Canadian Bargains Lure Travelers North

If you are a student or an independent or budget-minded traveler, Canada has a number of ways to save while seeing the country this summer.

A three-day backpacker excursion from Calgary into grizzly bear territory and a four-day backpacker trip from the city of Vancouver to Vancouver Island (where you may be able to whale-watch and hike in a 1,000-year-old forest) are two of the opportunities for adventurers traveling student-style who want to explore the Canadian wilderness this summer.

True North Tours is best known for its six-day backpacker minivan tours through the Canadian Rockies. Its Rockies tour, called the Rocky Express, picks up travelers at hostels in Calgary, Banff and Lake Louise and takes them on a scenic ride through the mountains, visiting the Columbia Ice Fields (which are larger than the 44-square-mile city of Vancouver), searching for wildlife and stopping for hikes and other mountain activities. For about $138, you will get transportation, guide services and park entrance fees. Five-night hostel accommodation packages are available for $51.50. Passengers must contribute $13 to a food kitty for communal meals.

True North offers three departures a week until Oct. 7. A three-night version of this trip is also available. Contact True North Tours; (403) 912-0407, www.truenorthtours.com.

New this year is a three-day trip from Calgary south to Waterton National Park, which costs $74, or $64 if you purchase it with another True North tour. Waterton hugs the U.S. border with Glacier National Park, and together they form the International Peace Park, which straddles the border. Here where the prairies meet the Rockies is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, where the Indians of the North American plains killed bison by chasing them over a precipice and then carving up the carcasses in a camp below. It’s also grizzly bear country.

Bigfoot Adventure Tours, a Vancouver-based flexible transportation network for backpackers, students and independent travelers, has stretched its Island Explorer tour to four days. This trip offers sea kayaking, hiking in a 1,000-year-old forest, relaxing in natural hot springs and whale watching. Groups leave from Vancouver and ferry to Nanaimo for one night, then move to the west coast to spend two nights in Tofino before heading down for a last night in Victoria. You can hop off at this point and take the ferry to Seattle, or stick with the group and return to Vancouver. The transportation and guide cost $131.

Bigfoot offers backpacker bus services over several routes on the mainland, linking Whistler, Kamloops, Jasper, Banff, Revelstoke, Kelowna, Vancouver and Seattle. A three-day trip from Banff to Vancouver costs $96. Stops are made in Revelstoke and Kelowna, where there are opportunities to watch wildlife, hike, swim, canoe and go houseboating. Bigfoot groups include a maximum of 24 passengers. Contact Bigfoot Adventure Tours Inc.; (888) 244-6673, www.bigfoottours.com.

Moose Travel Network is Canada’s national hop-on, hop-off backpacker bus service. There are no age limits, but it’s geared to 18- to 34-year-olds. Those who have international student, youth and youth hostel identity cards can get discounts.

Moose’s minivan service travels routes in eastern and western Canada about three times per week until Oct. 15. Stops will be made at hostels, where you are guaranteed a bed in a coed dorm room and where you can prepare your own meals.

Moose’s eastern Canada route travels from Toronto to Kingston, Montreal, Tadoussac (where there’s good whale-watching), Quebec City, Mt. Tremblant, Wakefield, Maynooth (for canoeing in Algonquin Park) and back to Toronto for $268. Moose’s western Canada pass links Vancouver to Whistler, Kamloops, Valemount, Jasper, Banff, Revelstoke and Kelowna for $262. As with all Moose passes, a student or youth discount is available. Both passes can be combined into the Canada Pass, which costs $504, but you’ll need to travel between Toronto and Vancouver yourself. VIA Rail has a special prairie rail link that lets Moose customers travel between Toronto and Vancouver for $284, or $272 for students. Stopovers are permitted.

Moose also offers shorter routes in eastern and western Canada, and rail links for the Maritime provinces and Gaspe Peninsula. Contact Moose Travel Network; (888) 816-6673 for eastern Canada or (888) 388-4881 for western Canada, www.moosenetwork.com.

This summer VIA Rail Canada, (888) VIA-RAIL, www.viarail.ca, is offering students with international student identity cards a 35% discount on economy-class tickets, and student rates for Canrailpasses, which are valid for 12 days of unlimited travel within a 30-day period. Greyhound Canada, (800) 661-TRIP (661-8747), www.greyhound.ca, is offering students with ISIC cards a 25% discount on regular fares. Those who have recognized hostel cards (such as VIP and Nomads) can get a 10% discount.

Canadian Wilderness Trips, which is owned by Travel CUTS (part of the Canadian Federation of Students), operates two- to 10-day canoe and sea kayak adventures in Ontario that depart from Toronto in 15-passenger vans. Contact (416) 960-2298, www.canadianwildernesstrips.com.

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Lucy Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer and author of “Izon’s Backpacker Journal”; www.izon.com. Youth Beat appears twice a month.