By KAT TANCOCK
Orca, British Columbia (Photo: Jonathan E. Shaw)
You don’t have to go as far as Africa for a world-class nature experience, whether it’s wildlife viewing or something a little less traditional. Bring homegrown excitement to your next vacation with these 10 Canadian wilderness and wildlife safaris.
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- Polar bear viewing near Churchill, on Hudson Bay, is best in November, but <a href="http://everythingchurchill.com/polar-bears/">tours</a> are available beginning in August, which means (relatively) warmer weather and a lot more daylight. At the popular <a href="http://www.churchillwild.com/nanuk-polar-bear-lodge.cfm">Nanuk Lodge</a>, bears will walk right up to the enclosed compound, but guided tours take you out to see them, too, along with migratory birds, wolves and moose.<br /> <br /> <em><a href="http://www.where.ca/blog/great-trips/journey-to-the-polar-bear-capital-of-the-world/">See our polar bear getaway to Churchill.</a></em>
- Photo: Nanuk Lodge
- Manitoba Polar Bear Tours
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- Photo: Nanuk Lodge
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- Tours by <a href="http://www.hiddentrails.com/tour/canada_yukon_grizzly.aspx">Hidden Trails</a> begin at a lakefront lodge that's already remote, then take you farther afield in small groups on mountain horses. The week-long expedition includes five riding days and can be tailored to suit guests' skill- and fitness levels. Daily activities include fishing, swimming and learning about moose, as well as how to take care of horses.<br />
- Photo: Hidden Trails
- Yukon Horseback Safaris
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- Photo: Hidden Trails
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- The eight-day <a href="http://www.coastalsafari.com/index.html">Coastal Safari</a> all-inclusive boat and kayak trip, beginning and ending in St. John's, takes groups to multiple locations along the Newfoundland coast. Visit active fishing community Harbour Mille, follow Captain Cook's route across Fortune Bay and kayak close to an eagle's nest. Other wildlife you may see: whales, dolphins, puffins and loons.<br />
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- Newfoundland Kayaking Adventure
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- Always dreamed of watching the aurora borealis? Head to Yellowknife and join a tour with <a href="http://www.truenorthsafaris.com/auroraviewing.php">True North Safaris</a>. During the day, take advantage of hiking, fishing and boating excursions; at night, bring out the camera and tripod to shoot the northern lights.<br />
- Photo: True North Safaris
- Northwest Territories Northern Lights Excursion
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- Photo: True North Safaris
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- Starting in the northern city of Prince Rupert, <a href="http://www.seashorecharters.com/bearwatching.php">Seashore Charters</a> takes visitors on a six-hour boat tour up the coastline to the Khutzeymateen Valley and back to see First Nations villages, seabirds and eagles, occasional porpoises and humpback whales and—if you're as lucky as 95 per cent of guests—black bears and/or grizzlies.
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- See the Grizzly Bears in BC
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- The closest you can get to African wildlife while staying within Canadian borders, southern Ontario's <a href="http://www.lionsafari.com/">African Lion Safari</a> turns the tables on the traditional caged-in zoo experience. Visitors drive through nine kilometres of trails in their own cars to view the animals, who roam the park. With more than 1,000 birds and animals of more than 100 species, you're sure to meet someone new. Scheduled shows include a daily elephant swim and a birds of prey flying demonstration.
- Photo: African Lion Safari
- African Driving Safari in Ontario
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- Photo: African Lion Safari
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- <a href="http://www.stubbs-island.com/">Stubbs Island Whale Watching</a>, established in 1980, was BC's first whale-watching company and it's still going strong more than 30 years later. Twice-daily tours depart the company's Telegraph Bay headquarters, a four-hour drive north of Nanaimo, from May through October, though orcas are only resident in the area from mid to late June. A 90 per cent success rate means you have a good chance of seeing the iconic mammals; other wildlife you may spot includes porpoises, dolphins, sea lions, humpback whales and many bird species.
- Orca Watching in British Columbia
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- Animals not your thing? Take advantage of southern Nova Scotia's light-pollution-free skies and book a "star safari" at <a href="http://www.troutpoint.com/StarGazing.html">Trout Point Lodge</a>, which claims to have the continent's darkest and clearest nighttime skies. <br /> <br /> <em><a href="http://www.where.ca/blog/sleepover/perks-quirks-trout-point-lodge-nova-scotia/">Read about the culinary vacations at Trout Point Lodge.</a></em>
- Photo: Tim Forbes
- Nova Scotia Star Safaris
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- Photo: Tim Forbes
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- Anticosti Island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence is one-and-a-half times the size of Prince Edward Island, sparsely populated and a hunter's haven. White-tailed deer, introduced along with many other species in the past century, have taken to the place to such a degree that there are now more than 40 per square mile. Make your own way there or book a trip with outfitter <a href="http://www.safarianticosti.com/">Safari Anticosti</a>, which has two private airports and a territory encompassing a quarter of the island.
- Photo: © MTOQ/Jose Schell
- Quebec Deer Hunting Expedition
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- Photo: © MTOQ/Jose Schell
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- Really get away from it all by heading to the country's northernmost territory. <a href="http://www.huskydog.com/">Huskydog</a>, an outfitter run by multitasking brothers Charles and Robert Cahill (they also do educational presentations and run a construction business and B&B), offers multiple tours based out of Gjoa Haven; options include birdwatching and camping, sport fishing, dogsledding and igloo building and—for the truly adventurous—a custom tour retracing the 19th-century steps of Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin.
- Photo: US Mission Canada
- Nunavut Exploring Adventure
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- Photo: US Mission Canada
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