The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
See Canada at its most majestic
From the Northwest Passage to the Maritime coast, Steve Newman picks the best cruise itineraries
Canada is a cruise-lover’s dream, whether you are exploring its rugged Maritime Provinces, the historical cities of Montreal and Quebec on the St Lawrence Seaway, Toronto and the Great Lakes, or spectacular Vancouver in the far west. With such an array of options, it can be tricky to choose – so we have narrowed down the best sailings this year and next, to help you find the Canada cruise that ticks all the boxes for you.
The St Lawrence River
There is special, and then there is totally unique. The St Lawrence River is the latter – and inaccessible for traditional ships in winter. This cruise on an ice-strengthened vessel is therefore an exclusive ticket into a less-trammeled world, where the waters, once turbulent, freeze into ice, and where the forests wear a constant blanket of white. You will start in Quebec, North America’s only walled city, then strike out eastwards along the river. There are stops for snowshoeing, dog sledding and ice fishing (keep and eye out for caribou, elk and even the Northern Lights), until eventually you find yourself at Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the only French territory in North America.
Ponant (020 7660 4089; uk.ponant. com) offers the 12-night The St Lawrence River in the Heart of the Boreal Winter cruise from £17,590pp, calling at La Baie, Sept-Iles, Gaspé, Magdalen Islands, Sydney and Saint Pierre. Departs Quebec on February 22
2025. International flights extra.
Autumn on the East Coast Anticipation is often half the pleasure – very much the case on this cruise, which spends five days crossing the Atlantic before arriving in Canada. First stop is St John’s, the charming oldworld capital of Newfoundland, then it is on to the vibrant city of Halifax in Nova Scotia, then into Saguenay Fjord. Four species of whale can be spotted here, but at this time of year you are more likely to have your eyes on the forested cliffs, carpeted as they will be in some of the region’s finest fall hues.
Fred Olsen (0800 083 3281; fredolsencruises.com) offers the 26-night Canada in the Fall cruise from £3,699pp, calling at St John’s, Halifax, Corner Brook, Gaspé, Port Saguenay, Quebec, Trois-Rivières, Montreal and Southampton. Departs Southampton on October 3 2024.
The Northwest Passage
There are few journeys more epic than this. Following a route which has challenged explorers for centuries, this cruise meanders through the Canadian Arctic Wilderness. Starting in Iceland, you will briefly visit Greenland before crossing the Labrador Sea into the Davis Strait. As the ship sails west towards the Pacific, there are onboard lectures on topics such as the wildlife of Northern Labrador, Inuit culture and the history of Arctic exploration. Passengers have the option to take part in various projects, too, including helping to photograph and track whales, and observing the clouds as part of a climate study.
Hurtigruten (02045 711378; hurtigruten. com) offers the 26-night North West Passage – in the Wake of the Great Explorers (Westbound) cruise from £16,667pp, calling at Nuuk, Dundas Harbour, Smoking Hills, Nome and Vancouver. Departs Reykjavik on August 8 2024. International flights extra.
Greenland to Nova Scotia
With a profound focus on ancient history, this itinerary takes in both the 1,000-year-old Norse settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows (Meadows Cove) on the northernmost tip of Newfoundland (the only authenticated Viking site in the Americas), and the huge vertical cliffs of Archean rocks – reputedly the oldest stones in Canada – on Lady Franklin Island. It is also a rare opportunity to learn more about the Inuit people, who share stories of the spirits and traditions of their homeland during stops at the likes of Torngat Mountains National Park (whose name means “place of spirits”), and to traverse spectacular Disko Bay, the “iceberg capital of the world”.
Swan Hellenic (0207 8460271; swanhellenic.com) offers the 15-night Greenland to Nova Scotia Canadian Arctic Explorer cruise from £13,481pp, calling at Ilulissat, Sissimut, Nuuq, Iqaluit, Lady Franklin Island, Torngat Mountains National Park, Hebron, L’Anse Aux Meadows and Halifax. Departs Kangerlussuaq on September 15 2025. International flights extra.
The Great Lakes
With stops in the United States as well as Canada, this cruise combines urban skylines and uninhabited islands to give you a truly varied introduction to the Great Lakes. Starting in Toronto, the route crosses Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron and Michigan, giving a fascinating overview of their shipping history, as well as the complex ecosystems of their sheltered bays. The ship’s early ports of call – thundering falls at Niagara, migrating birds at Point Pelee, and a protected park at Mackinac Island – sit in stark contrast to the lively cities of Detroit and Milwaukee, while the Welland Canal, which lifts ships between Lakes Ontario and Erie, is one of 19th-century Canada’s greatest engineering feats.
Viking Cruises (0800 0147538; vikingcruises.co.uk) offers the eightday Niagara and the Great Lakes cruise from £7,695pp, calling at Welland Canal, Point Pelee, Detroit, Alpena, Mackinac Island, Milwaukee. Departs Toronto on April 25 2024. International flights included.
British Columbia
The 6.4million-hectare Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia – home to grizzly, black and spirit bears, as well as coastal wolves, humpbacks and orcas – is one of the most distinctive and biologically diverse places on the planet, and an ideal region to discover by water. The exact itinerary of this cruise varies, but generally begins in the indigenous community of Bella Bella then threads its way across the fractured fingers of the coastline, dipping for two days into the Fiordland Conservancy, and taking in Kynoch Inlet’s spectacular rock faces and waterfalls, Princess Royal Island, and Khutze Inlet’s abundance of bird life.
Canada As You Like It (020 87428
7299; canadaasyoulikeit.com) offers the eight-night Great Bear Rainforest Cruise (British Columbia) from £5,560 per person, calling at Kynoch Inlet, Princess Royal Island and Khutze Inlet. Departures August-October from Bella Bella. International flights extra.