Our first ‘far-away-destination’ with our baby (13 months when travelling). Canada seemed like the perfect country to enjoy a 3-week holiday with the 3 of us. And wow, it was a blast! We’ve visited Vancouver island, the Rockies and a part in between. Blue lakes, snowcapped mountains, bears (38!), jaw-dropping landscapes … What a country!

RV rental Vancouver/Calgary

We never drove an RV before, but that was something we wanted to do for a long time. And it’s so fun, driving in this country is easy, even with a long motorhome. Camping in the middle of the woods, near a river … No need to pack in and out every evening/morning in a hotel, it’s cozy and the perfect solution when travelling with a baby. #authentikcanada

I definitely recommend the rental company Authentik Canada. Their service was all you could wish for. The camper was very modern, everything you need is in there. Kitchen, bed (damn we slept well..), shower, coach,.. One day we might even buy one ourselves … 😊

The campers of Authentik Canada have slide outs, it means that when you’re on the campsite the side can slide out so you have more room inside, which is extremely comfortable and a big overall bonus … There are different types of campers, from small (2p) to very big (7p).

We’ve picked up the camper in Vancouver and dropped it off in Calgary, very useful! Off course a round trip is also possible, which is cheaper.

They have itineraries from short to long, touristic or not, or a combination of both.. Do not hesitate to book aWest Canada road trip with Authentik Canada Holidays.

The camper as you can see is from Canadream, but renting with authentik Canada (as a 2nd party) is cheaper than direct with Canadream or any other rental company, great right? What are you waiting for, book now 😉 #authentikcanada

Getting there, we flew with Air Transat. With a baby we really wanted a straight flight and this airline was the cheapest option. We would totally recommend Air Transat and here’s why! It’s comfortable, decent food (Really? Yeah!), nice entertainment (movies …). From Amsterdam they have direct flights to many cities in Canada. We flew to Vancouver and came back from Calgary. www.airtransat.com

Activities you can’t miss – Vancouver island

Black bear watch in Tofino

With a covered (or uncovered) small fast boat you’ll visit an insane beautiful part of Vancouver with lots of small islands, looking for bears at the shoreline. We’ve seen a mother with a cub and another single bear. We were more than happy but the guide said that most of the time they even see more than 5 … Awesomess guaranteed!

Check it out: https://www.oceanoutfitters.bc.ca/

Grizzly bear tour

I love bears 🙂 so I really wanted to do a grizzly tour. On the mainland there’s great bear rainforest, only accessible with a water airplane or by boat. I did this trip on my own because babies are not allowed. It was a one day trip (2hrs on the boat). The tour was incredible and we’ve seen 11 grizzlies and 2 black bears. Two times we’ve seen a mother with her 3 cubs, spending some time with them as quiet as possible and from a respectful distance. Definitely a must do if you wish to see grizzlies in a beautiful scenery (North Vancouver island).
https://grizzlycanada.com/

Whale watching

We have been whale watching many times before and it just keeps on inspiring us to be among those magnificent creatues. Our daughter was astonished by them as well. The look on her face when they breached was priceless. You have different options on the island to go exploring.

We’ve done 2 trips. The first was in Victoria, with a big chance on seeing orcas, but there was a lot of fog that day so searching for them was very hard. We’ve seen some bald eagles and many sea lions tough, but unfortunately no whales. Still worth visiting!
www.orcaspirit.com

The second trip we joined was in Campbell River but didn’t start well. Heavy wind and a bit of rain, but after half an hour that seemed the perfect combo. We’ve seen whales breaching, around 50 dolphins jumping around the boat … The trip was just perfect, such an awesome sight.
http://www.adventurewhalewatching.com

Activities you can’t miss – Mainland

Capilano suspension bridge

Just north of Vancouver there’s a green valley with a river down below, and a very long suspension bridge above. Thrilling! There are several lookouts, a cliffwalk, treetop trail … Nice to check it out when you’re in Vancouver. You’ll spend around 2hrs. www.capbridge.com

Spirit island

One of the most beautiful views you can get in the rockies is on Spirit Island, only accessible by boat, kano or hiking, but it’s 14km one way. It’s 30 minutes by boat, so the best option I think … A must see view when you’re in Jasper. https://www.banffjaspercollection.com/attractions/maligne-lake-cruise/

Lake Louise gondola

You can take a gondola at the Lake Louise Ski Station to a spectacular viewpoint. You can’t walk up or down cause it’s a wildlife area, famous for grizzly bears. We haven’t encountered them but there are almost daily sightings. There’s a wildlife info center which is pretty nice (included in the ticket). It is really kid-friendly and you can touch the fur of different animals (bear, cougar, wolf …)
https://www.lakelouisegondola.com/

Disclaimer: We partner with activities and companies that share our vision on adventurous travel. As we were planning this trip to Canada, we connected with the mentioned companies. In return we wrote this honest review on our experiences.