Discover Grizzly Bears from Banff: Majestic Wilderness Adventure in Grizzly Refuge
4.6
112 Ratings
Banff
Embark on a majestic wilderness adventure in the grizzly refuge near Banff. Ride a gondola for stunning views of grizzly country and witness an orphaned grizzly bear in its natural habitat.
Duration: 10 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Takakkaw Falls - Visit Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park (when access permits), to see Canada’s second highest waterfall tumbling 254m (830 feet) in one stretch and 384m (1,260 feet) in total. The falls can be admired from the parking area or from an optional short 0.5km ( rac{1}{3} mile) walk on a paved trail from the parking area to the base of the impressive falls.
  • Kicking Horse Mountain Resort - At Kicking Horse Mountain Resort you will take an enclosed sightseeing gondola with glass windows up to 7,700 feet with panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains, the Columbia River Wetlands and the quaint town of Golden. At the top, you’ll enjoy a gourmet lunch from your choice of menu items with a non-alcoholic beverage and dessert at Eagle’s Eye restaurant, Canada’s highest restaurant.

After a leisurely lunch and enjoying the mountain top views, you’ll descend back down the sightseeing gondola, and take a four-person open-chairlift chairlift partway up the mountain to the Grizzly Bear Refuge, the largest enclosed grizzly bear habitat in the world. At the refuge you’ll meet Boo, a bear with paws the size of hubcaps, a mouth full of sharp teeth and enormous muscles moving beneath his shaggy fur, in his 20-acre habitat in the Rocky Mountain bush. You’ll hear his personal story and learn about grizzly bear behaviour from the knowledgeable guide while you watch him explore, hunt and forage just like his wild cousins. After the tour, you’ll descend back down the open-air chairlift.

  • Emerald Lake - There will be a brief stop at Emerald Lake, famous for its jade-coloured waters and surrounded by the breathtaking Rocky Mountains.
What's Included
  • Professional guide
  • Return transport from Banff
  • Pick up from the public bus parking located behind the Mount Royal Hotel
  • Visit to a grizzly bear refuge
  • Chairlift ride
  • Gondola ride at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
  • Lunch at Eagle’s Eye Restaurant, Canada’s highest restaurant
  • Small group size (up to 24 guests per guide)
What's Not Included
  • Optional gratuities
Additional Information

If you’re a fan of wildlife, this opportunity to explore the world of the grizzly bear shouldn’t be overlooked! Departing from Banff, you’ll embark on a gondola ride offering stunning views of grizzly territory, followed by a chairlift journey to a grizzly sanctuary. Here, you can watch a rescued grizzly bear frolicking and enjoying life in an environment designed to mimic their natural habitat.

  • Early and late season bookings may be subject to itinerary changes, the Takakkaw Falls Road typically opens late June. Alternative stops are usually the Spiral Tunnels and Natural Bridge..
  • Infant rates do not include food.
  • Group bookings of 9 or more guests have a 7 day cancellation period.
Location
Mount Royal Hotel
Banff Avenue
All guests must wait at the public bus parking located behind the Mount Royal Hotel at 138 Banff Ave. You must be ready 5 minutes prior to the tour pick-up time of 8:12am.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(112 Ratings)
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Amyv749
Feb 15, 2024
Discover Grizzly bear tour! - Had a fantastic tour with Andrew going around Yoho national park and seeing Boo the bear. Andrew was a great tour leader, friendly, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and fantastic at keeping the tour on track 👌🏻 Loved hearing about the bears of Banff and learning the difference between black and grizzly. The only thing I didn’t realise was quite how much of the day was taken up by driving (just about half), as I couldn’t see this mentioned in the description of the tour. However, Andrew provided great narration to pass by the time and there were stops along the way at various land marks where you could take photos and have a comfort break. It was incredible seeing Boo the grizzly bear and learning about all the conservation. Really good experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mrsmdevon
Oct 7, 2023
Great day - We did this tour with Liam who was great and really friendly!It was a long day but really worthwhile, Takakkaw Falls was beautiful. Lunch and the visit to see Boo at Kicking Horse Resort was fabulous, the visit to Emerald Falls was brief but lovely
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dudsy
Sep 19, 2023
Brilliant - best tour of our trip !! - The whole trip was excellent - our guide was knowledgeable and obviously enjoyed his job - the lunch that was included was unexpected and again more than we could have hoped for. Great pics of Boo 🐻
Review provided by Viator
Wanderer733845
Sep 18, 2023
An Amazing Day in the Canadian Rockies! - We had the best time traveling to Kicking Horse Mountain with Roz, our guide for the day. She was so knowledgeable, fun, and very passionate about the area and Boo, the grizzly! We spotted Boo playing and splashing around in his pond he dug himself! The gondola was down during our scheduled lunch time, but we were able to ride it up later, and still had a lovely lunch in a restaurant below. The views were spectacular and Roz made it so much more enjoyable! Thanks so much!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mcc0464
Sep 12, 2023
Fantastic day out in the Rockies - We had a wonderful day on this tour. Our guide, Kelsea, as others have said, was excellent, informative and friendly. All the locations were impressive but the highlights were enjoying the Takakkaw falls in the fresh morning air and sunshine, and seeing Boo the grizzly up close. Best tour of our 3 weeks in Canada.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Liz_l
Aug 24, 2023
Discover Grizzly Bears - We were able to see the bear. Due to a storm that rolled in, our time was extended on top of mountain, but restaurant provided additional hot chocolate & coffee. Knowledgeable staff, Jake, tour guide was courteous & fun!
Review provided by Viator
Frazer_w
Aug 3, 2023
Must do - Fabulous day, would recommend this to anyone. All 3 stops - Takakkaw falls, Emerald Lake and the resort in Golden were all magnificent. Ollie was a great guide for the day as well.
Review provided by Viator
Claire_b
Jul 22, 2023
Fabulous way to spend a day - Travelled to Banff for my husbands 50th and he has always been fascinated by bears so a must do trip for us. Bobby the guide was fantastic and really made everyone feel so welcome. Boo of course was the star of the show and put on a brilliant display.
Review provided by Viator
Christine_l
Jul 9, 2023
Brilliant - Seeing boo and hearing his story. There should be more boo places in Canada to protect bears like him
Review provided by Viator
O7239blbonniew
Jul 28, 2023
Breathtaking scenery - We saw a lot of beautiful scenery and the driver/guide was very pleasant. The only bear we saw was Boo in the refuge, which was a little disappointing. We spent the vast majority of the time on the bus, a lot longer than I thought we would.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 9 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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