The Maitland Mercury

Six magnificent photographs that show the splendour of North America

Travellers take in the spectacular sites at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Stretching north of the town of Gustavus, the bay is flanked by high peaks, including Mount Fairweather, and glaciers like the Grand Pacific Glacier.
Travellers take in the spectacular sites at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Stretching north of the town of Gustavus, the bay is flanked by high peaks, including Mount Fairweather, and glaciers like the Grand Pacific Glacier.

This article is sponsored by Hunter Travel Group

North America is a continent that offers an incredibly diverse set of splendours, from the glacial iced oceans and barren, golden deserts to the lush rolling green landscapes. A chain of mountain peaks known as Canada’s Rockies coalesce through the beating heart of the two vast, very different lands, while pockets of glittering lights represent world-famous urban centres. North America is home to New York, Montreal, New Orleans, Yellowstone and so much more.

There’s so much to see – too much, in fact, for one trip. If you’re after a journey where there’s less pressure to plan and more focus on the absolute highlights of this vast land, consider booking a tour. Tours are generally limited to just a few dozen people and traverse land and sea aboard luxury trains and cruise liners. 

APT offer a tour experiences aboard the famous Rocky Mountaineer train, where you’ll travel in a glass-domed Gold Leaf carriage with chef-prepared meals. You’ll stay in Fairmont’s most prestigious properties, including Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and cruise Alaska’s Inside Passage and New England’s dramatic coat aboard a Holland America Line and Princess Cruise.

Here are just some of the sights you may see along the way.

Six magnificent photographs that show the splendour of North America
Six magnificent photographs that show the splendour of North America

ABOVE: Like something straight out of a fairytale: the legendary Fairmont Chateau in Lake Louise is dusted in icing in the deep winter months. Located within Alberta's Banff National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the resort is recognised globally for progressive environmental stewardship and responsible tourism. 

Six magnificent photographs that show the splendour of North America
Six magnificent photographs that show the splendour of North America

ABOVE: The Nieuw Amsterdam cruises serenely through Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska, where the sky and the sea are as one. Keep one eye out for the locals: the water is home to humpback whales and tiny puffins. 

Six magnificent photographs that show the splendour of North America
Six magnificent photographs that show the splendour of North America

ABOVE: Bow Lake in Banff has an incredibly glassy surface that only mirrors back the craggy rock face of the Canadian Rockies and native greenery that frames it. Water in the lake is melt water of the Bow Glacier.

Six magnificent photographs that show the splendour of North America
Six magnificent photographs that show the splendour of North America

ABOVE: A lesser-seen view of the majestic Niagara Falls. Here, the sheer force of the falls sits at odds with the serenity of the neighbouring structure. During peak daytime tourist hours, more than 168,000 cubic metres of water goes over the crest of the falls every single minute.

Six magnificent photographs that show the splendour of North America
Six magnificent photographs that show the splendour of North America

ABOVE: A trio of hungry brown bears make a lucky grab for lunch in the rapids of Alaska. The world's largest brown bears are found in coastal British Columbia and Alaska, and on islands such as Kodiak.

Six magnificent photographs that show the splendour of North America
Six magnificent photographs that show the splendour of North America

ABOVE: Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona is home to the famed Grand Canyon, created through millions of years worth of eroision of red rock to reveal startling geological formations. The Grand Canyon is particularly awe-inspiring at sunset or sunrise, when the sun throws eerie shadows across the rock as it transitions through earthy colours like red, gold and indigo. 

For more information on this remarkable journey through Canada, Alaska and the US, visit the website

This article was sponsored by Hunter Travel Group