Southern British Columbia With Campgrounds

Seventeen nights in a motorhome through the parts of British Columbia that the Rockies itineraries drive past, with the campgrounds booked in advance and three nights in Vancouver at the start.

Vancouver is given proper time rather than a single arrival night, which is the right call: it is a city wedged between ocean and mountains, with good restaurants and bars and enough outdoors on its doorstep that three days are easily filled.

The Kootenay Rockies follow, and they are the reason to choose this trip over the better-known ones. The ranges there are every bit as high as those around Banff but see a fraction of the traffic, the towns are small former mining settlements rather than resorts, and the hot springs along the valleys are mostly unceremonious concrete pools rather than spa developments.

The Okanagan closes the route, a valley warm enough for vineyards, orchards and farm shops, and a motorhome is the ideal vehicle for it because the produce can simply be bought and eaten at the next campsite rather than booked into a restaurant. Canadian Affair include the flights, the motorhome, the pre-booked campgrounds and the Vancouver hotel nights, with fuel, insurance and meals separate. The price is per person. The operator’s own description of this one is brief, so the detailed day-by-day is worth asking them for before booking. For a second trip to British Columbia, or for anyone who would rather not queue for a photograph at Lake Louise, this is the better-judged option.