Wonderful Canada Wildlife Holidays

Canada is one of the best places in the world to see whales and bears.

Vancouver Island, and specially the capital, Victoria and the wonderful town of Tofino are deservedly considered some of the best places to see whales, specially Orcas. But Port Hardy and Campbell River on Vancouver Island, as well as Vancouver Itself (with wonderful tours from Granville Island) are also excellent.

Quebec and Nova Scotia and equally excellent for whale watching with the great St Lawrence Seaway boasting 30 species of whale. There are many excellent places to look for them, with Tadoussac, Cape Breton and the Bay of Fundi among the favourites.

The best time for whale watching in Canada is from April to October.

If it's bears you're after, Churchill is the best place in the world, bar none, for seeing Polar Bears. Vancouver Island, and, in particular Tofino, are good for Black Bears, and the Great Bear Rainforest, which you reach from Campbell River or Port Hardy are superb for Grisly Bears. You may even be lucky enough to see a Spirit Bear.

Of course, there are also wolves, not to mention hundreds of thousands or elk, caribou and moose. There are bison. There are otters and lynxes and coyotes and even cougars. And in the sky there are at least 400 species of birds, from little brown jobs to Bald eagles.

We can send yo to the right places, with the right people, at the right time to have the best chance of seeing whatever you want to see, in the style that you want to travel in. We work closely with, but independently of, all the best tour operators, hotels, resorts, and adventure companies so we can make sure you get the best service to suit your needs, and that your bookings are secure and flexible.

Get in touch with us today for an informal chat to see how we can put together a wonderful wildlife adventure in Canada for you!

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Wonderful Wildlife Holiday Options in Canada

Whatever holiday you choose in Canada there is a good chance that you will see wildlife. On a city break in Vancouver you might see coyotes in Stanley Park or sea otters in False Creek. But we can make sure that specific opportunities to see wildlife are built into any Canadian holiday or we can send you on a holiday specifically designed to see wildlife.

Whales

Canada is one of the world's best places to see whales, and whale watching is a favourite activity there, though, of course, it is seasonal. The height of summer is the best time to see most whale species, but in some cases spring and autumn are also good. British Columbia is one of the favourite places for whale watching, with plenty of options from Vancouver and Vancouver Island. This is the best place to see Orcas. Hudson Bay, and the town of Churchill, in particular are best for Belugas. The St Lawrence River in Quebec is brilliant for Blue whales. The Atlantic provinces are great for Fin whales and Right whales. Newfoundland is the best place for Minke whales, and Nova Scotia for Long-finned Pilot whales. Humpback whales can be seen in any of these places and in some places, specially Atlantic Canada, there are many other species that you may also see.

You can see whales from substantial ships specially built for the purpose, from zodiacs or even from Kayaks. We would arrange your activity with specialist operators who ensure that the whale watching activities are non-intrusive and ecologically sound.

Bears

If it's Polar bears that you want to see, then Churchill is probably the best place to go to see them. For Black bears and Grizzly bears British Columbia is superb. Vancouver Island offers great opportunities both around Tofino on the west coast and further north at Campbell Bay. The Great Bear Rainforest, situated on the mainland opposite the northern part of Vancouver Island, as its name suggests, is outstanding place to see bears, with Knight's Inlet being one of the best known spots. If you are very lucky you may also see Kermode, or Spirit bears here. If you are going to Canada specially to see Black and Grizzly bears, then this is probably the place to go. But there are also opportunities to see bears in Alberta, simply driving along the roads, as well as in Quebec, and Ontario.

While some of the bear viewing opportunities can be incorporated into a road trip or may be found in a guided tour, the prime way to see these magnificent creatures is to stay in a specialist lodge or resort, many of which can only be reached by helicopter or floatplane.

Wolves

Wolves are present in the wild across much of the Canadian wilderness but in most places they are not easy to see. An exception to this is Parc Omega in Quebec where there is a wolf observatory and wolves can be sure to be seen in the wild.

Elk, Caribou, Moose & Bison

Although the vast herds of bison that once roamed the prairies have been drastically reduced over time, and they were at one time nearly extinct, there are now plenty of these massive and wonderful animals to be seen. There are also large numbers of elk, caribou and moose. They best places to see these animals are in the Prince Albert National Park and the Grasslands National Park, both in Saskatchewan. Other outstanding places are Elk Island National Park in Alberta and Waterton Lakes National Park, also in Alberta.

In smaller numbers, many of these animals can be seen at Banf, Lake Louise and Jasper National Parks in Alberta as well. What's more, these parks also give the possibility of seeing long horned sheep, bears, wolves, cougars and lynxes.

You can explore these national parks on road trips in a car or a camper-van, or you can go on a guided tour.

Birds

There are 516 species of birds found in Canada, though only 3 of them are endemic. Given the immense coastline of the country and the huge amount of water to be found in rivers and lakes throughout the country, it is not surprising that many of the most interesting birds are sea birds and water birds. In particular Atlantic Canada is known for vast numbers of seabirds along its coast. There are many guided tours available to people specifically interested in birding, and we can tailor make a road trip to focus on some of the 325 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas in the country

Planning Your Canada Wildlife Tour

Perhaps you want a holiday that

is specifically designed to see a particular species, such as Polar bears; or one that
gives you the opportunity to see as many different types of bears as possible; or one that
gives you the widest possible experience of Canada's wildlife; or
is focussed on some other purpose but includes a specific wildlife activity, like whale watching.

Any of these things we can help you plan and organise, to make sure that your time is used in the most effective and enjoyable way and that you get the holiday you want. Whether you want a guided tour or a self-drive road trip or a lodge based holiday, we have the contacts and the resources to make the best recommendations and to make secure, flexible bookings so that you have all the fun and none of the stress.

Get in touch today for an informal, no-obligation chat to see what we can do for you, and to get the planning process started!