Signature: Canada's Rocky Mountains, Banff & Indigenous Traditions

Touch down in Alberta's capital, where the vast prairie sky meets an urban heartbeat. After settling into your hotel, meet your National Geographic Expedition Leader and Expedition Expert for a warm welcome reception — an introduction to the wonders that await in the days ahead. As the sun sets over the plains, enjoy a welcome dinner celebrating the start of an immersive exploration into the history, geology, and vibrant cultures of the Canadian West.

The morning begins with the echoes of the past at Fort Edmonton Park, where the stories of First Nations ancestors come alive through vivid storytelling. After a quiet lunch, head toward Elk Island National Park to join a naturalist for a driving tour through the brush — scanning for the shadowy movement of bison, saved from the brink of extinction through decades of careful conservation.

Go behind the scenes at a handling facility to understand how that remarkable recovery was achieved. As dusk falls, the air fills with fiddles and laughter at a traditional Métis kitchen party — a hearty, communal meal that bridges generations and captures the deep spirit of community at the heart of Métis culture.

Wake to the rustle of the prairie grasses and search for rare white bison grazing on rehabilitated land — a living symbol of what careful stewardship can achieve. The morning rotates between the wildlife park and an immersive dive into regional history, with the local Métis sharing the layered story of a culture born from the meeting of First Nations and European worlds. 

In the late afternoon, enjoy free time to choose from several optional activities at the lodge or simply relax while looking across the prairies where the stories of the past come to life. The day concludes around the amber glow of a campfire, as an Elder shares oral histories that have shaped this land for generations.

Leave the wide-open prairies behind as the horizon begins to ripple with the jagged silhouettes of the Rocky Mountains — a transition that feels almost cinematic, the landscape shifting mile by mile from golden grassland to alpine wilderness. Follow the winding paths of fur traders past, pausing for lunch as the air grows cooler and the trees taller.

Visit Jasper House, a National Historic Site that once served as the beating centre of mountain trade. After settling into your lodge, join your Expedition Leader for a gentle stroll around the turquoise waters of Beauvert Lake, the reflection of the peaks on the glass-like surface providing a quietly perfect introduction to Jasper National Park.

Morning light reveals the staggering scale of the mountains as you head toward the deep blue expanse of Maligne Lake. Board a boat to skim across the water, the surrounding peaks reflected in perfect stillness below. After the cruise, find your own rhythm — explore the charming village of Jasper, or join the Expedition Leader along the Mary Schaffer Loop trail, where the views reward you without effort. The afternoon and evening are at your leisure to soak in the mountain atmosphere and enjoy the stillness of the Rockies. Days like this are where the real transformation of travel quietly happens.

Prepare for one of the most scenic drives on Earth along the Icefield Parkway, a corridor of hanging glaciers and limestone towers. Feel the mist on your face at Athabasca Falls, where the river thunders into a narrow canyon with raw power. The day’s highlight is a private walk onto the Athabasca Glacier. Step onto the ancient glacier ice, hearing it crunch beneath your feet as you learn about its slow, majestic movement. After lunch, continue past the brilliant hues of Peyto and Bow Lakes. Arrive at the iconic shores of Lake Louise, where you can walk the shoreline trail as the peaks turn gold in the fading light.

Enjoy a gentle morning walk along the Fairview Lookout Trail before the road leads south to the village of Field. Here, you have a private presentation from the Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation, on the bizarre creatures frozen in time within these UNESCO-protected fossil beds — a window into an ocean that existed half a billion years ago.

After a lakeside lunch at Emerald Lake, a trail walk around the shoreline provides one of the Rockies' most beautiful afternoons before continuing to the vibrant town of Banff, where the towering presence of Mount Rundle makes its first impression.

Connect with the spirit of the park through the eyes of an Indigenous guide during a storytelling walk at Cascade Pond — the mountains, water, and sky woven into the fabric of First Nations culture in ways that reframe everything you've seen on the journey so far. After free time in town, an award-winning wildlife photographer reveals the patience and passion required to capture the Rockies' most elusive residents. Follow her to secret spots within the National Park, honing your own eye for the raw beauty of the landscape. The expedition concludes with a farewell dinner, sharing memories that stretch from ancient prairie to living glacier.

Enjoy one last mountain breakfast as the morning light hits the peaks. As you depart the Rockies and head to the Calgary airport, the jagged horizon softens. Take with you the echoes of Elder stories, the crisp memory of glacial air, and a new perspective on the enduring bond between the land and those who call it home.