My partner and I booked a full day private Banff and Lake Louise tour, and could not have been more pleased! Petar picked us up at our Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Calgary at 8am, and we headed out for a full day of scenic winter wonderland adventure. Coming from Florida is was so 'cool' (pun intended but true) seeing the snow and beauty of the area.

This was so much more than going to the individual places we went (Banff, Lake Louise, Hodoo Mountains, etc), as Petar was so experienced in exactly where to go at each place, and continually pointed out things we would have missed. He also took photos of us throughout the day with his camera (even though we had brought our own), and emailed us the pics a couple days after the tour - nice touch we weren't expecting, and he's quite a talented photographer!

I had seen photos of both Banff and Lake Louise, but it's truly grander and more majestic than can be captured on film. The clean air, tranquility, and breathtaking views everywhere are very humbling and memorable. Dress warmly in layers as you go to the different places, and definitely wear a hat, gloves, and sunglasses, along with a heavy coat, and a separate sweatshirt for quick photo stops where you just want to jump out of the car for a couple minutes. (The snow reflects light that is brighter than any beach day!) I had lost one of my gloves somewhere along on the way, and Petar had a spare pair he lent me for the day which was so appreciated. Petar was very patient with us and went at our schedule as I like to take lots of photos, and he would stop should we need to throughout the day.

We went to Lake Louise first, as it was the most distant point, driving thru Banff National Park along the way. Absolutely breathtaking views here, and as Petar pointed out you see people playing hockey, skating, playing games on the ice - all framed by the beautiful mountains and the Fairmont Hotel in the background. Petar pointed out the many large ice sculptures on the hotel property, that were part of a winter ice sculpting competition, which were all amazing.

We later drove back to the town of Banff, having lunch (on our own, but invited Petar to join us) at a local sandwich shop there; again we wouldn't have found on our own. Banff is a quaint, yet commercial town with small B & B's, hotels (including the famous Grand Hotel), souvenir shops etc. Again, it was at our leisure here for a couple hours, and we opted to go on the scenic gondola ride up the mountain instead of exploring the town. We loved the gondola ride as well as the stunning views from the top - definitely a fun and relaxing way to see the are, but maybe not if you're scared of heights! Petar explained that while the gondola ride had been there for years, the 4 level observation deck at the top was only a couple years old, and had what looked like a nice restaurant, cafe/coffee shop, gift shop, and best of all plenty of outside decks to view from. There were even a couple fire pits at the top to sit or stand by.

After the gondola ride, Petar was at the bottom of the mountain waiting for us, and we headed on towards the former springs and Hodoo Mountains, as well as scenic photo stops, some which were off the beaten path we would have never found.

Our last stop was not part of the original tour, but Petar was glad to stay a bit longer, and stop at the Olympic Village; site of the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. He had pointed this out from afar in the morning, as we drove past it on the freeway heading to Lake Louise, and I said I have never seen a ski jump up close before. I later asked him if we could possibly stop by the ski jump on the way back to Calgary, for a quick couple minutes for a photo up close. Indeed on the way back, we not only stopped for quite a while, but Petar pointed out some Olympics trivia, and showed us the ski jump where Eddie the Eagle made his historic jump (and later a movie was made of it), as well as the actual bobsleds from the Jamaica team, which also a movie was later made of it. Petar took a photo of us in the Bobsled, and that was a hit on my Facebook page. We also saw skiers having an evening run as it was dark by then, (but still well lit), and as an added icing on the cake, the Olympic Flame was temporarily lit, in a nod to the current 2018 Seoul Winter Olympics, which were taking place during our stay.

In summary, we had the most awesome day trip we could have had! Thanks so much Petar for making it happen! We look to do this tour with Petar again, but on the flip side - in summer to see the contrast when the lake is not frozen.

We recently did this one day tour with the Hammerhead Tours to Banff National Park and Lake Louise. Petar from the company was very helpful in setting up the tour for us. He is very knowledgeable and provided us information on Calgary from where we started our trip and then other lakes and towns that we visited. We would love to come back in summer and book another tour with this company. Thanks for showing us the beautiful Banff

We took the Drumheller Badlands tour last week as a private guided tour for our family of four. It was one of the highlights of our holiday and I recommend it most highly. Peter Opacek gave an informative and entertaining tour. He picked us up on time and his car was impeccable. Peter provided fascinating stories and information about all of the sights we visited, and went out of his way to ensure that we were well-looked after. The views across the expansive prairies of Alberta were quite stunning even in the winter, and the geological features like the canyons and the hoodoos were vast and impressive. The Royal Tyrrell Dinosaur Museum in Drumheller was so interesting and we also enjoyed the other parts of the tour like the bridges and the Last Chance Saloon. The trip gave us a great insight into Canadian history. I would highly recommend Hammerhead Tours to anyone and especially this Drumheller trip.