Adventure Holidays in Canada

Hiking to zip-lining

Water-sport activities

Canada has the longest coastline of any country on Earth and more lakes than the rest of the world combined. And with more rivers than you can shake a paddle at, it's perfect for watersports. Tofino on Vancouver Island's Pacific Coast is a hotspot for surfing. Lakes in the Rockies like Lake Louise are perfect for hiring a canoe. Ontario is great for a paddle, with white water rafting just outside Ottawa. Stand-up paddleboarding is the latest sport you should try out!

Mountain activities

Canada is famous for its mountains and they hold the key to plenty of adventure activities. Canada activity holidays in Alberta and British Columbia provide plenty of hiking, trekking and climbing opportunities in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Head to Banff or Jasper National Parks for the best routes. Whistler in the Coast Mountains boasts world-class skiing in winter and mountain biking in summer. Plus, Canada offers plenty of opportunities to zip-line through the impressive forests.

Outdoor sports

Canada is all about the scenery, so the more ways you can get out there to see it, the better! Even if you're not feeling daring enough to try mountain biking, a leisurely cycle or walking holiday is a great way to get around. The Maritime provinces like Prince Edward Island have miles of incredible cycling routes. Canada is also blessed with world-class golf resorts scattered across the country and is a great place to try horse riding. There are lots of outdoor sports on offer for multi-activity holidays in Canada!

Icebergs to the aurora

Northern Lights

Forget Scandinavia - Canada is one of the best places in the world to view the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. Much of the country lies directly under the auroral oval and wilderness regions have little-to-no light pollution, providing the perfect conditions to see the lights. Northern regions like Churchill in Manitoba and Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories are the best places for an aurora holiday, but you can also see the lights in the Rocky Mountains in winter.

Horse ranches

Is there a more quintessentially Canadian scene than horse and rider, cowboy hat silhouetted against a backdrop of prairie or mountains? We think not. Canada's vast wilderness boasts some incredible horse ranches in beautiful locations. Authentic outdoor activities are combined with the organic pasture-to-plate cuisine, lavish safari tents or luxury log cabins. Exploration of pristine grasslands, old-growth forests, secluded lakes and river canyons is the highlight of every stay.

Icebergs and glaciers

The Rocky Mountains are full of incredible glaciers to explore, but you can't beat Alaska when it comes to frozen fun. The state boasts dozens of spectacular glaciers and icebergs that are best explored as part of an Alaska cruise from Vancouver along the Inside Passage - with plenty of excursions, of course! In the East, the small, colourful towns of Newfoundland's Iceberg Alley provide context to the size of some of the biggest icebergs in the country as they drift from the Arctic.

Meet the locals

Bear watching holidays

Canada is home to a beautiful and wild temperate rainforest along British Columbia's Pacific Coast. The Great Bear Rainforest is one of the best places in the world to view grizzly bears and is the only place where you can see the endemic white Spirit Bear (a unique subspecies of black bear). A Canada adventure holiday can take you to some stunning luxury wilderness resorts like Clayoquot and Nimmo Bay. Nature meets relaxation in beautiful surroundings, with plenty of wildlife watching and outdoor activities on offer. You could also visit the town of Churchill, the polar bear capital of the world, for a chance to see one of nature’s most incredible creatures.

Whale watching holidays

A luxury Canada wildlife adventure holiday could be just the ticket to seeing humpbacks and orcas in their natural habitat. In the Pacific waters of British Columbia and Vancouver Island, whales thrive. A guided excursion gives you the best chance of spotting these giants of the ocean. Meanwhile, a stay in a luxury wilderness retreat gets you closer to nature and offers plenty of other outdoor activities along the way.

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The Wild West

The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth!

Yahoo! That’s the Canadian Wild West’s call to arms. Hearing it means it’s time to pull on your boots, strap on your chaps, hold onto your Stetson and get ready for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth! The yearly Calgary Stampede is a legendary combination of rodeo shows, music acts, firework displays and food stalls that we can’t get enough of. So saddle up for an unforgettable ride!

The Stampede highlights

The main highlights of the Calgary Stampede are the exhilarating Rodeo and the breathtaking Evening Show. The Rodeo sees cowboys and girls compete in events like steer roping, barrel racing and chuckwagon driving. The Evening Show is a bonanza of live music, dance and fireworks which draws international headliners. Plus there is a funfair, countless food stalls and smaller music concerts to enjoy.

How to do it

Start or finish your fly-drive, escorted tour or rail journey with a few days in Calgary to soak up the festival atmosphere. We can advise you on the best tickets to get for the rodeo and evening show so you can easily slip the Stampede into any holiday itinerary. If you'd like the Stampede to be the main event, our Extravaganza holiday package is the perfect choice to spend a week in Stampede City.

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Speak with our experts

If you're looking for an active adventure with new experiences in stunning surroundings, then this is for you. Call our friendly Canada Travel Experts and talk us through your dream Canada activity holiday. We'll help you plan the ideal Canada family holiday, or an adults-only trip, packed full of excursions and activities for a big or small group. From bear watching tours to helicopter rides, we can find the thrills for you. Book a carefully packaged experience or tailor-make your own holiday from scratch.

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