Adventures by Disney is expanding its repertoire of destinations for 2024, for the first time adding Colombia, home of its hit movie Encanto, and Canada’s Atlantic Coast.

Bookings will open on May 12 for the two itineraries—an eight-day “Colombia: Bogota, the Coffee Region, Cocora Valley and Cartagena,” and an eight-day “Canada’s Maritimes of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island,” and for a third new tour, an enhanced 12-day New Zealand itinerary.

The Colombia tour will include guided tours in Bogota and Cartagena, a visit to a coffee farm, an arepa-making class, trekking in a dry forest, and snorkeling in the Rosario Islands. Guests traveling in 2024 will get a signed lithograph featuring art from the animated movie Encanto. Rates begin at $4,999 for children and $4,999 for adults.

The new Canada itinerary will include visits to the Sugan Moon maple syrup farm in Nova Scotia, the Wood Island Lighthouse and the Millbrook Cultural Heritage Centre to learn about the indigenous Mi’kmaq Peoples, plus horseback riding and kayaking at the Bay of Fundy. Rates start at $5,109 for children and $5,399 for adults.

Adults-only departures for both itineraries will be available on select dates.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has announced that travelers will no longer have to test, or show proof of vaccination, for COVID-19.

Untouched wilds have always been a draw in Canada’s north. With glass-like lakes surrounded by thick forests of coniferous trees and the snow-covered landscapes of mountains and the arctic tundras, northern Canada is an adventure of scenery. The addition of watching polar bears in their natural habitat, or hanging out with beluga whales, and northern lights that illuminate the skies make for a one-of-kind trip. This is particularly true on VIA Rail Canada’s adventure route, which provides a panoramic dome for maximum viewing pleasure. Read the rest of this entry »

VIA Rail is transforming into a vehicle for change in Canada! On April 19th, we reached another milestone towards that objective as we unveiled our five-year sustainability plan and announced our participation in the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, the United Nations Global Compact.

So what are we doing to be part of the solution in helping create a better tomorrow?

Zero-Waste Train is on its way

We want to reduce our environmental footprint at every step of your journey. That’s why as part of this plan we will focus on minimizing waste generation, ensuring products and packaging are reused and recycled. The goal? Welcoming you on board zero-waste trains in the Québec City-Windsor corridor by 2025.

Reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

By choosing to take the train, you are already using one of the most environmentally friendly modes of transportation. But that doesn’t mean we have to stop here: as part of our plan, we aim to reduce our GHG emissions by 30% or more by 2030, compared to 2005.

Sustainability is at the heart of the future we are all building together, and these are only a few examples of the ten goals we have set. Click on the link below to learn more about our plan.

https://corpo.viarail.ca/en/sustainability

Trains have been an iconic part of modern history since 1804. They have carried important goods to well-known cities and remote areas. Trains gave a vitality to the journey of travel, shortening trips— letting the traveler enjoy the scenery of vast forests of green and mountains that dominate the landscape. Today, the experience of these journeys are no less relevant. Which is where VIA Rail Canada steps in to keep everything on track.

VIA Rail (or VIA Rail Canada) started up operations on January 12, 1977, in Montreal. Soon after, they introduced a new way of uniting Canadians with many firsts, one being the transcontinental train. They were established as a Crown Corporation, merging the passenger networks of the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways. Later, in 1981 Read the rest of this entry »