A private Drumheller tour is your own vehicle and driver for the day, priced per vehicle rather than per person. It matters most in three situations: groups of four or more, where the per-person maths flips in your favour; families with young children, who need the day to bend around them; and anyone who wants longer at the Royal Tyrrell Museum than a fixed schedule allows. A shared tour is the better value for one or two people happy to follow a set itinerary.
We run both, so this is not a pitch for the more expensive one. Most people should take the shared tour. Here is how to tell whether you are one of the people who should not.
What you are actually buying
On a shared tour you have a seat on a fixed route with fixed timings. Two hours at the museum means two hours for everyone, and the group moves together.
On a private tour the vehicle is yours. You set the departure time, you decide how long each stop gets, and you can add or drop stops on the day. If the museum grabs your children and they want another hour, they get another hour. If Horseshoe Canyon is windy and miserable, you leave after ten minutes.
The trade is straightforward. You pay for the vehicle rather than the seat, and you get the schedule.
The group maths
This is the part worth doing before you assume private is the extravagant option. Shared tours are priced per person, so a family of five pays five times. A private tour is one price for the vehicle whether two people or twenty are in it.
Somewhere around four to six people the two lines cross, and past that the private option usually costs less overall and works better. Our vehicles carry up to 24, so a multi-family trip or a group of friends is comfortably one booking.
Get a quote for your exact group size before deciding. People routinely assume they cannot afford private and turn out to be wrong.
When private is clearly the right call
Young children
Drumheller is a fantastic day for children, and a nine to ten hour day on someone else’s timetable is not. Private means naps happen in the vehicle, lunch happens when they are hungry rather than at the scheduled stop, and a bad twenty minutes does not derail everyone else’s day. If anyone needs a car seat, tell us when booking and we will fit one.
Serious museum interest
A shared tour allows a set time at the Royal Tyrrell. That is right for most visitors and nowhere near enough for someone who came for the fossils. On a private tour you can spend four hours there and skip the rest, or arrive at opening before the coaches turn up.
Photography
The badlands look best early and late, when low sun rakes across the striped rock. Shared tours run through the middle of the day because that is what suits everyone. Private lets you be at the hoodoos for the light rather than for the timetable.
Mobility and accessibility
Most of Drumheller works without much walking, though a group moving as one can leave people rushing. Private means you stop at the Horseshoe Canyon viewpoint without walking the trail, spend the saved time somewhere else, and nobody feels they are holding others up. Tell us what you need and we will plan around it.
You want stops that are not on the standard route
The usual itinerary covers Horseshoe Canyon, the museum and the hoodoos. The valley has more: the Atlas Coal Mine, Horsethief Canyon, the Star Mine suspension bridge, the Last Chance Saloon in Wayne, reached by eleven bridges in six kilometres. On a private day you can build a route that includes them.
When to take the shared tour instead
If there are one or two of you, you want to see the main sights, and you are happy on a set schedule, the shared tour is better value and you will see the same things. Solo travellers often prefer it for the company.
Private also makes little sense if you are flexible on dates and only mildly interested in the badlands. Save the difference for something you care more about. Our Drumheller day trip guide covers the sights themselves, the museum hours and admission, and what the day looks like either way.
Practical notes
- Pickup. We collect from your Calgary hotel or address rather than a central meeting point.
- Duration. Nine to ten hours is typical, though a private day can be shorter or longer.
- Museum admission is not included in the tour price. Buy tickets in advance in summer.
- Season. Runs year round. The museum is indoors, and the badlands under snow are worth seeing.
- Combining destinations. Drumheller is east and the mountains are west, so they do not combine in one day. On a private booking across several days they can be sequenced.
Common questions
How much is a private Drumheller tour?
It is priced per vehicle rather than per person, so the cost depends on group size and vehicle. Contact us with your numbers and dates for an exact figure, and compare it against the shared per-person fare for the same group.
Is a private tour worth it for two people?
Usually not on price alone. For two people the shared tour is better value. Private still makes sense for two if you want control over timing, extra museum time, or specific photography light.
Can we choose our own stops?
Yes. That is the main reason people book private. Tell us what you want to see and we will build the day around it, including places the standard route skips.
What time do private tours leave?
Whenever suits you. Early departures are popular for photography and for reaching the museum before it fills.
Do you provide car seats?
Yes, with notice. Tell us the ages when booking so the right seats are fitted.
How many people fit in a private vehicle?
Up to 24 depending on the vehicle. Groups of that size normally travel more comfortably and for less on a private booking than on individual seats.
Booking a private day
Our private Drumheller badlands tour runs from Calgary with a local driver, your own vehicle and a schedule you set. If you are still deciding, our shared Drumheller tour covers the same sights on a fixed route, and the day trip guide explains what you will see either way.
Not sure which fits? Tell us your group size and dates and we will price both and tell you honestly which one we would book.