Canada Holidays

Where you go in Canada has a direct impact on the kind of journey you experience. British Columbia, Churchill, Newfoundland and the Yukon each offer a very different route into the country’s wildlife, landscapes and local character.

British Columbia & the Pacific Coast

British Columbia stretches from the temperate rainforest of the Great Bear Rainforest to the open ranch country of the Chilcotin Plateau, connected by fjord-cut coastline, island chains and the Inside Passage. The Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island offer accessible coastal wildlife, while further north the landscape becomes wilder, with old-growth forests, glacier-fed rivers and remote Pacific shoreline.

Manitoba & the Canadian Arctic

Churchill sits on the western shore of Hudson Bay, accessible only by air or rail and home to fewer than 1,000 people. This is the sub-Arctic, flat and exposed, where tundra stretches unbroken to the horizon. In autumn, the shoreline freezes and polar bears move through in numbers found almost nowhere else on the planet. In summer, the same landscape opens up to long daylight hours, wildflowers and thousands of beluga whales in the river.

Newfoundland & Atlantic Canada

Newfoundland's coastline is raw and weathered, eroded by centuries of Atlantic storms. Roads follow the shore past fishing villages, clifftop lighthouses and harbours where brightly painted houses line the waterfront. Inland, Gros Morne's fjords and tablelands carry the marks of geological forces visible nowhere else in eastern North America. 

The Yukon

The Yukon is Canada's northwest frontier, one of the least populated regions in North America, where boreal forest and open highways stretch between small communities under enormous skies. 
In winter, the Yukon is one of the strongest locations on the continent for Northern Lights viewing. In summer, the midnight sun keeps the landscape lit deep into the evening. It’s a destination for travellers drawn to true wilderness with minimal infrastructure between you and it.

Most of our holidays to Canada are self-drive, giving you the freedom to follow coastal highways, mountain passes and remote forest roads at your own pace. Routes through British Columbia, the Yukon and Newfoundland are carefully planned, with travel times and overnight stops set before you travel.

For bear-watching holidays in the Great Bear Rainforest and polar bear adventures in Churchill, the focus shifts to dedicated wildlife lodges, where expert guides lead daily excursions. You stay in one place and the wildlife comes to you – by river, by shoreline, by tundra.

We also offer guided elements such as Indigenous-led grizzly viewing, Tundra Buggy excursions with naturalist guides and boat tours led by marine wildlife specialists. 

British Columbia's coastline can also be explored by sailing expedition, moving through sheltered inlets and channels where orcas, humpbacks and sea lions are observed from the water.

Canada is home to three bear species, each found in distinct regions and seasons. Grizzly bears are best seen between August and October across British Columbia, when salmon runs draw them to rivers in the Great Bear Rainforest, Toba Inlet and along the Atnarko River valley. Black bears are widespread across mountainous regions and the coast of Vancouver Island, often spotted along roadsides and forest trails. Polar bears gather at Churchill, Manitoba, from October to November, waiting for Hudson Bay's sea ice to return.

The country's marine wildlife is equally varied. Orcas patrol the waters off Vancouver Island and British Columbia's coast, with resident pods visible from April to October. Humpback and grey whales migrate along the Pacific shoreline, while beluga whales congregate in their thousands on the Churchill River through July and August. Off Newfoundland's Atlantic coast, humpbacks and minke whales are regularly seen during the summer months.

Bald eagles nest along British Columbia's rivers and coastline, and one of North America's largest Atlantic puffin colonies gathers at Witless Bay in Newfoundland. Around Churchill, the tundra supports snowy owls, Arctic terns and other sub-Arctic species that thrive in this extreme environment.

Beyond the headline species, Canada's wilderness supports moose and caribou across Newfoundland's national parks, Arctic foxes on the tundra around Hudson Bay, Dall's porpoises and Steller sea lions in British Columbia's coastal waters, and the salmon runs that underpin the entire Pacific food chain from late summer through autumn.

Our Travel Specialists advise on which species align with your travel dates, helping you build a Canada wildlife holiday around the encounters that matter most to you.

Spring (April–May)

The season opens quietly across most of Canada. Snow begins to recede in British Columbia and the self-drive routes start to become fully accessible. Visitor numbers are low, accommodation is easier to secure and the landscapes carry a freshness that fades as summer takes hold.

Summer (June–August)

The warmest months and the widest access across all regions. Daylight hours are long, particularly in the Yukon, where the midnight sun keeps the sky lit well into the evening. Ferries, coastal lodges and national parks are fully operational, and this is the busiest period for self-drive touring across British Columbia and Newfoundland.

Autumn (September–November)

Temperatures cool and visitor numbers drop, but wildlife activity intensifies in key regions. Forests across eastern Canada turn through vivid autumn colours. This is also the most in-demand period for Churchill, so early booking is essential.

Winter (December–March)

Northern Lights viewing is at its strongest across the Yukon and Manitoba. Much of Canada's remote lodge infrastructure and self-drive routes close for the season, but winter travel opens up a different side of the country entirely – snow-covered wilderness, frozen landscapes and a stillness that the summer months don't offer.

Canada's wildlife is seasonal and regionally specific, so when you travel matters as much as where you travel. Grizzly bears and salmon runs peak between August and October across British Columbia, while polar bears gather on the shores of Hudson Bay from October to November. Further east, icebergs drift past Newfoundland's coast from May into early June, and beluga whales arrive in their thousands on the Churchill River through July and August. A tailor-made holiday ensures you're in the right place at the right time, rather than following a fixed route that misses these windows.

Our Canada holidays are informed by long-standing partnerships with Indigenous-led guiding operations, including the Klahoose, Kitasoo/Xai'xais, 'Namgis and Nuxalk nations. Their understanding of local ecosystems and wildlife behaviour runs generations deep, and it directly influences where we take you, who guides you and how each journey supports the communities and conservation work in the regions you visit. 

Canada's distances also require careful planning. Internal flights, ferry connections such as the Inside Passage, and availability at wildlife lodges – particularly in the Great Bear Rainforest and Churchill – need to be secured well in advance. Our Travel Specialists handle the sequencing and logistics, connecting regions and experiences so your journey flows naturally without wasted time or missed opportunities.

A Canada holiday can take many forms, from quiet days on the Pacific coast to time in remote lodges, Arctic tundra or Atlantic fishing towns. Speaking with an expert helps narrow the options and turn a broad idea into a journey that feels right from the start.

Our Travel Specialists help you navigate through choices, drawing on first-hand knowledge and trusted local partnerships across Canada. From self-drive nature tours and remote wildlife lodges to polar bear adventures and coastal journeys, every itinerary is tailored around what you most want to see and experience.