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September 2027 – 10 days 

Register your interest for 2027 and we will contact you when confirmed details including finalised dates and prices are available.

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Join an immersive expedition which brings the dramatic landscapes of southern Alberta into sharp scientific focus, from the glacier-carved summits of the Rocky Mountains to the fossil-rich sculpted canyons of the Badlands. You will travel with a working palaeontologist, visiting two UNESCO World Heritage Sites that feature exceptional rock exposures and world-class dinosaur localities.

Throughout the journey, you will trace the grand sweep of Earth history from the Cambrian (~541 million years ago) to today. You will explore ancient tropical seas and massive reef systems, the rise and reign of dinosaurs, the mountain-building forces that uplifted the Rockies, and the glacial ice sheets that sculpted the region into its current form.

This tour is designed for travelers with an interest about geology, palaeontology, and Earth history – whether you are just beginning to explore these subjects or bring academic or professional experience. If you enjoy engaging with landscapes not only for their beauty but for the deep-time stories written in their rocks, and you value learning directly from researchers in the field, this journey will be particularly rewarding.

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Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Calgary

Arrive into Calgary and check into your hotel. You can spend the remainder of the day at leisure exploring Alberta’s cosmopolitan gateway.

In the evening, meet your fellow guests, tour leader and accompanying expert, who will give an introductory lecture on the tour ahead. The tour expert will give both evening lectures and walking commentary throughout the tour.
Afterwards, you will head out to enjoy dinner together.

Day 2: Calgary to Drumheller

In the morning drive around 2 hours to Drumheller, with stops to introduce the Badlands along the way.

Drumheller itself has a fascinating history which, like much of western Canada, is dominated by the development of the railway network in the early 1900s. It is the largest town by land area in Alberta, despite having a population of under 10,000 people.

Day 3: The Royal Tyrrell Museum and Horseshoe Canyon

The day will begin with an excursion to one of the world’s premier dinosaur museums, the Royal Tyrrell Museum. You will enjoy a talk on fossil preparation and visit a fossil preparation lab, followed by lunch at the museum.

In the afternoon, visit Horseshoe Canyon, where the stunning scenery has been used as a backdrop for a variety of films and TV series. There will be further stops at various hoodoos, Willow Creek and East Coulee to see world-class sedimentary structures formed by the sideways migration of ancient waterways, evidence of ancient shorelines, some awesome giant fossil tree stumps and preserved burrows in wood formed by bivalves.
Return to Drumheller.

Day 4: Drumheller to Dinosaur Provincial Park

Continue to Dinosaur Provincial Park, an otherworldly landscape home to the largest deposit of dinosaur fossils in the world.

Spend the day at the park, including having access to areas not usually open to the public, and see some of the best and most famous dinosaur fossils in the world. Your visit will follow a 6-kilometre walking trail that isn’t usually open to the public, allowing us to immerse ourselves in the setting.

Day 5: Dinosaur Provincial Park to Waterton Lakes National Park

Journey to Alberta’s Southern Rockies and the spectacular landscapes of Waterton Lakes National Park, where soaring peaks, glacial lakes and flower-filled valleys are enjoyed without the crowds of Canada’s better-known mountain parks. Discover a landscape shaped by powerful tectonic forces, where the Lewis Thrust Fault has placed ancient Precambrian rocks atop much younger sedimentary layers, creating one of the world’s most important geological sites. The region’s fossil-bearing rocks preserve evidence of ancient tropical seas that once covered western North America, offering fascinating insights into the area’s deep geological and palaeontological history.

Day 6: Waterton Lakes National Park

Spend a day exploring the spectacular landscapes of Waterton Lakes National Park, where the Rocky Mountains rise dramatically from the prairie. Cruise across Waterton Lake to the US border, watching for moose, bald eagles and other wildlife, while discovering the park’s remarkable geology. Here, ancient sedimentary rocks over 1.5 billion years old were thrust over much younger strata along the Lewis Thrust Fault, one of the world’s finest examples of mountain-building. This extraordinary geological history has shaped the fossil-rich rocks found throughout the region, helping scientists understand the evolution of ancient marine environments and the forces that created the Rocky Mountains. 

Day 7: Waterton Lakes NP to Banff via Invermere

Cross into British Columbia and travel through the dramatic mountain landscapes of Kootenay National Park, where towering limestone peaks, glacial valleys and colourful mineral springs reveal over 500 million years of Earth’s history. Along the way, discover rocks that preserve evidence of ancient tropical seas and the tectonic forces that built the Canadian Rockies. Continue to Golden and experience the spectacular Golden Skybridge, where two of Canada’s highest suspension bridges span a deep canyon carved by glaciers and powerful rivers, offering panoramic views of this remarkable geological landscape.

Day 8: Banff to Lake Louise

Travel along the scenic Icefields Parkway on a short journey to Lake Louise. Expect fantastic views of ancient glaciers, waterfalls, rock spires and reflective lakes, all set in landscapes that owe their origin to powerful ice flow processes. There will be a viewing stop at the Banff Meadows to take in a spectacular vista before moving on for a stroll along Lake Louise and a picnic lunch at Moraine Lake, considered by many to be the most beautiful lake in the world.

After lunch, take a short, guided walk along the lakeshore or to a nearby moraine to explore deposits left behind by retreating glaciers.
Return to Banff.

Day 9: Banff to Calgary

Departing from Banff, the day begins at Mount Yamnuska, where the McConnell Thrust places ancient Eldon Formation rocks over much younger strata.

Continuing into the Kananaskis Valley, the route highlights the Lewis Thrust Fault, where a massive slab of rock has been displaced roughly 80 kilometres eastward, creating one of the classic textbook examples of mountain-building in the Rockies. The morning also includes stops at the Montney Formation, showcasing important hydrocarbon-bearing rocks and a Triassic bone bed.

In the afternoon, the landscape shifts to glacial terrain at the Morley Flats drumlin field, where streamlined hills record the movement of ancient ice sheets across the region.
The day concludes in Calgary, completing a journey from deep-time mountain building to Ice Age sculpting of the foothills.

Day 10: Depart Calgary

Depart after breakfast.

Highlights

• Traverse the spectacular scenery of the Canadian Rockies and marvel at the colossal forces that generated and shaped them
• Walk in three beautiful glacial settings: Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and Grassi Lake
• Enjoy panoramic overview of the Rockies and the Alberta Badlands from the 191-metre-tall (626-foot) Calgary Tower
• Visit two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the rugged peaks and glacial features of the Banff portion of Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks and the bone-riddled badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park
• Examine world-class dinosaur fossils and take a backroom tour at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller
• Explore the geology and landforms of the extraordinary landscapes of the Badlands
• See dinosaur excavation sites normally off-limits to the public while at Dinosaur Provincial Park
• Maximum group size – 16 people

Meet the expert

 Expert to be confirmed shortly

What’s included

• The services of your tour expert(s), who will be with the group throughout the tour, providing pre-visit briefings, walking seminars and will be available to answer questions
• A tour leader, who will attend to logistical matters, oversee the group’s health and safety and assist participants with their queries
• All transportation costs from the start to the end of the tour, including the services of a professional coach driver
• All accommodation costs for the nights stated
• All breakfasts, lunches and dinners, except for evening meals on Days 2 and 5
• Entry fees, local guide fees and activity fees, where arranged as part of the tour
• Most gratuities and all service charges
• Single supplement

What’s not included

1. Travel insurance. Participants should carry their own health and travel insurance in case of accident or unforeseen circumstances
2. Transport to the tour start point
3. Private airport transfers
4. Alcoholic drinks with meals are not included
5. Optional activities as described in the tour itinerary or extra activities that are not described in the itinerary
6. Personal expenditures, including bar bills, laundry bills and the cost of meals on day 2 and 5
7. Visa/ETA (if applicable)

How to get there

This tour begins and ends in Calgary. 

Pace and physicality

The tour will involve walking on generally easy terrain, but will require good walking boots and a moderate level of fitness (please note, some paths may be uneven and loose underfoot). Hikes are between 2 and 6 kilometres long.

Weather

The weather is generally good in summer, with mild conditions during the day (12–23°C, 55–76°F) and cool at night (6–10°C, 40–50°F), although changeable weather conditions should be anticipated in the mountains and rain and cool conditions are possible. Elevations are between 1000 and 1400m; participants unused to such altitudes may find activities a little more strenuous than usual.

Transport

Transport will be in a comfortable vehicle suited to the number of attendees.

Solo travellers

All of our tours, cruises, expeditions and weekenders are perfect for solo travellers. If you want your own room, you will need to pay a solo supplement of £700 for this tour.

Accommodations

Accomodation to be confirmed shortly.