Nova Scotia Canada's Ocean Playground

Day 1 Halifax

Upon arrival at Halifax Airport transfer independently to your downtown hotel. The day is at leisure where you can explorer Canada’s traditional gateway to the world, combining charming old wooden homes and Victorian parks with modern shopping centres. Ships, from tall ships to naval vessels, can still be seen in the harbour, and old warehouses and shipfitters’ shops have become part of the exciting boardwalk along the waterside. Overnight Halifax

Day 2 Halifax

Enjoy a full day in Halifax! it sits on a rocky peninsula on the Atlantic coast. The Citadel, overlooking the harbour, has been restored to the mid-Victorian period with a living history program. Pier 21 National Historic Site tells the stories of 1.5 million immigrants who passed through its doors. It is Canada’s last remaining ocean “immigration shed” and a national centre for celebrating Canada’s rich cultural diversity.

Day 3 Halifax – Liverpool (160 km)

Pick up your hire car, it's time to explore the rocky harbours with hidden bays and islands that have made Nova Scotia’s south shore a pirate’s and smuggler’s paradise for over 300 years. Tiny fishing villages cling to the ocean edge and white sand beaches stretch endlessly. Each day small lobster boats go out to sea and return with Nova Scotia’s most precious export. Visit the much photographed Peggy’s Cove, elegant Chester, picturesque Mahone Bay and UNESCO World Heritage Site Lunenburg to name but a few of the attractive coastal villages en route.

Day 4 South Shore/Liverpool – Kejimkujik NP/ Digby (160 km)

Drive through inland Nova Scotia and stop at Kejimkujik National Park which contains 380sq.km of forests, lakes and rivers. The park is home to the greatest diversity of reptiles and amphibians in Atlantic Canada. Why not take a picnic lunch and enjoy a walk through a 400-year old hemlock stand or try canoeing on North America’s oldest canoe routes before continuing to the Fundy Shore.

Day 5 Digby Area

Take an optional whale watching tour from Brier Island or Long Island on the Bay of Fundy, one of the best whale watching areas in the world. More than 15 types of whales and dolphins are regularly seen. A trip down Digby Neck to Long Island and Brier Island is an interesting excursion in itself. There are two small ferries linking the islands and a hiking trail leads along the shore.

Day 6 Digby – Wolfville (140 km)

The Annapolis Valley is the oldest settled part of Canada and the lushest agricultural area of Eastern Canada. This is reflected in the ornate, aristocratic wooden houses common to the area, a result of the 300 years of prosperity farmers and forest owners have enjoyed here. One of the best examples is Annapolis Royal, the oldest continuously settled town in Canada. Lobster dinners are a specialty of the area.

Day 7 Wolfville – Parrsboro (175 km)

The Bay of Fundy is home to the world’s highest tides. A Mecca for migrating birds, the large tidal rivers expose broad expanses of mud banks and salt marshes at low tide; hours later they are covered with 12m of water or more! Take-in the wonderfully scenic views of pastoral valleys from the surrounding forested hills.

Day 8 Parrsboro – Tatamagouche (115 km)

Visit the Maritimes’ newest UNESCO World Heritage Site at Joggins and explore the carboniferous era in a brand new visitor centre and along the cliffs. Here, of the Bay of Fundy has exposed the largest cache of fossil bones in North America. At Malagash you may want to visit Jost Vineyards and try some Nova Scotian wine which benefits from the mild climate along Tatamagouche Bay.

Day 9 Tatamagouche - Glenville (260 km)

Drive through the scenic hardwood hills of Eastern Nova Scotia where is seems every little roadside stream has been dammed by beavers and cross to Cape Breton Island by the causeway. The Bras D’Or Lake, which occupies the island’s heart, is one of the most striking features of eastern Canada... a huge inland sea, perfect for swimming, sailing, and sightseeing.

Day 10 Glenville – Cape Breton – Glenville (350km)

Take in an optional morning whale-watching cruise or enjoy a drive around the Cabot Trail. The Cabot Trail is one of Canada’s best loved scenic drives and follows the impressive coastline from sea level up to an alpine plateau 500m above the sea. Waterfalls and swift running streams can be found near the road, and opportunities for seeing moose are excellent. Whales can often be spotted from the walking trails which overlook the coast.

Day 11 Glenville – Halifax (368 km)

Today travel along the shore of Bras d’Or Lake before crossing the causeway to the mainland and the gentle hills of Eastern Nova Scotia past small farms and villages on your return to Halifax for your final night

Day 12 Depart Halifax

Today bid farewell to the natural beauty of Nova Scotia as you head homebound

Please Note: Park entrance fees, bridge tools and ferry crossings to and from Prince Edward Island are not included.

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