Finding the perfect active adventure in Canada
With all its outdoor activities and fitness-focused events, Canada is a wise holiday choice for those that like to keep their body in good shape
It’s a fact that not all travellers cite sunbeds, spas and all-you-can-eat buffets as their holiday heaven. There’s a large number of UK holidaymakers that want to either keep up or kick start a fitness regime while taking time away from the daily grind, so being able to choose a destination best suited to the fitness-focused traveller is an important skill to have.
Keeping the flight time from the UK relatively low ensures travellers can stay rested, so Canada’s range of 6-10 hours gives clients some flexibility. Once they arrive in Canada, they can pack in as many or as few body-boosting activities as they like, as the country is home to a huge range of opportunities for adventures in the great outdoors.
GETTING OUT AND ABOUT
Many activities in Canada make the most of the country’s wild and wonderful lakes, rivers and coastlines. Canoeing and kayaking are two of the most popular of these water-based excursions, with hundreds of companies offering the sports across the provinces.
Many feature in the Destination Canada Canadian Signature Experiences list, with some of the highlights including Athabasca Sand Dunes with Churchill River Canoe Outfitters in Saskatchewan; the three-day Algonquin Canoe and Log Cabin Adventure with Voyageur Quest in Ontario; the 12-day Keele River itinerary with the Northwest Territories’ Canoe North Adventures; the four-day Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures excursion to kayak with whales; kayaking along Saguenay River fjord with Fjord en Kayak in Quebec; and, in New Brunswick, a two-hour kayak tour of Hopewell Rocks with Baymount Outdoor Adventures.
The latter is perfectly placed to pair with a refuelling culinary experience in Metepenagiag Heritage Park, around a three-hour drive from the Bay of Fundy. The Taste of Metepenagiag tour takes explorers to forage for ingredients, then, while tucking into seasonal fish or game with wild rice and cedar tea, visitors can listen to ancient stories about the 3,000-year-old aboriginal community.
Another popular fitness-focused activity in Canada is hiking, which is possible on trails all over the country.
One particular route, recommended as a Canadian Signature Experience, is the Skyline Sunset Hike in Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Highlands national park, which is open in summer and frequented by bald eagles, whales and moose.
Also in this eastern province, the Cabot Trail Bike Tour with Freewheeling Adventures gives guests the chance to experience Canada at a different pace. Another cycling adventure worth noting is the Mountain Madness Tours’ trail in the Canadian Rockies, which takes in Canada’s iconic sights from Jasper to Banff.
WINTER WONDERS
While all these outdoor activities are available to summer visitors, come winter, Canada’s range of active adventures takes on an entirely different form. Ski resorts all over the country welcome a coating of snow ready for visitors to ski, snowboard and snowshoe to their heart’s content.
As home to the SkiBig3 resorts – Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise and Mount Norquay – Alberta is a great province to choose for lovers of winter sports. Visitors using the SkiBig3 ticket can take on three of The Rockies’ most spectacular mountains then rest up beside a toasty fire in the evenings.
Those into or keen to try showshoeing can do so at the Banff Sunshine resort, which has the destination’s only ski-in, ski-out hotel and is also one of the Canadian Signature Experiences. There are more than 200 of these Canadian Signature Experiences to choose from for your clients, many of which are designed to thrill the mind and energise the body, so ensure you browse the options on the Destination Canada website.
Whether your fitness-focused client is into summer adventures or winter exploration, you can guarantee Canada has an experience perfect for them.
WELLNESS IN VANCOUVER
Stretching and de-stressing
The birthplace of sportswear brand Lululemon, Vancouver is a hotspot for yoga studios and yoga events. Popular options include group classes with goats and pigs, laughter yoga, the Unite Yoga Beach Party and Speedhealing festival, and Peak Yoga, which takes place at the summit of Grouse Mountain every summer.
The workout walk
The Stanley Park Seawall stretches for 17 miles along Vancouver’s waterfront and is one of the best places in the city to get moving. It has dedicated paths for walkers and joggers as well as for cyclists and roller-skaters.
A hiking challenge
For clients wanting to push their bodies to the best of their abilities, recommend the 1.8-mile Grouse Grind trail. More than 150,000 people climb the 2,830 woodland stairs to take in views of Vancouver at the 1,127-metre high summit every year.
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