When
to Travel to this part of Canada:
Best: May-Sept, or June- Aug for the north.
Worst: Oct-March.
When
to Travel to Churchill:
Wildlife watching: October for polar bear migration, Sept-Nov OK.
July-August for beluga whales, seals in the bay and migrating birds.
Canada
Tours
More
tour operators offering tours to Canada can be found in our listings
here:
Canada
Tours
Festivals
guide to Saskatchewan:
Aug, Saskatoon International Fringe Festival, lively mixed
theatre offerings.
For
dates see: Eng'
Speaking Festivals
Summer
Bugs guide:
Some parts of North Canada have a dramatic number of insects, especially
mosquitoes and blackflies, in July and August. Be prepared. Check
tent netting and zippers, bring DEET based repellent, anti-bug hats,
anti-sting medication and read Bugbog's mosquito
page.
The
Northwest Territories
is Canada's largest chunk of land with perhaps the smallest population
- mostly Inuit and Native Americans, living by hunting and fishing
and often coming into conflict with oil and mineral exploration
concerns.
The area around Great Slave Lake is home to many native people and
a classic wilderness activity destination.
Nunavut,
Canada's newest province was finally created from the eastern part
of the Northwest Territories in 1999, and is home to the Inuit people
[aka Eskimos]. A cold, barren and impressively rugged land with
a fascinating culture enjoying their new land.
The
Yukon,
in north-west Canada, offers the largest non-polar icefield in the
world in the Kluane National Park, complete with fresh icebergs
plopping into Lowell Lake, and heavenly light shows [aka aurora
borealis] most winter nights.
So if you like tough landscapes, hiking and ice, this could be your
kind of place.
Arctic
Circle | BC
& Alberta Guide
Atlantic Provinces Guide
Ontario Guide
| Quebec Guide |
|
Saskatchewan
and Manitoba are vast provinces, sparsely populated and little
travelled by non-residents of Canada. Saskatchewan is primarily prairie
grassland, farmland and trees, while Manitoba is more diverse with
numerous lakes, rivers, waterfalls, hills and, of course, trees.
Both provinces attract lovers of remote wilderness activities such
as camping, hiking, hunting and fishing, and both have practically
impenetrable northern areas during the long, dark, icy winter.
Where
to go in Manitoba guide:
Churchill:
The best place on earth to see polar bears, whether out on the icy
tundra in a Tundra buggy, or rooting around Churchill's garbage
cans lit only by the northern lights.
Also around are red and white foxes, arctic hares, lemmings, owls,
falcons...
Winter in Churchill lasts from October to June, and the short summer
sees a flurry of wildlife activity as hundreds of species of birds,
beluga whales [picture top left] and
fur seals stop by en route for their breeding grounds.
Needless to say, whale, seal, bird and polar bear watching are the
main attractions in this bizarre and isolated town, with the northern
lights [aurora borealis, picture top right]
as colourful backing.
There is more information on the Arctic
Circle page.
Winnipeg,
Manitoba:
A small oasis in a prairie desert, Manitoba's capital is ethnically
diverse and culturally very much alive, in spite of, or perhaps
because of, the long white winters. Architecture is Canada's usual
mix of Victorian, restrained modern and dull.
A few kilometres out of town is Oak Hammock Marsh wildlife park
which is a transit point for hundreds of species of migratory birds
- best in spring and autumn - as well as the usual mammals, deer,
moose, coyotes, minks and more.
Local activities range from skating, curling, cross-country skiing
and snowshoeing in winter to golf, biking, fishing and jogging in
the summer.
More
outdoorsy English speaking travel spots:
UK Travel Guide | Ireland
Travel | Walking
in Europe
New Zealand Guide | Australia
Guide
USA
Travel | South
Africa Travel |