24 Apr
Vancouver Tours Blog

5 British Columbia Mountain Biking Parks

British Columbia, the land of plenty of downhill mountain biking opportunities! BC is the destination of choice, with North America's highest concentration of lift-access riding. There is a good diversity of riding available too! Whether you prefer extreme gravity or a more gentle single-track, there are paths sure to make you comfortable or push your limits!

Mount Washington Alpine Resort
Mount Washington Alpine Resort is located on Vancouver Island. Riding in the thick forest of hemlocks and yellow cedars is a real outdoor adventure. And the vistas, are to die for with views of the Island's rugged mountains and blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. Be sure to keep your eyes on the track!

Mount Washington is located 50km south of Campbell River and 100km north of Nanaimo.

# of Gondola / chair lifts: 2 High Speed ​​Chairlifts, The Hawk Six Pack, & The Eagle Quad

# of Trails / runs: 17 trails

Operating Season: typically from July 1st Canada Day to beginning of September, Labor Day.

Degree of Difficulty: 18% Easiest, 35% More Difficult, 47% Most Difficult

Longest Run: Monster Mile, 1657 Vertical Feet, 1 Mile (1.6 km) long

Total Length of Runs: 37km

Whistler
Whistler dominates the downhill mountain biking parks. Chairlifts service over 4,800 vertical feet of gravity-fed, adrenaline-fueled downhill trails – from gentle greens to expert-only double blacks – there is a massive variety of terrain to choose from.

Whistler is located in the Coastal Mountains of BC and is approximately 115 kilometers from Vancouver.

# of Gondola / chair lifts: 1 Gondola, 2 Highspeed Quads, 1 Fixed grip chair

# of Trails / runs: 50 marked trails, 3 Skills Centers, 4 Jump Parks

Operating Season: typically from mid-May to Canadian Thanksgiving in October

Degree of Difficulty: 17% Easy, 19% Intermediate, 64% Advanced

Longest Run: Freight Train, Length: 4.3km / 1.66 mile, Vertical: 660m / 2165 '

Sun Peaks Resort
Sun Peaks claim to fame are their freeride camps with professional mountain bikers such as: Matt Hunter, Specialized Bicycles, and Graham Agassiz, Kona Bicycles as coaches. And 50% of the trails are advanced, giving you plenty of opportunity to test out your new found skills.

Sun Peaks Resort is located 50km north of Kamloops, BC.

# of Gondola / Chairlifts: 1 chairlift, the Sunburst Express, high speed quad equipped with roll on style racks

# of Trails / Runs: 29 trails with 1954 feet of vertical per run + dirt jumping zone

Operating Season: end of June to end of September

Degree of Difficulty: 23% Easy, 23% Intermediate, 54% Advanced

Longest Run : Smooth Smoothie 5km

Total Length of Runs: 70km of trail

Silver Star
Silver Star Mountain Resort has a great mix of machine made and natural terrain entertaining all downhill bike enthusiasts. Jump trails, like Pipe Dream and Rock Star, have quickly developed reputations as some of the most progressive and fun bike trails around.

Silver Star Mountain Resort is located just 22 kilometers from Vernon at the north end of BC's beautiful Okanagan Valley.

# of Gondola / chair lifts: 1 High Speed ​​Six Person Chair (holds four bikes in roll on racks per chair), 7.5 min ride time

# of Trails / runs: 16 hand-crafted trails of gravity-fed mayhem

Operating Season: end of June to mid-September

Degree of Difficulty: 15% beginner, 40% intermediate, 45% Advanced

Longest Run: Paradise Trail – 10 km's, 1600 vertical feet

Fernie
Fernie BC is legendary offering wide machine-made flowing trails for beginner / intermediate riders, challenging steep and technical single track trails for advanced / expert riders.

Fernie is located in the south-east corner of the BC Rockies on Highway No.3 approximately 60 km from the Alberta and US borders. Fernie Alpine Resort is 5 km from the City of Fernie.

# of Lifts for Summer Operation: 1 High speed Quad – Timber Express providing over 2100 'of vertical (operates on weekends only), 1 Quad – Elk Chair

# of Trails: 37 trails & Skills progress park

Operating Season: end of June to Labor Day weekend

Longest Run: Megasauras (trail takes you through 3 Alpine bowls!)

Total Vertical 2162 feet / 657 meters

Source by Clay Haeber

05 Oct
Vancouver Tours Blog

The Beautiful Mountain Town of Sapa Vietnam

Sapa is one of the naturally serene and lush towns in Vietnam. It attracts many travelers with its magnificent landscape, which features colorful tribal villages, French colonial villas, lush vegetation and numerous green fields stacked on one after another.

Sapa is also close to Fansipan, the highest peak in Vietnam. Nestled at an elevation of 4921 feet or 1500 meters, Sapa is in Hoang Lien Son mountain range, in the northwest region of the country. Because of its geographical location, the town’s rugged scenery usually experiences being clouded by a warm mist, which only adds to Sapa’s beauty and charm, and making it truly a unique place to visit.

Sapa is about 376 kilometers from capital city of Hanoi. Sapa has risen to be the most popular mountainous district in Vietnam. You will easily be charmed by the terraced rice fields, the ethnic lifestyle and the cool climate, inviting you to stay longer in Sapa than you intended. Becoming a tourist destination paved the way for the establishment of hotels and accommodation facilities in this town so you don’t have to worry about finding a place to sleep during those tranquil nights. If you really want to immerse yourself into the Sapa lifestyle, you can also arrange for a homestay in one of the tribal villages.

One of the best things to do in Sapa is walk around the town early in the morning as the tourist crowd is not yet in full swing. The town is small, so you can easily navigate your way on foot. In fact, everything in and around town can be explored on foot making the most popular activity in Sapa – trekking. Trekking to various villages is fun and adventurous. Just make sure that you have good trekking shoes or boots and waterproof bag. There are also tours that involve renting a bicycle or motorbike to explore the countryside and visit waterfalls.

There are other less rigorous things to do while in Sapa. You can always visit other neighboring villages like the Lao Chai Village, by hiring local transport like a jeep or van. You may also watch ethnic minority dance performances, sign up for the Hmong sewing classis and visit notable attractions like the Han Rong Resort, Sapa Culture Museum, the Sapa Lake, Bac Ha weekend market and the European orchid gardens and colonial buildings.

Sapa is home to a couple of ethnic minorities such as the Dzao and Hmong. These people live a simple life and have managed to maintain their culture and traditions. It is a rewarding travel experience to visit their villages and learn about their way of life. You can ask them to be your trekking guide instead of getting one through the hotel. Other than agriculture, the tribes are also now relying on tourism for a living.

Remember to always be respectful and courteous when dealing with them, especially when taking photos; always ask their permission first. The best time to visit the town is arguably from September to October as this is the period when the rice fields are turning their color from green to yellow. During wintertime, the town receives more of that appealing fog. No matter when you visit Sapa, you will definitely enjoy this new pin on your travel map!

Source by Nagib Georges Araman

21 Jun
Vancouver Video Tours

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON to Vancouver BC, Canada Sightseeing Tour



Michael and Danny begin their tour at the Seattle Space Needle. Next, they ride the world famous monorail in the city center. They then search for the original Starbucks on Pike Place. One of the first Clover machines in Starbucks is demonstrated by a talented barista.

Their Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside hotel welcomes them to magnificent views of the lake where sea planes take off and land. An orwellian voice awakens them as the power is out from the hotel emergency system.

They then trek up Grouse Mountain where beautiful Grizzly bears welcome them behind an electric fence. They then visit Gastown in Vancouver where the historical Gastown Steam Clock screams. A glimpse of the infamous Underground Museum completes their tour of Seattle.

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