4 New Adventures Added to Canadian Signature Experiences

Photo courtesy of Sea Wolf Adventures

Canadian Signature Experiences, a curated collection of travel programs designed to highlight Canada’s rich culture, is adding four new coastal adventures to its impressive roster.

"The Canadian Signature Experiences highlight some of our industry's most innovative products for our international visitors and makes Canada stand out as a compelling destination in the international tourism marketplace," said David F. Goldstein, Destination Canada President and CEO. "We've worked with our provincial and territorial partners to offer unique and high-quality experiences that add diversity, rustic adventure and deep connection to Canada's people, geography and culture for the world to explore."

The newest members to Canadian Signature Experiences include:

Canadian Maritimes: Fins and Fiddles

The Fins & Fiddles excursion, offered by One Ocean Expeditions, explores Canada's Atlantic coastline through an 11-day expedition cruise. Travellers can explore the region’s remote communities and their distinctive cultural experiences. The program departs from Louisbourg, Nova Scotia and includes a visit to Canada's birth place, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island as well as stops along the Gaspe Peninsula and in the Magdalena Islands in Quebec's Maritime region.

Excursion highlights include watching the famed wild horses of Sable Island off of mainland Nova Scotia. There’s also a guided tour and hiking excursion in Gros Morne National Park and the secluded settlement in Francois Bay, where guests enjoy a traditional kitchen party hosted by locals.

Experience Life on the Edge on the West Coast Trail

Explore Vancouver Island’s Pacific coastline on this seven-day tour offered by Ecosummer Expeditions. Known as the Graveyard of the Pacific, the area’s rough sea conditions resulted in thousands of shipwrecks, and the original trail was actually created by survivors of those wrecks. This demanding 76-kilometer (47-mile) route passes through old-growth rainforest and along the rocky ocean shoreline. The tour navigates tidal flows, ascends multiple ladder climbs and on most days it ends in camp, with guests falling asleep to the sound of waves hitting the shoreline.

Bones Bay Lodge Wildlife Eco-Tour

Open to just eight guests at a time, the Bones Bay Lodge Wildlife Eco-Tour takes place on a floating lodge in Knight Inlet off the coast of Vancouver Island. Guests fly in via seaplane and then explore the region’s wildlife, like orcas, humpback whales, dolphins, porpoises, Stellar sea lions, seals, eagles, black bears and grizzlies. Wildlife photographers will love Knight Inlet's abundant grizzly and black bear population, especially in spring when they can be seen feeding on new plant growth, and in the fall when they catch salmon from the river in preparation for hibernation.

Sea Wolf Adventures

Journey through the Great Bear Rainforest, and explore the distinctive nature along Canada’s west coast as well as the region’s First Nations culture, on the Grizzly Bears of the Wild: A First Nations Wildlife Journey. Sail along the coast of Northern Vancouver Island and visit territories that have been occupied by First Nations communities for more than 15,000 years. The local rivers are popular gathering places for grizzly bears as they catch and eat spawning sockeye salmon. A local Musgamakw Dzawada'enuxw First Nations guide will help guests explore the deep connection the local First Nations culture have with the natural environment that surrounds them.

In total, CSE offers 198 distinctive experiences exploring all 13 Canadian provinces and territories. For more information, visit destinationcanada.com.

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