キャンモアとバンフからのバンフ夜空星空観察ツアー

Exploring the lakes after dark is such a unique experience, and we’re glad Georgia made the evening both interesting and fun. We really appreciate the recommendation! Into the Wild Tours

Being the highlight of your week is great to hear. We’ll make sure Abdul sees this, and it’s lovely that the photos are already being shared with everyone back home. Thanks for the recommendation! Into the Wild Tours

What a special way to celebrate 45 years together! We’re so happy we could help make the evening memorable and that you were able to capture some amazing photos of the Milky Way. Thank you for choosing to spend such an important occasion with us, and happy anniversary! Into the Wild Tours

Thank you so much for the kind review! We’re delighted you had such a spectacular experience. It’s great to hear your guide was able to help with your camera settings so you could capture some amazing photos, and that all the little extras helped keep you warm and comfortable along the way. Thanks again for joining us! Into the Wild Tours

Thank you so much for the fantastic review! We’re really happy to hear the tour was the perfect way to finish your day. It’s wonderful that you enjoyed not only the stargazing, but also your guide and all the little comforts along the way. Hot chocolate under the stars is always a pretty great combination! Thanks again for joining us and for the recommendation! Into the Wild Tours

So glad to hear the Stargazing Tour was everything you hoped for! It sounds like Georgia made the evening even more enjoyable with her knowledge, stories and sense of humour. Thanks so much for joining us and for taking the time to leave a review! Into the Wild Tours

Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback. We are genuinely sorry that the experience did not meet your expectations, and we do take the concerns you raised seriously. That said, we would like to clarify a few points, as it seems there was a significant difference between the experience you were expecting and the experience our tour is designed to provide. Our stargazing tour is intentionally designed as a mobile, outdoor stargazing experience, rather than a stationary observatory or planetarium experience. The focus is on spending the evening outside under the night sky, moving between several locations, and enjoying the Rockies at night, with a portable telescope, heated chairs, blankets, hot beverages and other equipment brought with us. The first stop is intentionally earlier in the evening, around sunset, and is designed to introduce guests to Banff and the surrounding landscape while there is still some light. Setting up the telescope as soon as we arrive would not be particularly useful at that point, as there is still considerable daylight and we are not yet in proper stargazing conditions. The second stop is our guided walk under the stars, as described in the tour itinerary. It is intended to be an opportunity to experience the night sky and surroundings on foot rather than a dedicated telescope session. The final stop is where we create our portable stargazing setup. Because the experience is mobile, all of the equipment has to travel with the guide and be set up and packed away on location. We do not have a separate crew waiting at the site with a permanent station, and we have never intended to operate the tour that way. The guide carrying and setting up the equipment is part of how this type of mobile experience works. We are also sorry about the headlamps. They should have been checked before the tour, and we will be reviewing our equipment checks to make sure this does not happen again. We also understand your frustration regarding the headset. The guide should have continued using it whenever the group was gathered and speaking from a position where some guests could not hear clearly. Regarding the iPad and photography equipment, these are supplementary elements of the experience. We understand that some guests enjoy photographing the night sky, and our guides are happy to help them with night photography. We are sorry if this made you feel that the guide's attention was being taken away from the stargazing portion of the experience. We also want to clarify that we deliberately do not keep the vehicle running while guests are outside at the various stops. The experience is designed to take place outside the vehicle, rather than having guests remain inside a warm van between activities. This is an important part of the experience we are trying to create: a quiet, relaxed evening outdoors rather than a series of short stops where everyone is quickly moved from one setup to another. We completely understand that you had a different experience in New Zealand and that the planetarium experience in Jasper may have been closer to what you were looking for. Those are very different formats, however. A permanent facility with multiple staff members, several permanently positioned professional telescopes, displays and dedicated telescope operators is naturally able to offer something very different from a small-group mobile experience in the mountains. Our goal is not to replicate a planetarium or stationary observatory. It is to give guests the opportunity to spend an evening outside under the Rockies' night sky, away from a permanent building, with a portable telescope, heated seating, blankets, warm drinks and a guide sharing the night sky and the surrounding landscape. We are sorry that this particular style of experience was not what you were looking for. At the same time, your feedback about the equipment and communication is useful to us, and we will use it to improve those aspects of the tour.

Even with the cloudy conditions, it’s great that Abdul helped you come away with some good night-sky photos. The camera settings can make such a difference! We really appreciate you sharing your experience. Into the Wild Tours

Thank you for the great review! We’re so glad you had a comfortable trip and felt well looked after throughout the experience. We’ll be sure to pass your shoutout along to Abdul! Into the Wild Tours