Banff Highlights and Wildlife Small Group Tour with Gondola, Banff

About this activity

From Banff’s hidden corners to the top of its world.

Most visitors see Banff from the main street. This half day takes you somewhere else entirely. We slip off the beaten path to quiet lakes, secret viewpoints, and wildlife corridors the big buses never reach. Elk, bighorn sheep, and bears move freely out here and we spot animals on 95% of tours.

Your guide shares the real stories of this place, the history, the ecology, the little details only someone who actually lives here knows. Then, just when you think you’ve seen it all, the gondola takes you up. And the whole Rockies opens up beneath you in every direction. Four hours that take you from the hidden heart of Banff to the top of its world.

From the quiet corners to the highest peaks, the real Banff in half a day.

Half-day Tours Bus Tours Private and Luxury Small Group Excellent Quality Adventure Tours Likely To Sell Out Involves Animals

At a glance

Duration: 4 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Up to 12 people
People per booking: 1–12
Guide: English
Operated by: Radventures

Ages: Adults (8–90 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Comfortable, premium transportation
Included: Banff Gondola Admission
Included: Hot drinks (hot chocolate, coffee, or tea) & sweet treat – winter only
Included: Polaroid souvenir
Included: Fresh water refills (BYO bottle)
Included: Small group experience (max 12 guests)
Included: Hotel pick-up and drop-off at select Banff locations

Not included

Not included: Guide gratuities (optional)

Itinerary

Banff National Park

Passing by

Your local guide tailors the itinerary for each tour.

Every day, we connect with other tour operators and Banff locals to gather wildlife sightings, and factor in seasonal weather and bus tour schedules, so you get the most authentic experience of the day, without the crowds.

The stops listed below are just some of what you'll see on this tour.
Stop 2

15 min

Head up Mount Norquay, home to Banff's first ski resort, to one of our favourite viewpoints over the town of Banff and the mountains that surround it.
Lake Minnewanka

30 min

Keep an eye out for bears, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, coyotes, foxes, and other wildlife as we travel deep into Banff National Park to the glacier-fed waters of Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake.
Hoodoos Trail

20 min

Take a short walk to one of Banff National Park's red chair spots, with sweeping views of the hoodoos and the Canadian Rockies as they stretch across the Bow Valley.
Surprise Corner

15 min

Look up through the alpine forest on Tunnel Mountain to the Fairmont Banff Springs, the famous local hotel that looks like a castle in the sky.
Bow Falls

15 min

Visit Bow Falls, the backdrop for a famous scene in the 1954 Marilyn Monroe film "River of No Return."
Banff Gondola

one hour Admission included

Ride to the summit of Sulphur Mountain for sweeping 360° alpine views.

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

Meet at the Bus loading Zone outside Fairmont Shops by turn circle.

Pickup times (15 min after tour start):

Summer:

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:45pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:45pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:45pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:45pm

Oct 1 – 12: 3:15pm

Winter:

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 1:15pm

Please be ready 10 min before departure.
Meet at the front of the hotel on Banff Ave.

Pickup times (10 min after tour start):

Summer:

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:40pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:40pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:40pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:40pm

Oct 1 – 12: 3:10pm

Winter:

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 1:10pm

Please be ready 10 min before departure.
Meet at the front of the hotel.

Pickup times (5 min after tour start):

Summer:

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:35pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:35pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:35pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:35pm

Oct 1 – 12: 3:05pm

Winter:

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 1:05pm

Please be ready 10 min before departure.
Meet at the Bus Zone on Elk Street, by the roundabout across from the Station, next to the Banff sign.

Pickup times:

Summer:

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:30pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:30pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:30pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:30pm

Oct 1 – 12: 3:00pm

Winter:

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 1:00pm

Please be ready 10 min before.
Meet at the front of the hotel on Banff Ave.

Pickup times:

Summer (5 min before tour start)

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:25pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:25pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:25pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:25pm

Oct 1 – 12: 2:55pm

Winter (5 min before tour start)

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 12:55pm

Please be ready 10 min before departure.
Meet at the front of the hotel on Banff Ave.

Pickup times:

Summer (10 min before tour start)

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:20pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:20pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:20pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:20pm

Oct 1 – 12: 2:50pm

Winter (5 min before tour start)

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 12:55pm

Please be ready 10 min before departure.
Meet at the front of the hotel on Banff Ave.

Pickup times:

Summer (10 min before tour start)

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:20pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:20pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:20pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:20pm

Oct 1 – 12: 2:50pm

Winter (5 min before tour start)

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 12:55pm

Please be ready 10 min before departure.

End point

Meet at the Bus loading Zone outside Fairmont Shops by turn circle.

Pickup times (15 min after tour start):

Summer:

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:45pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:45pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:45pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:45pm

Oct 1 – 12: 3:15pm

Winter:

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 1:15pm

Please be ready 10 min before departure.
Meet at the front of the hotel on Banff Ave.

Pickup times (10 min after tour start):

Summer:

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:40pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:40pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:40pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:40pm

Oct 1 – 12: 3:10pm

Winter:

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 1:10pm

Please be ready 10 min before departure.
Meet at the front of the hotel.

Pickup times (5 min after tour start):

Summer:

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:35pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:35pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:35pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:35pm

Oct 1 – 12: 3:05pm

Winter:

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 1:05pm

Please be ready 10 min before departure.
Meet at the Bus Zone on Elk Street, by the roundabout across from the Station, next to the Banff sign.

Pickup times:

Summer:

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:30pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:30pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:30pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:30pm

Oct 1 – 12: 3:00pm

Winter:

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 1:00pm

Please be ready 10 min before.
Meet at the front of the hotel on Banff Ave.

Pickup times:

Summer (5 min before tour start)

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:25pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:25pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:25pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:25pm

Oct 1 – 12: 2:55pm

Winter (5 min before tour start)

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 12:55pm

Please be ready 10 min before departure.
Meet at the front of the hotel on Banff Ave.

Pickup times:

Summer (10 min before tour start)

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:20pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:20pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:20pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:20pm

Oct 1 – 12: 2:50pm

Winter (5 min before tour start)

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 12:55pm

Please be ready 10 min before departure.
Meet at the front of the hotel on Banff Ave.

Pickup times:

Summer (10 min before tour start)

May 1 – Jun 31: 4:20pm

Jun 1 – Jul 31: 5:20pm

Aug 1 – 31: 4:20pm

Sept 1 – 30: 3:20pm

Oct 1 – 12: 2:50pm

Winter (5 min before tour start)

Oct 13 – Apr 30: 12:55pm

Please be ready 10 min before departure.

Cancellation

Free cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

If you cancel	You get back
At least one day before	100%
Less than a day before	0%

The operator may cancel if the weather does not allow it; you then get another date or your money back.
The operator may cancel if too few people book; you then get another date or your money back.