Page 39 - Travel Guide to Canada 2019

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amp things up? Whether you brave waves
generated by Fundy’s record-smashing
tides in the far east or churning whitewater
rapids in the wild west, rafting is a rush. For
the ultimate adventure, soak in the scenery—
and get plain soaked—on an extended rafting
expedition down a challenging river in the

Yukon or Northwest Territories.
If fi shing is your idea of fun, boat
operators—both on oceans and interior
waterways—will happily hook you up.
Multi-taskers will be pleased to hear that
it is also easy to combine boating with
world-class wildlife watching. From the seat
of a tour vessel or your own kayak, you can
admire beluga whales in northern
Manitoba, ogle bowhead whales and tusked
narwhal in Nunavut, or commune with the
orcas in Johnstone Strait off Vancouver
Island. Newfoundland’s Notre Dame Bay
promises a double delight; whales there,
humpbacks among them, often come with
a side order of icebergs.

AUTUMN

Thanks to bountiful harvests and brilliant
foliage, fall is an ideal travel time. Just arrive
early if you’re venturing beyond major
locales. Outlying tour operators, and even
lodgings, might close after Canadian

Thanksgiving—Columbus Day in the U.S.—
and not reopen until May.

FALL FLAVOURS

Nationwide, vintners toast the grape harvest
by popping corks and hosting festivals that
STANLEY PARK, VANCOUVER, BC • SHUTTERSTOCK/ROMAKOMA
feature winery tours, tastings, seminars,
food pairings and the like. The largest of the
lot—the Niagara Grape & Wine Festival, FLAMBOYANT FOLIAGE October (www.celtic-colours.com ). For a
held in the heart of Ontario wine country— It’s not only foodies and farm fans who painterly perspective, drive into Ontario’s
bridges three September weekends (www. appreciate autumn here. Canada ranks high Algonquin Park or ride the Algoma Central
niagarawinefestival.com). B.C. counters in on any leaf peeper’s bucket list because the Railroad (www.agawatrain.com ) to see
late September and early October with the blend of deciduous trees creates a remarkable scenery that inspired the Group of Seven.
Fall Okanagan Wine Festival, a 10-day fete range of colours. Once contrasting stands of
in the famously fertile Okanagan Valley evergreen and a backdrop of blue water are DEGREES OF DIFFERENCE
(www.thewinefestivals.com). added to the equation, the results are extra- Big-name attractions can be equally
Nova Scotia’s burgeoning wine industry ordinary. Although beautiful across Canada, fabulous in diff erent seasons. Consider
also shows off with open houses and the the fi ery display tends to be best in the central Ontario’s Rideau Canal. In warm weather,
occasional grape stomp. For a diff erent spin and eastern portions of the country from the this UNESCO World Heritage site is beloved

on the harvest theme, visit a U-pick apple third week of September until mid-October. by boaters; in the coldest months, a 7.8-km
orchard, negotiate a corn maze, or attend an Québec’s Laurentian Mountains and (4.85-mi.) stretch in central Ottawa becomes
agricultural event in the province’s Annapolis the Gaspé Peninsula off er spectacular fall the world’s largest naturally frozen skating
Valley. Top contenders are the Hants County road trips, as do New Brunswick’s Fundy rink. Niagara Falls is another case in point.
Exhibition, a September fi xture since 1765 Coast and the St. John River Valley where Summer’s iconic cascades resemble
(www.hantscountyex.com), and the Kentville weathered bridges and barns enhance the supersized ice sculptures in winter; rushing
Pumpkin People Festival, a family-oriented postcard-worthy palette. Cape Breton’s Cabot meltwater lends extra oomph in spring
October aff air that sees the town populated Trail is a feast for ears and eyes since peak while the proximity of so much fi ne Niagara
with hundreds of quirky pumpkin-headed colours coincide with the music-oriented wine adds an intoxicating element in
characters (www.kentville.ca). Celtic Colours International Festival in early autumn.