Rideau Canal Stretching from Ottawa to Kingston, this Ontario waterway is a 202-km engineering masterpiece built and completed by the British in 1832. Employing gate-opening mechanisms in 45 historic locks, the canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that accommodates summer cruises ranging from a few hours to five days aboard a variety of vessels including specialized ships with complete liveaboard service. The trip is a scenic journey through eastern Ontario lakes and rivers with stops at charming villages such as picturesque Merrickville, dubbed “the Jewel of the Rideau.” Throughout the majority of cruises, professional guides provide commentary and historical context. With the Rideau Canal trips beginning in the country’s capital and ending in the historic “Limestone City” of Kingston – or travelled in reverse – sightseeing at both ends is a bonus. Among a plethora of Ottawa attractions are the Parliament Buildings, National Gallery and the Canadian War Museum. Kingston is the gateway to the Thousand Islands and one of the city’s major attractions is Old Fort Henry, an 18th-century military fortification designated a National Historic Site. Hudson Bay Summer cruising on this second-largest bay in the world provides a unique opportunity to explore a fascinating and remote region on the southern ridge of the Arctic Ocean. Once the bay’s winter ice is gone, boat tours are able to access isolated areas and Arctic islands that are otherwise inaccessible for several months of the year. Sheltered from storms that blow over the Arctic, this inland sea’s vast expanse of salt water and surrounding northern landscape are a paradise for wildlife – caribou, walruses, seals, moose and, last but not least, polar bears. In fact, the bay’s western shore town of Churchill, Manitoba is regularly referred to as the polar bear capital of the world where summer polar bear tours are an annual attraction. Also popular are tours to the bay’s Seal River Estuary where thousands of beluga whales gather to feed, calve and escape preying killer whales. The bay’s numerous shore excursions include visits to Inuit villages, tundra hikes and the chance to experience the traditional Arctic activity of dog mushing. With sections of the bay’s coast bordering on parts of Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nunavut, a variety of engaging tours are offered from various locations along the extended shoreline. 18 | www.snowbirds.org Travel
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