As you travel through Banff and the surrounding area in a comfortable sightseeing vehicle, you will be amazed by the beautiful scenery on this journey. You will also learn about the ways the wildlife in the area contribute to the rich diversity of Canada’s Premier National Park. Your knowledgeable guide is trained to seek out all of the park’s most iconic creatures. Big or small, Banff National Park provides a great opportunity to view animals in their natural habitat. Have your camera ready to capture some amazing photos of the highlights of this informative and entertaining “Discovery Tour”.
Bus Tour
The Evening Wildlife Safari is a paved road bus tour, with little to no walking involved. There are a number of routes available depending on wildlife activity and so every night is a new adventure!
Wildlife Viewing
We see wildlife on over 95% of our tours, and often see deer, elk, big horn sheep, bears and birds. Please note that wildlife sightings cannot be guaranteed.
Interpretation and Education
View rare animal props and artifacts as your guide shares information on the local animals, safe wildlife watching practices and the importance of wildlife management in Banff National Park.
While the starting time varies depending on the sunset, this is a 2 hour tour.
The two-hour tour includes transportation from most hotels in Banff on a guided bus tour to look for local wildlife.
We pick up from most hotels in Banff, and you can select your preferred pick-up location during the booking process. For drop offs, our guide will ask you on the way back where you would like to be dropped off either in town or at your hotel.
You are welcome to meet us at any of our pick up locations in Banff to join the tour, and a popular central downtown meeting point is the public bus parking area behind the Mt Royal Hotel (the hotel address is 138 Banff Avenue).
Most guests choose to self-drive into Banff, although please note that you will need to find parking in Banff that exceeds the duration of the tour. Please refer to the Town of Banff website for general parking information, or the banffparking.ca website for live parking availability. For guests staying in Canmore, you can also use the Roam bus service and disembark at the Banff High School. The closest pick up point to the Banff High School is across the road at the Elk and Avenue Hotel.
The tour is a paved road tour and there are a number of routes this tour follows, depending on wildlife activity.
This is not a walking tour and most of the tour will be spent on the bus, but there are opportunities for you to step off the bus to take in scenic views around Banff. However, when in the presence of the wildlife we do not step off the bus unless the guide believes it is safe.
It is possible to see the following in the park: white tail deer, mule deer, elk, black bears, grizzly bears, chipmunks, eagles, coyotes, wolves, osprey, ducks, Canadian geese, squirrels, big horn sheep, mountain goats. Unfortunately we can never guarantee seeing any animals, but our guides try their best to take you to areas we know animals frequent. If you’d like to find out which animals we’ve been seeing on recent tours, you can check out our Wildlife Blog.
No, as all wild animals experience stress when crowded by humans, which is hard on the animal and dangerous for us. Discover Banff Tours adheres strictly to the recommendation set out by Parks Canada for safe wildlife viewing.
Just your camera and warm clothes, plus any refreshments you may like.
There is a 24 hour cancellation policy, which allows you to change/cancel or refund your booking up to 24 hours outside your booked tour (up to 7 days for group bookings).
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