Manitoba & Nova Scotia
My journey started with an early morning coach from Belfast to Dublin Airport before checking in for my Air Canada Rouge flight to Toronto. Rouge is the leisure brand of Air Canada which operates as a "no frills" airline. Entertainment is provided on iPads (you either bring your own with the downloaded app or you can hire one for CA$10). The service on-board was good and after a few movies it was arrival time in Toronto. Immigration and customs were straightforward and I soon had deposited my bag for my onward flight to Winnipeg. A good connection in Toronto meant that there was just enough time to browse the shops before boarding my Air Canada to Winnipeg. On arrival at Winnipeg I met up with the rest of the group who came from France, Germany, China and the UK before heading off to our first stop at Falcon Lake Resort in Whiteshell Provincial Park. At Falcon Lake we were allocated one of the lovely lake side cabins for our stay. The following day we explored the resort, took part in some target shooting (the resort is a training centre for the Canadian biathlon team) and visited the Eco Cabins up at beautiful High Lake where a fresh fish lunch was provided lake-side. Later we visited the nearby Falcon Beach Ranch for horse riding followed by a traditional cowboy dinner around the campfire.
Our next morning and we were back on the road again, this time heading back into the capital of Manitoba - Winnipeg. This lovely city has an interesting history and the city tour just whetted my appetite to learn even more. Our tour was followed by a visit to the Journey to Churchill exhibit at Assiniboine Park Zoo. This amazing exhibit allows you to get up close and personal with the Polar Bears who swim and play above you in the amazing Sea Ice Passage it is a wonderful exhibit which covers conservation and offers a real insight into the habitat of these amazing creatures. Finally for dinner we visited one of the amazing restaurants that abound in this "food lover's city". The following morning we were up before dawn for the drive to the small town of Selkirk where we were going to go Cat-fishing on the Red River. This was a wonderful experience, seeing the sunrise whilst on the river and then settling down to the serious business of trying to catch some fish and mine did not get away this time - I caught a whopper! We then returned to the city where after a quick lunch we were able to visit one of the highlights of the whole trip - International Pow Wow Grand Entry at the Manito Ahbee Festival. The sounds, colour and culture of Canada's First People at this amazing event were a joy to witness. If you even get the chance to visit this - please do, it was a wonderful experience. Finally on what had already been a remarkable day I was able to attend the Banjo Bowl - this is the annual contest between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League (quite similar to American Football). As this is a local "derby" match the stadium is packed and the atmosphere amazing. After a super game which Winnipeg won 22-7 (Go Bombers!) the fans are invited to stay around, walk on the pitch and just generally enjoy the wonderful atmosphere for as long as they like. Overall this was a real action packed fantastic day!
The following morning we reluctantly left Winnipeg (there is so much more to see) and headed out to Riding Mountain National Park (about 3 hours away). We arrived at the beautiful resort town of Wasagaming on the shores of Clear Lake. This is a super resort town with lots of activities such as water sports and wildlife viewing nearby. From here the following day we visited the Lake Audy Bison Enclosure to get up close and photograph these amazing beasts. Later for our last night in Manitoba we had a wonderful picnic dinner along with a bonfire and camp fire songs and this was accompanied by another amazing and colourful sunset.
The next morning it was time to say goodbye to wonderful Manitoba as we travelled to Halifax, Nova Scotia to meet up with the rest of the MegaFam groups. Our full day in Nova Scotia, was spent having a city tour of Halifax, followed by a tour of the Citadel (including witnessing the noon gun) before heading to picturesque Lunenburg for a walking tour via Mahone Bay. This managed to give a flavour of what is on offer in Nova Scotia and some place I should like to revisit in greater depth. Our final day was spent presenting the short films that we had made on our trips to the other groups, and the biggest applause was for our short film in Manitoba!
In summary Canada is a vast country with loads to see and do, with holidays to suit all kinds of clients - following this visit I feel that I am even better qualified to help you plan your perfect trip.