Things to do in Canada

The polar bear gets top billing in Canada’s show of wildlife wonders, with Churchill in Manitoba considered the capital of polar bear watching in the world. Just south of the Arctic Circle, on the western shore of Hudson Bay, if you head here in October and November, you will get to see the bears gather en route to the Bay as it starts to freeze. The Far North is also superb for seeing musk-oxen herds and also migratory waterfowl.

British Columbia and the Rocky Mountains are the places to see grizzly and black bears. With the help of expert guides, head to the Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, Bella Coola or British Columbia’s snow-capped Coast Range mountains, which are also home to the Great Bear Rain Forest. No prizes for guessing who eats the porridge in those woods.

Whales are the maritime top billers, however, with orcas, humpbacks and more all playing center stage off both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Seeing orcas from a kayak off Vancouver Island is like something out of this world.

The Canadians get winter. They even have a national winter sport – ice hockey, of course. And, just like the game, Canadians embrace winter with gusto, determination and cheer. If you want to witness wilderness in winter, Canada has a massive support network for you to do so. The activities on offer, in the plethora of national parks such as Jasper, Banff and Yoho, include cross country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating and, of course, dog sledding. Also known as ‘mushing’, life doesn’t get more exhilarating than this. Traditionally, all mushers share one passion: to go in search of solitude in an unforgiving environment and thereby experiencing a true life of man (and dog) versus nature. Or, as Jack London famously named it in his novel, to follow “The Call of the Wild”. And Canada is certainly calling.