and get our kayaks. We were given our life jackets and a quick lesson in kayaking. The weather was sunny and warm which made for a perfect day out on the water. The Bow river was especially calm on this day so we really enjoyed our float up river. Overall, each activity was the perfect little adventure. Everything was within a 10-20 minute car ride of each point so it was easy to navigate. We had an amazing day. We would absolutely buy this tour again.

We had a terrible experience with Discover Banff Tours and would never book through them again…read more We booked a dog sledding excursion for 6 people, including our family and our friends visiting from San Diego. We paid nearly $1,400 in full for 2 sleds, submitted all required guest information right away (weights, ages, etc.), and even received an email confirming that everything had been received and that we were fully confirmed for Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. Then on Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours before the excursion, they called asking for the same information all over again. We told them we had already submitted it and had the confirmation email to prove it. After putting us on hold, they came back and admitted there had been a miscommunication on their end and that the person who handled our booking failed to enter our information properly. Because of their mistake, our reservation was given away to someone else. So after taking our money, confirming our booking, and making us think everything was locked in, they left us with no dog sledding tour and no real solution on the only day that worked for our group. They did offer us Friday, but that did absolutely nothing for us because we leave Thursday and our friends fly home Wednesday. That is exactly why we booked this in advance the previous Friday. The kids were already excited for this experience, and we were left scrambling at the last minute trying to find another company because of their mistake. The only thing they could really offer was a refund or to push other excursions we had no interest in. That's not customer service -- that's damage control after they failed to do their job correctly. This was extremely unprofessional, careless, and a huge inconvenience during a family trip. Avoid the middleman and book directly with the actual dog sledding companies.

We had a terrible experience with Discover Banff Tours and would never book through them again…read more We booked a dog sledding excursion for 6 people, including our family and our friends visiting from San Diego. We paid nearly $1,400 in full for 2 sleds, submitted all required guest information right away (weights, ages, etc.), and even received an email confirming that everything had been received and that we were fully confirmed for Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. Then on Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours before the excursion, they called asking for the same information all over again. We told them we had already submitted it and had the confirmation email to prove it. After putting us on hold, they came back and admitted there had been a miscommunication on their end and that the person who handled our booking failed to enter our information properly. Because of their mistake, our reservation was given away to someone else. So after taking our money, confirming our booking, and making us think everything was locked in, they left us with no dog sledding tour and no real solution on the only day that worked for our group. They did offer us Friday, but that did absolutely nothing for us because we leave Thursday and our friends fly home Wednesday. That is exactly why we booked this in advance the previous Friday. The kids were already excited for this experience, and we were left scrambling at the last minute trying to find another company because of their mistake. The only thing they could really offer was a refund or to push other excursions we had no interest in. That's not customer service -- that's damage control after they failed to do their job correctly. This was extremely unprofessional, careless, and a huge inconvenience during a family trip. Avoid the middleman and book directly with the actual dog sledding companies.