Travel Canadian lake adventure

scattered with quaint towns and picture perfect views, the historic rideau Canal is best explored on water

Why Go?

as the second largest country in the world, Canada is bursting with beautiful landscapes and breathtaking sites. But while most visitors plan their trip around catching a glimpse of Niagara Falls or climbing the 553m CN tower, i discovered another way to see what this North american gem has to offer – by boat.

Experts Le Boat provide selfdrive cruises down the famous rideau Canal, which connects the capital city of ottawa to the saint Lawrence river at Kingston. Based in the small town of smith Falls – just three hours from toronto – these are no ordinary boats. in fact, the biggest floating home in their range has four double ensuite bedrooms, a sleek kitchen, sundeck, and its own barbecue.

on the first morning i was glad to be given a lesson by base manager sandy on how to navigate the locks and get to grips with steering; i had no boating experience whatsoever. But as we made our way out onto the lake alone, it was fairly easy to control.

the difference between the rideau Canal and its European equivalents is its sheer vastness. millionaire holiday homes and tiny fishing boats scatter the shorelines, but it doesn’t disappoint in terms of remoteness.

a UNESCO world Heritage site, rideau is a wildlife hub. if you’re lucky, as well as sharing the waters with geese and wild birds, you might even glimpse the notorious snapping turtle.