Wildlife lovers and nature enthusiasts, this small-group safari in Banff is for you. On this 2-hour wildlife tour, explore a variety of Banff's beautiful landscapes in the evening, giving you the best chance to observe animals in their natural environment. Each tour has a 95% success rate of viewing animals. Your knowledgeable guide will teach you how Alaska's national parks strive to protect animals and their habitat.
Departing from your Banff hotel in the evening, this 2-hour wildlife tour takes you to Banff National Park to see Alaskan animals in their natural habitat.
Traverse a variety of landscapes to see a range of animals such as deer, elk, sheep and bears, as they appear in the wilderness at dusk. Keep an eye out for wildlife from the comfort of your climate-controlled vehicle, with a guide on board to teach you about the animals and their habitats. You may also disembark for a closer look.
You'll learn about the region's indigenous animals and discover the challenges of protecting these creatures and their habitats, leaving you with a greater understanding of and appreciation for Alaska's natural beauty and wildlife.
Please note: This tour is seasonal and only operates from April through to October.
Very enjoyable! Small group, our driver/guide was interesting and courteous. We were fortunate to see several elk, but I am sure there were lots of eyes watching us!
Review by: Nandini V, July 2018
The guide we had was really great, cracking jokes all along the way. The drive was lovely - we went to both Lake Minnewanka and the Vermillion lakes. We saw a couple of elk - one a mother with a fawn, which was great, and then a deer, but that was pretty much it. Had better luck seeing bears on our own, the following morning driving along the Bow Valley parkway.
Review by: Jeff R, June 2018
a little too much talking for our taste -
Review by: Anand P, October 2017
Didn't see much wild life. Nothing exotic anyway. Elks, Moose and mountain sheep were sighted during other day tours as well.
Review by: Kez, October 2017
Although tour guide was very friendly, I would not recommend this tour if you actually want to see some wildlife. Seeing wildlife is never a guarantee, however when you are told 5 minutes into the trip that you have more luck winning lotto than seeing a bear and there is no wolves in Banff because they had to shoot them last year did not leave high expectations. We then drove over 45 minutes to arrive at this open field to only meet another tour guide who had a table with elk horns and skins and gave us although informative talk about the wild life you would normally see here but they don't expect today. We then drove back the 45 minutes into town and drove up to a look out over Banff must say beautiful view but then again not expected to see wildlife here today As previous mentioned, tour guide was very informative and spoke with great knowledge of the wild life however, it was very clear to everyone on board that even he, did not expect to see any wildlife from the beginning of tour and basically just took us to places to fill in the the time. Believe tour should have been promoted as a wild life conservation tour, rather than a safari especially at this time of the year, when the company knows sightings will probably not occur. May I add, won lotto the next day seeing a black bear along the road way.
Review by: Laura G, October 2017
This Evening Wildlife Safari far exceeded expectations! Our guide was super-knowledgeable, well-spoken and knew just where the best viewing spots were. We had several opportunities to get out to observe some of the wilderness and at one point, were giving a talk from two naturalists! I did report to Viator that the tour was TWO hours, not one hour, so even more worth the money! Great bus too - large viewing windows! Highly recommend!
Review by: lisabadovinac, October 2017
This was a great adventure! Aaron was fabulous-- very knowledgeable and funny and warm. He took us to all the great animal spotting locations and taught us so much about conservation. We loved it!
Review by: Sander S, September 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: janetbailey4, September 2017
An enjoyable experience - convenient pickup and drop off once we had located the Sundance Mall where the tour company is situated. The tour guide was informative and gave us lots of information about the area as well as wildlife. It was the beginning of the mating season and we saw two rutting Elks which he said was a very rare experience and we also saw some white tailed deer - no bears though but the little talk at the end of the tour when we view the bear skin was quite amusing.
Review by: Suzanne R, September 2017
Fun way to spend a few hours. I like taking tours like this when I first arrive to get some orientation to the area and to take it easy. The tour was fun. We drive around in a bus seeing the area. We did see some wildlife an elk skittish and running a bit from what the guides thought might be a wolf nearby. It was very skittish and did go to the water to try and move away.
Review by: chickadee910, September 2017
Great tour and guide but animals were on vacation but we really didn't expect to see many...nice evening out.
Review by: Helen K, September 2017
The guide/driver was energetic, knowledgable and skilled - all essentials for an evening activity after a hard day of sightseeing. We saw elk, a coyote and sheep. The highlight was a big bull elk walking along the road towards the bus!
Review by: Marty J, September 2017
Just wished that we would seen more animals! Ronnie was very informative
Review by: vanessa H, August 2017
Yesterday went on the wild life tour ,our guide was Norm ,he was very informative of all the possible wild life we might come across during our tour with him._br/_ Unfortunately Mother Nature had other ideas. ! We did see Elk and Mule deer plus two red squirrel's, no bears this time._br/_ This is my second time coming on this tour, we saw a black bear the last time and Elk. ,went on this same tour last year and it was great.!_br/_ I truly would recamend this as it's not a big buss the guides are fun and still lots to see even if the animals don't wish to show face.
Review by: Charles W, August 2017
We did this tour on our first evening in Banff. We did not see a lot of wildlife that night but our guide was very informative. We went back to the areas we saw on the tour on other evenings and saw a lot of wildlife.
Review by: Stephen C, August 2017
We only saw a couple of deer. Was hoping to see a bear, moose, or elk.
Review by: Alison M, August 2017
Very nice easy trip around the area - and even saw Elk and Deer and beautiful scenery. You can never guarantee sightings, but the great information on the animals of the area, including photos and some hands-on learning was really nice. Guides are extremely knowledgeable and personable - thanks very much!!
Review by: flobrown, July 2017
We saw elk, sheep. No bears or moose.
Review by: David B, July 2017
What a great value! I was'nt expecting much but was pleasantly surprised with the number and variety of animals we saw on the tour. Would recommend the tour for others.
Review by: John H, June 2017
Our tour guide Scott was very knowledgeable and passionate about wildlife which made the evening trip very enjoyable. We were lucky to see a bear and a number of deer. Recommended.
Review by: Michelle R, June 2017
Very successful tour,the guide was full of enthusiasm._br/_ We even got to see bears, 1 black bear then a mother and 3 cubs!the whole bus was ecstatic
Review by: Carmen K, June 2017
Our tour guide, I think his name was Dbone, was very knowledgeable and we seen 1 Grizzly bear and lots of elk,white tail deer and long horn sheep.
Review by: nickclare1, June 2017
Our tour guide, Linda from Discover Banff Tours was amazing - friendly, enthusiastic, knowledgeable .... She was brilliant! We didn't have high hopes of seeing anything as there had been a storm a few hours earlier and it was still drizzling: but low and behold, we spotted Mule and White-tailed deer, Elk AND a grizzly bear! Plus Linda gave us a great tour of some areas in/around the town as well as a good education about the various animals in the National Park, including some wildlife management strategies that are helping keep the wildlife wild and safe. Would absolutely recommend it, we had a great time.
Review by: Jane M, October 2016
A great small group tour with an informative guide who did her best to maximise wildlife spotting opportunities. A plus is the drive out to Lake Minnewanka, so you get great scenery as well as a different wildlife habitat. We finished up by visiting a lookout over Banff for a photo op.
Review by: Stephen J, September 2016
The tour guide was very knowledgable._br/_ While I realise you cannot control the movements of wild animals this trip was disappointing in the respect there were virtually no animals to be seen ,not at all how this trip was promoted
Review by: Lorie W, September 2016
We did not like that the tour stopped to view dead animal skins. We would have rather kept looking for Live animals.
Review by: Daryl P, September 2016
Dark bus windows, carnt get out for photos and only saw elk, guide up to date with wildlife info and I know wildlife viewing is never a sure thing, a little sorry I went.
Review by: Keegan M, September 2016
The pictures of the Grizzly bear and cubs is very misleading. The guide was knowledgable and did a great job of finding Elk and Deer but we were driving on fairly main roads. He made it pretty clear that it's unlikely a Grizzly would be spotted. Still a fun experience though.
Review by: Phil J, September 2016
Did not see much wildlife and the bus went a little too quick meaning some opportunities were lost. A little disappointing although we accept that sighting of wildlife is a little hit and miss. guide was friendly and informative
Review by: Fernando S, August 2016
We didn't see so many animals but the lady in charge of the tour kept us interested the whole trip, she was very good telling us stories and facts about the wild.
Review by: Qinghua L, August 2016
It was wonderful trip though only spotting 1 bird and 1 fish. But this trip attracted my attention to the deep woods where the wild animals might be hiding. The tour guide is nice and knowledgeable.
Review by: lisa v, August 2016
The Guide was very nice and knowledgeable. We saw a bear, mountain goats, and a few other animals. I only wish we were able to get off the bus to get a better picture from a safe distance of course.
Review by: Jan D, August 2016
Tour was too late for the pick-up in the hotel. You only sit in the bus, cannot go out. Have not seen a lot of wildlife. Going with my own car I have seen more. Vermillion lake was ok.
Review by: bill, August 2016
We had a very informative tour guide and got to see some animals including black bear, elk, long horn sheep, and a raven. I also saw the same animals driving on my own during the trip but the general information given by the guide was nice extra.
Review by: Pamela T, August 2016
Our driver was knowledgable about the local fauna and tried to keep us entertained, but it was a rainy evening, and nobody showed up to be seen on safari. We didn't just not see bears or moose or sheep or beaver or goats- we literally didn't even see a ground squirrel. After over two hours with no sightings of wildlife other than two ducks on a lake, we finally found a handful of elk in a meadow, but weren't allowed out of the bus to take pictures. The windows were foggy and covered in raindrops, so we got nothing. The bus company also did a lousy job of setting up this tour. First, the online info clearly says complimentary hotel pickup included. The day before our tour, I got an email informing me that because we were staying up the hill from town at Banff Springs Resort, they couldn't get us due to weekend traffic. It's about a mile to town, and we had two elderly people in our group, so we had to get a taxi, at our expense, to get to the in-town bus stop to start the tour. Then, the tour busses were late. They sent 3 of them, and ours was last, and completely full. There were at least two uneven numbered groups already on our bus, meaning that three families had to sit with complete strangers for the duration of the tour, because there wasn't a single empty seat anywhere. Initially, two of our family were seated with a third person from other groups already on the bus, until those other people realized that they could combine their 3rd persons together and let the two from my family sit together. But there was no organization from the driver to keep families together. There were only binoculars for every two seats, which meant strangers had to share those, too. We spent twelve days in Canada and Montana, and by far, this was the biggest disappointment of our trip.
Review by: cdr4081, August 2016
A great tour. Small group, knowledgable guide.
Review by: MAURICE H, July 2016
A very enjoyable experience. Jordan was a very enthusiastic guide
Review by: Gerald S, July 2016
This was our first time in Banff and had just gotten to the hotel. The tour did everything we were hoping it would do. It showed us around the area, gave a little history and told us what we were seeing. Had great luck in seeing animals. Bear, elk, deer and long horn sheep. Was nice to be picked up from the hotel and not have to drive. Would recommend this tour if you are looking to see wildlife and get familiar with the area.
Review by: John M, July 2016
The evening wildlife safari was excellent. Norm the guide was very knowledgable and was able to answer all our questions. We were lucky enough to see several deer and some bird life.
Review by: Shih Ying W, July 2016
We only saw a herd of elks from a far distance have to see by binoculars and a big horn sheep. The problem is that we can see these animals without attending the tour! At the day before wildlife safari, we saw a herd of elks just beside the road, only within 3 meters from us and we also saw a black bear at the morning. I was imagining a professional tour guide which has a profession in spotting animal will join the tour, but instead the tour guide only drove the bus and left the job of spotting animals for tourists. If I have to spott the animals by myself on a normal road which every car can drive, I don't need this tour. Sadly this is the service they provide. _br/_ The bus seat is small and the window is concealed. I don't feel comfortable in the bus.
Review by: jude_gaz, July 2016
Great tour with knowlegible guide. Would have loved to have seen a bear but saw long horned sheep, a coyote, an elk and deer. Oops forgot the squirrels. You take your chance on these kind of tours to see animals but we really enjoyed it and learnt lots. Overall I would recommend this tour.
Review by: Donald M, July 2016
A +
Review by: Darren S, July 2016
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Noelene R, July 2016
We drove around the golf course saw plenty of golfers Then we went for a talk on road crossings for animals By this time one hour had passed We then went across town and out on the highway and turned off on a smaller road Here we saw an Elk After that we went to fast to scan the forest very much..We stopped at two sight seeing spotsWe did not pay for a sight seeing trip Time to go back. Seeing animals is not guaranteed but our chances were very limited by the way this trip was conducted Ron Rickards
Review by: Lenore T, July 2016
I was hoping to see more wildlife on the tour but we were at the mercy of the animals!! the guide was very informative and told us a lot about the animals in the area even if they did not decide to show themselves. We were able to see elk and several birds. Actually when you hear the number of animals actually living in Banff Park compared to its size, we were grateful to see any animals!! Very good guide and a peaceful dirve through the wilderness!
Review by: Murray K, June 2016
We saw a bear and lots of elk young and old. Norm, our tour guide, was very passionate, informative and entertaining. Great value for money.
Review by: Roy T, June 2016
Weather was bad cold and wet but tour guide sold the tour as being very positive and that she knew where the animals were. Not surprisingly no animals seen
Review by: jjandpmstrickland, June 2016
Enjoyed the tour but had hoped to see more wildlife.
Review by: Michael B, September 2015
Loved this tour, for the price it is excellent. Gena was a great tour guide and we saw a lot of elk, especially on the golf course.
Review by: Richard J, September 2015
Nicole was pleasant and informative. Stopped to allow photos at a several places. Even got to see several elk. Overall a very nice tour.
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