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10 Nature & Wildlife Adventure Trips in Canada
I live in Canada – a land known from afar for its cold climate and bears. But there’s a lot more than bears to see in Canada.
I’ve been whale watching on both coasts and kayaked several times among a huge number of sea otters and sea lions. I’ve seen huge numbers of bald eagles just outside of Squamish but I haven’t done the other trips.
I’d sure like to do. Even the snake trip.
Here’s what I think are 10 of the best nature and wildlife trips or sights to see in Canada.
- The Porcupine caribou herd found in the Yukon Territory and Alaska is the fifth largest herd in North America with around 125,000 caribou. They migrate over 1500 miles per year - the longest land migration of any animal on the earth. Their migration takes them from central Yukon in the winter to the calving grounds along the Beaufort Sea coast in the summer. To witness this migration you could try a rafting trip on the Firth River in July. Another option is to time your driving of the Dempster Highway in northern Yukon with their crossing – sometime in the spring or fall. For further reading I highly recommend the book by Karsten Heuer Being Caribou.
Caribou migrating
- Want to see more snakes in one place than anywhere else in the world. Probably not but on the off chance that you do, you’ll have to travel to Manitoba. Twice a year, tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes congregate at the surface of their winter dens and perform a mating ritual for a few weeks. Then it’s off to the marshes for the summer but by early fall they’re back to the dens. You can find this place – one that sounds like it’s out of an Indiana Jones movie, 130 kilometers north of Winnipeg, and six kilometers north of Narcisse. Look for the Narcisse Snake Den signs to get to the exact spot.
Red-sided garter snakes of Narcisse
- Manitoba has more than its fair share of interesting wildlife opportunities. Lots of people know about the polar bears in Churchill – probably because its the polar bear capital of the world. Plan to fly or take the train to Churchill between late October and late November. You can see the bears in a day but why not stay for the Northern Lights too. Although I haven’t been, I’d probably opt for a tour run by Lazy Bear Lodge - one that was given high marks by National Geographic  for its sense of place. The 2011 tours are sold out and they’re already taking reservations for 2012.
Polar bears in Churchill
- How about Churchill in the summer?? Yes you can see polar bears in the summer but even better in my opinion is the fact that you can snorkel with the beluga whales. Don an arctic dry suit, grab some snorkeling gear and get up close and personal. According to Ayngelina over at Bacon is Magic, snorkeling with belugas is the most amazing thing she has ever done. It’s right up there on my wish list too Travel Manitoba!!
Beluga whale - in the Vancouver aquarium
- Have you ever wanted to hear the howl of a wolf? With about 50-60,000 wolves in Canada, chances are reasonably high you can do this, especially if you head to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario where trips to hear howling are organized. I saw plenty of wolf dens when I canoed the Thelon River in the Northwest Territories but we didn’t see a single wolf on that trip. My husband has already had his wolf experience. Years ago he was alone on a traverse, again in the Northwest Territories, and was followed by a pack of wolves for over twenty miles. They were never aggressive but it was still a tad disconcerting, especially alone.
What big teeth this wolf has
- British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest is one of the best places to see grizzly bears in the world. You can take a tour out of Port Hardy from May to October with Great Bear Nature Tours – rated by the National Geographic as one of the best travel adventure companies in the world. I’ve come across one in the wild before – in northern BC – and been awed by its size and power. I can’t imagine seeing a concentration of them.
A sun bathing grizzly
- Do you want to see a walrus? You’ll have to travel to the Arctic to see them – one of the more expensive places in the world to visit. The community of Hall Beach in Nunavut organizes tours to see one of the largest groups of walruses. Did you know that a walrus tusk – which is made of ivory – can grow to be four feet long??
Walrus
- Who doesn’t love to watch the bald eagles flying? Every fall in Brackendale, BC, not far from Vancouver, eagles begin to congregate along the Squamish River, attracted by spawning salmon. In January there’s a month long eagle festival. The 1994 bird count in Squamish set the world record with 3,769 bald eagles sighted. Bald eagle viewing is free.
Bald eagle in Brackendale
- How would you like to swim with the salmon? It’s possible on the Adam’s River in BC in the fall when one of the largest salmon runs in North America occurs.The Adams River is located between Adams Lake and Shuswap Lake, only 40 minutes from Kamloops. Up to two million salmon are expected this year – so even if you don’t want to swim with them the sight of them should lift your spirits.
Spawning Adam's River sockeye salmon
- Whale watching on either the Atlantic or Pacific Coast is a real adventure. On the West Coast you can choose tours out of Vancouver, Victoria and up and down the coast of Vancouver Island. For Orca whales head to Telegraph Cove where the sightings are particularly good near Robson Bight in Johnston Strait. In Newfoundland try a trip to the Witless Bay Ecological Preserve where along with puffins you can see Humpback and Fin whales. Inshore you can find Minke whales – a small whale with a pure white belly. Out of Nova Scotia, and in particular Cape Breton Island, whale tours are offered up and down the coast. Friends highly recommend the tours out of Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay – where you’re likely to see Pilot, Minke, Finback and Humpback whales.
Orca whale in Johnstone Strait
Which trip appeals to you? Have you done something that I haven’t listed here that you’d recommend??
Leigh McAdam
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19 Responses to 10 Nature & Wildlife Adventure Trips in Canada
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About
I’ve been all over the world – to all continents but Antarctica and to a grand total of 53 countries. I’ve always got some sort of an adventure planned – even if it’s only a weekend. I thrive on change and travel provides that.
Feel free to email me at
leighmcadamtravels@gmail.com
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Wow, this is an amazing list of great wildlife opportunities in Canada.
Ahh, belugas! And orcas! I remember my first time seeing a grizzly bear. Such an amazing creature.
@Ted – I’d like to do them all one day – #1 would definitely be swimming with the belugas.
@Candice Grizzlies are amazing & scary – especially when you see them up close, unexpectedly like I did. My dog didn’t even bark.
Great post. It provides an excellent example of the attractions available in Canada. Thanks for sharing. It is a widely diverse land and I have spent a lifetime exploring only small parts of my great country.
Oh my, what a great list! I’m really in love with animals and I was so sad I haven’t seen any moose in NH, VT and ME. I was in only Quebec, not any parts of canada. I really want to see Caribou migrating!!
If you want moose, and I mean lots of moose head to Newfoundland – but be careful driving the roads at night.
@Barry It never sounds as exotic when we explore our own backyards but what a lot of splendid sights this country of ours offers.
What a great list you have here about this wildlife paradise!
I hope you get to experience some of them.
Wow those look amazing, a reminder of the amazing things in my own backyard!
@Claire It never feels as exotic to explore our own backyard but we are very lucky in Canada to have so many fantastic natural sights to see.
Thank you Adrian – I hope you have a chance to check out some of my suggestions.
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Great list, although it reminds me of how much I still haven’t done in my own country yet. I went kayaking with orcas in Johnston Strait this summer and loved it. As a diver the snorkeling with belugas would be at the top of my list, although they all look amazing, except for the snakes, I’m not a fan.
Churchill made me realize that there is so much more of my country that I want to explore.
Love this post.
Sometimes you have to go away to realize that what’s in your own backyard is very much worth exploring, Churchill is way up there on my list of places to see in Canada.
I would love any of these, except the snakes. Not happening in this life time or any other one, for that matter…haha.
A couple of years ago when I was in the Chiang Mai Zoo a long green snake slithered right in front of me. I thought I was going to faint. I can still it in my head…ugh!
I’m not a fan at all of snakes either – I’ve ridden over one too many on my bike – but I’d still like to see these ones from a distance.