Private Tour: Britannia Mine Museum, Shannon Falls and Eagle Habitat from Vancouver

Vancouver, Canada

Take a private tour from Vancouver to some of its surrounding natural and historical highlights! Traveling by private vehicle with a guide, you’ll visit the old Britannia Mine, a National Historic Site; Shannon Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in British Columbia; and the Brackendale Eagle Habitat, where eagles catch salmon in the Squamish River. Plus, enjoy the scenic drive on the Sea to Sky Highway, the beautiful coastal highway along Howe Sound that connects Vancouver to destinations north. Lunch is included.

Your private tour starts in the morning with pickup from your Vancouver hotel or other location. Based on how many people are in your party, you’ll travel with your guide by luxury sedan, limo, SUV or van.

Head north from Vancouver on Highway 99 — known affectionately as the Sea to Sky Highway for its prime location between the waters of Howe Sound and the coastal mountains — and travel for about 30 minutes to the town of Britannia Beach, a sleepy community that's home to the now-defunct Britannia Mine, an old copper mine that dates back to the late 1800s and is now a museum and National Historic Site.

Your 2-hour tour of the mine includes panning for gold and riding a mining car into the old mine. Learn about the history and importance of mining in British Columbia through the museum’s exhibits and underground tour, during which a museum guide will operate your mining car and provide commentary.

Back in your vehicle, make the approximate 10-minute journey to Shannon Falls, the third-highest waterfall in British Columbia at 1,100 feet (335 meters). Walk through the forest to a lookout deck where you can admire the gushing waters that fall over the cliffs. (The walk to the lookout deck is about 10 minutes if you walk straight there; you can stop along the way whenever you want to take photos.)

After capturing the perfect photo of the falls, head to Brackendale Eagle Habitat, the third and final stop of your tour. A 15-minute drive north brings you to your destination on the Squamish River, where eagles go to catch salmon that are swimming upstream to spawn. Sit down to a two-course lunch of salad or soup to start, followed by a main course of wild salmon, BBQ chicken or half a rack of ribs, accompanied by veggies like asparagus, corn and potato salad (sample menu is subject to change). Coffee, tea and other non-alcoholic beverages are included.

When you’ve finished lunch, you’ll be returned to your pickup location in Vancouver.

Traveler Reviews

Review by:   Yokelin,    September 2017
tour is wonderful. we were picked up by driver and guide Ross who is amazing. He introduce part of vancouver to us and drive us along sea to sky coastal express drive. scenic view is out of the world. thank you Ross for the wonderful introduction.

Review by:   Stephen H,    June 2015
We had a wonderful tour. Our driver arrived on time at our hotel to pick us up. He was extremely knowledgable about the area pointing out points of interest along the drive. At the mine we definitely had a private tour of the facility as we lucked out being the only ones on it. At Shannon Falls he walked up with us and acted as our photographer. Lunch by the river with breathtaking views and on the way home our driver made an extra stop at Tim Hortons so the kids could try their very first donuts from the chain. More points of interest pointed out on the way home. It was a lovely way to spend the day outside of Vancouver.

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