Banff

Banff is my favourite place I’ve visited in Canada, but my experience did start off rocky. I arrived in Banff at around 4am after taking a 12-hour overnight bus, on which I got around 2 hours sleep. I also realised while on the bus that the hostel I’d booked had no running water and very basic facilities, which reminded me of the importance of reading the fine print, not just the reviews. Luckily I was able to book a hostel in the town centre, where a friend of mine from Whistler was staying – Samesun Banff.

I got dropped off the bus in a dark street in the freezing cold, and nothing was open. I visited a few gas stations in search of free wifi, but to no avail. I ended up lying down on a bench outside of a church to wait until something was open, figuring that surely no one would try to murder a foreign girl on a church bench. My gamble was correct, and finally at 6am, a Tim Hortons opened. My check in for my hostel didn’t open until 3pm, but luckily the common room was open, and I managed to get some sleep on the couch for a few hours.

Although my first day in Banff had started off less than ideal, it only went up from here. Through my friend from Whistler, I met the loveliest group of people, and we had such a fun time together. Johnston’s Canyon was my first hike in Banff, and it was incredible. We ended up taking the track to the Ink Pots, which were beautiful. The tracks were all very lush and well maintained, and because we arrived at 7am, we missed the massive hoards of tourists until our trek back.

We visited the Banff Upper Hot Springs, and got to enjoy soaking in the natural mineral water whilst enjoying the stunning views.

In Banff National Park, I visited Lake Minnewanka and Lake Louise. Lake Minnewanka was beautiful and very quiet, and to my excitement, the trails were filled with chipmunks.

Lake Louise is one of the most famous lakes in Canada, and was even more beautiful than I’d anticipated. The walkway surrounding the lake understandably gets very crowded, but I managed to find a semi-quiet spot to soak in the views on the boardwalk. A family left their canoe in front of my spot for about 15 minutes, and when they came to collect it, I asked where they had rented it from (as the only row boats I could see on the lake cost $155 to rent – an immediate no from me). They informed me that they owned it, and ended up offering it to me to borrow. I was ecstatic to get the chance to get out on the lake, and it was breathtaking to be separated from the crowds and be able to experience the peace of the water.

Banff was exactly what I was hoping it would be. I got to explore mountains, lakes, canyons and waterfalls. My last night in Banff was spent surrounded by my new friends, and I felt very lucky to have had such a wonderful experience.

I had planned to catch an early morning flight to Calgary, but unfortunately missed my bus due to an inaccurate location provided by Google Maps for the pickup point. Luckily I managed to book a cheap private transfer to Calgary, and ended up being escorted to the location by my friends to make sure I got on safely (and didn’t miss it!). I arrived in Calgary, slept at my hostel for a few hours, and headed off to the airport for my flight to Toronto. This was a connecting flight to Vienna, the first stop on my European itinerary.