Banff And Its Wildlife - Year Round Tour

The tour is fantastic and we highly recommend it. My wife had never been a band before it was amazed. I’ve been to Banff, including this trip five times and I learned things and saw things I never knew or saw before. A guy Gabriel was very knowledgable enthusiastic and went over and above. We had a small group which made it more personable and a better overall experience, I think.

Be aware that there is no guarantee of wildlife sightings, but there will certainly be an informed, friendly introduction to the experience. The tour guide (Mitch) was well informed and very likeable character, and a very good guide. We had a few minor issues but Viator sorted it out very quickly

Guide Buffy was terrific! Knowledgeable, friendly, efficient. Excellent at driving, sharing facts, everything.

The tour title is misleading: it is a city tour of Banff - wildlife spotting is by coincidence. However, the tour is nice and worthwhile going.

We were not quite sure what to expect but it was such a great 3 hours. Buffy was warm and informative throughout. No question was too silly. She loved the interaction with us. Plenty of stops to take in the most breathtaking views and loads of information about the animals and humans that made this place the special place that it is. Thanks again Buffy x

Comfortable bus tour on outskirts of Banff. Simon was a great tour guide. We saw mountain sheep, lakes and waterfalls. Short stops around the sites.

Nice trip seeing beautiful sights around Banff. Recommend this 3+ hour tour for all visiting Banff. We saw Elk, longhorn sheep , waterfalls and other structures and mountainscapes! Great trip

Perfect tour. Great weather. Great guide. Great stop offs

Excellent day out the tour guide was phenomenal very knowledgeable and a great pleasure to talk to even went to the a few places she recommended wod definitely go again 😀

We had a great tour with Neil, our very knowledgeable guide. He told us all about the natural and human history of the Banff area with a touch of humour which made the day very enjoyable. We managed to fit in lots of different places in the area around Banff with short hops, enough to get photos and find out more about where we were.

We had a wonderful morning on our tour with Anick. She was so friendly, knowledgeable & a fun guide. We saw some beautiful places and some wildlife and it was a very relaxing and fun trip. A huge thank you to Anick, you are an amazing guide!

We went on this tour with Neil and he was very personable and informative. Plus a very helpful volunteer photographer. We had a wonderful time. This is more about the history and highlights of Banff and surrounds. We did see some elk in the distance. But this suited us perfectly as we’ve already been lucky to see wildlife so the local sights and information were just what we were after.

We had a wonderful experience on our Banff tour! Our guide Buffy was very friendly, knowledgeable, and took the time to explain everything in detail throughout the tour. She made the experience enjoyable and informative, and we really appreciated her helpfulness and professionalism. I would definitely recommend her to anyone visiting Banff and would be happy to book another tour with her in the future!

Absolutely fabulous informative, interactive and enlightening trip with Emma. We were encouraged to pool all our eyes and managed to see black bears, elks, and deer. The places visited were very beautiful and the coach was comfortable and had great visibility. Fully recommend. Would be helpful to know it’s a big blue bus beforehand.

Super experience doing this tour, Gabriel was a very informative guide, very engaging. Areas visited were fantastic, saw lots of wildlife.

We felted that Discover tours are a scam. We booked a private evening wildlife safari tour on their website, which was priced per person. For 5 people we paid 688 CAD. Our sone got sick on that day so we called them & were advised to send a doctor's note for refund for one person. When we send the note, we got email stating that charges are per vehicle which does not say anywhere in website. They did not refund us for sick person Also before start of the tour guide guaranteed will see wild animals & all we saw was two squirrels. I would not recommend any wildlife tours in Banff. They take heavy traffic road & are not allowed to stop even if you spot something. Hardly any bear or wildlife would go near traffic & on road. They charge high & you get to see nothing

We went on the "Discover Banff and its Wildlife with Gondola" tour on our first full day in Banff and it was an excellent introduction to the town and the National Park. This company had been recommended by the Tourist Information Centre when we contacted them a week or so before our visit. When we found that the forecast was for very bad weather on the day we had booked the tour for we contacted Discover Banff again to ask to change it for the following day but they would not do so. If they had changed it we would probably have had a much better experience. We were picked up at a hotel near the one we were staying at and were taken to several principal places in and around Banff. We had stops of 10 to 20 minutes at each. Our guide and driver, Tom, was very knowledgeable and engaging. We did not see much in the way of wildlife but that cannot be planned. Unfortunately the magnificent mountains were largely hidden in the clouds and the rain made our stops less enjoyable than they might have been. The gondola (cable car) trip up the Sulphur Mountain was not good as we could see nothing but cloud from the top. We would not have been so displeased if the tour had not been so expensive.

Our family of 5 had an excellent time with our guide THE Gabriel on a private Discover Banff and It’s Wildlife tour with a ride on the Banff gondola. We had a full day tour booked two days later and requested and were lucky enough to get THE Gabriel again for that one which showed us many lakes and waterfalls in the area. Both private tours exceeded expectations. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the area and very friendly and engaged. Given that these were private tours, he was able to tailor everything to our interests and was able to easily pivot when needed. I would highly recommend this company and please specifically request THE Gabriel if you book a private tour. Our family is already starting to plan a trip again for next year and if that happens, we are definitely booking a tour again!

Poppy gave use a first class tour of Banff and we were fortunate enough to see plenty of wildlife. On a wildlife tour, you know that it isn't guaranteed, but her commentary and information about Banff would have made it an enjoyable experience anyway.

Having never visited Banff and with no idea of how to manage the August crowds, these tours were great as we were driven around and given a digestible layout of Banff and Yoho National Park. We ventured from the Van on a few light hikes and scenic views with history and entertaining side notes from our guide. With auspicious risings and wymsy wakeups from the mountain scenery just minutes into our tour, you hit all the highlights of Yoho and Banff. Dappled sunlight across the mosaic of glaciers and granite across the rocky landscape leaves nothing regret. However, the real value of the tour is your guide. “The Gabriel” (as stated within a previous review of a customer) was extremely pleasant, knowledgeable, and eager to make our experience unforgettable (he really was on it with pictures). These places can be seen on your own, but the stops are done so you can understand the connections between the glaciers, rivers, and how the landscape formed and how we changed the landscape for our needs. I recommend these guys for those needing a rest from a heavy few days of hiking but yearn for more than watching Netflix in your bed. Bring your camera, as you might just need it for what’s coming.

An excellent and highly enjoyable trip. Great value for money - we saw so many wonderful sights! Jake, our host, was wonderful - very knowledgeable and entertaining!

Jake was a great raconteur and lived up to his description of being “funny, handsome and majestic “ He was very informative and we almost saw a bear! Thanks for a great trip. Chris and Roger

Tour was very nice, and interesting.

This was a perfect introduction to Banff! We didn't see many animals, but we learned so much about the history of the town and the national park! Gabriel was entertaining and informative. Being picked up and dropped off at our hotel made this so easy to relax and enjoy getting to know this wonderful area.

We absolutely loved this tour, our guide Victoria was very knowledgeable friendly and enthusiastic. The senary was stunning and we were lucky enough to see Elk,Deer and Black Bears

Brody was Our tour guide for the morning. He was timely, prompt, and very professional while being very fun. He was incredibly knowledgeable about all the aspects in and around Banff. I could not suggest discovery tours anymore.

Buffy was our tour guide for this experience and she was great!!!! Buffy knew so much about the area and was a great guide for this tour. It was more of history of Banff than a wildlife tour, didn't see any wildlife.

Great experience worth the time!

The pickup was 30 minutes late and no message sent to say they would be late. The pickup vehicle was dirty. There was trash in the cup holders were we were sitting in the second row behind the driver. The vehicle was dirty inside and out.

Buffy our guide with discovery Banff tours was awesome! She entertained and informed us through the whole tour! We left feeling we were really educated on everything Banff, flora, fauna and history! This tour is a great highlight for visitors!

Jake was an excellent tour guide. He was very knowledgeable, friendly and also entertaining. We saw many amazing places and saw wildlife along the way. I hope he gets that one night stay at the end of the year - he deserves it!!!

Gabriel was amazing, he was so knowledgeable and kind. We also saw so many animals. Would recommend if you want to learn more about both the wildlife and the parks.

Excellent guide appearing very knowledgeable about the area. Anyone wanting to learn more about the growth and/or local environment, ecological and community for the Banff area would enjoy this trip. I was hoping for more wildlife but that is not always possible. Overall tour was very interesting.

The tour was fantastic. Gabe was our tour guide and he was very knowledgeable and personable. The fee was very reasonable for what we got out of the tour. We were able to spend a good amount of time at each stop to take photos and take in all of the sites in the 3hrs we had for the tour. The weather was perfect the day we went and we even saw some big horned sheep! Gabe taught us about their horns and had a horn in the tour bus that we were able to interact with. I would definitely do more of these tours in the future 😁

Had the most amazing trip today with Jake. He was extremely knowledgeable - and courteous making sure everyone was enjoying the experience. His sense of humour made the trip - everyone had a good laugh. Would highly recommend this trip with Jake - it will be an experience you will never forget.

We took the evening wildlife with Mitch as our excellent guide. He made sure we saw a variety of animals. We saw a mama bear and her three cubs! Amazing!!

A great small group tour, showing us all the main attractions and sights of Banff. The guides Charlie and Xavier were fantastic, giving us a history of the local area and we spotted some wildlife, being elk, deer and mountain sheep. A gondola ride was included in the tour and saw amazing views from the top. A must do experience when you are in Banff. At the conclusion of the tour Charlie gave some recommendations for local restaurants to dine in. Overall value for money and would recommend doing this tour.

Our guide Buffy was excellent on the wildlife tour. Her knowledge, passion and determination to find the local wildlife was unbeatable. She shared lots of local information and facts which were very interesting, and although the goats and sheep weren't out on our evening tour, she found a Mother bear and her 3 cubs. The whole bus was so happy! The tour was reasonably priced for the length of the tour and the quality Buffy provided. We would highly recommend her as a guide (ask for her!) and my 8 year old has been saying ever since that he would like to become a tour guide just like her - high praise indeed. SHe dropped us off very near to our campground which was so kind. Thank you Buffy, from your passengers from the UK.

If you’re considering a tour with Discover Banff, stop reading reviews and book it immediately—especially if Jake is your guide. Jake wasn’t just a tour guide. He was a majestic force of nature. Equal parts wilderness expert, stand-up comedian, and rugged mountain prince, he effortlessly led our group through Banff while keeping us laughing the entire time. At one point, Jake’s eagle eyes spotted a black bear in the distance (photo attached). While the rest of us were busy admiring the scenery and questioning our survival instincts, Jake calmly assessed the situation, protected us from certain doom, and somehow made it entertaining. I can’t say for certain that he stared the bear down, but I also can’t rule it out. His knowledge of the area was incredible, his jokes landed every time, and his hair somehow remained perfect despite the mountain winds. Coincidence? I think not. By the end of the tour, I learned more about Banff than I thought possible, saw amazing wildlife, and left wondering if Jake secretly communicates with bears, elk, and the Canadian Rockies themselves. If Discover Banff ever loses Jake, Parks Canada should probably classify him as a natural wonder. 10/10. Would trust Jake to guide me through the Rockies, a zombie apocalypse, or a diplomatic summit with bears. 🐻🏔️😂

Loved it! Our guide Ed was wonderful and informative and we saw lots of beautiful sites and finished with the gondola tour My kids and I loved it all!

This was a fabulous tour and Jake was an amazing guide who shared loads of useful information throughout the tour. I was a bit concerned about his plans for the group to race a bear to see who was fastest but we all survived and who knew that I could still do 100m in less than 10 seconds!! I didn't want to ride the moose so skipped that bit but Jake showed some real cowboy skills with the way he managed to stay on its back for so long. I hope his injuries weren't too serious. As you can tell this tour was fun, lots of fabulous things to see and the highlight was seeing the elk with it's baby.Would thoroughly recommend.

A beautiful morning exploring Banff. Great to see the lakes, falls, hoodoos and various deer and sheep. Jake was a great guide, knowledgeable, friendly (and funny!).

As promised and more! Buffy was excellent, related well with our group, outstanding knowledge of Banff and its ecosystem. Entertaining and precise.

Everything you would expect from a great tour, punctual pick up and drop off, courteous and knowledgeable driver/guide (Chloe)

Our guide Chloe Bartel was superb - she was friendly and helpful and extremely knowledgeable with her professional qualifications and experience

Very interesting tour and great tour guide. I recommend the tour company. Banff is beautiful. Guide was informative.

I would like to leave an excellent review for Jake from Discovery Banff. Even with a very snowy day, he made the whole experience extremely enjoyable. Jake was incredibly kind, funny, and kept the group entertained the entire time with his great sense of humor. He was also very attentive and professional, making the tour feel comfortable, fun, and memorable day! I highly recommend taking a tour with him to anyone visiting Banff!

Excellent trip, Jake was very knowledgeable on the area and the wildlife, kept us entertained during the trip. Saw a variety of deer and some elk, would recommend.

I had a good time on this tour. Our guide, Buffy, did a great job educating us about wildlife as we made our way to various spots. We saw lots of different animals, it was a very cool experience!