Catch up on our Canada’s wildlife wonders event

You showed up in your hundreds for our Canada’s wildlife wonders event, transforming a dark November night into one filled with the blue skies, whale tails and bears of Canada. During the evening, we were lucky enough to hear directly from Mark Carwardine, an award-winning writer with a passion for whales who shared his know-how on where and how to spot them. Next, it was time for Melanie Clapham to take the stage, a conservation biologist who knows Canada’s bears like the back of her hand. Plus, one very lucky reader won a Discover the World travel voucher. Liz Lunnon, one of Discover the World's Canada experts was on hand during the evening to answer the many questions you had about Canada. Discover the World specialise in tailor-made holidays, and can create itineraries to suit individual interests and requirements.

If you missed the event, you can catch up on all the highlights and a full recording here…

Watch the full recording

Your questions answered

What would you suggest for a first timer in Canada?
First timers should head west to British Columbia on Discover the World’s Ultimate Pacific Coast Experience. Add on a few days to explore Vancouver before following the scenic Sea to Sky Highway to the mountain resort town of Whistler, then enjoy a leisurely meander along the beautiful Sunshine Coast using the BC Ferry service. Continue by ferry to Vancouver Island where a two-night stay in Campbell River includes a memorable wildlife cruise in search of orcas, dolphins, black bears and more. Head west to Pacific Rim National Park where you can choose to go whale watching or bear viewing on an included excursion, then travel via Victoria back to Vancouver.

If time permits we’d recommend tacking on a side trip to spend a couple of nights at Knight Inlet Lodge. Then, take a train east to explore the Canadian Rockies.

What do you suggest for someone who has been to Canada before?
Those who have already been to Canada should spend their second time exploring the island of Newfoundland. We recommend Discover the World’s Newfoundland Discovery tour. On this self-drive trip, you’ll spend time in the colourful city of St Johns and enjoy an included whale watching cruise before driving to historic Trinity on the Bonavista Peninsula. Continue to Twillingate for a cruise into Iceberg Alley, where you may spot whales as well as icebergs. Your next few days will be spent exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Gros Morne National Park, where you can hike, take an optional wildlife cruise or learn about the region’s fascinating geology, before heading north to L’Anse Aux Meadows along the Viking Trail. Your tour ends in Deer Lake.

For a really special experience we suggest spending a couple of nights on Quirpon Island, which can easily be added into the above itinerary. 

When is the best time to see whales in Canada?
Mostly in the spring and summer. The whales are there in the winter in some places such as the high Arctic. Generally speaking, the best time to see them is April through to October. For Churchill, July to August is the peak time to see beluga whales.

When is the best time to see bears in Canada?
It really depends what species you want to see and where you are planning to visit. To view coastal grizzly bears or black bears you are probably going to want to look at May/June or September/October, being mindful that depending on the area, bears may be doing different things at different times of year. For example, you are not going to be able to watch bears fishing for salmon in May/June as Pacific salmon haven't yet returned to the rivers at that time of year. You may instead see cubs and be seeing other behaviours, such as breeding. So its important to do some background research on the area you are planning to visit and the species you want to see. If you want to see polar bears, you may be looking towards visiting Churchill, Manitoba, and the main viewing season there is October/November.  

How long do bears live for? 
Most bears in the wild live around 20 to 25 years.

Useful resources

The Bear ID Project

Knight Inlet Lodge

More recommended bear lodges

The Great Bear Rainforest 

A guide to whale watching 

Suggested whale watching itineraries

Full travel guide to Canada 

Our experts share their top Canadian wildlife experience

Liz: I would recommend a trip to a little island called Quirpon Island which is just off the coast of Newfoundland. It's on the edge of Iceberg Alley, so you can sit there with your cup of coffee and watch the icebergs float off the shoreline and see humpback whales breaching amongst the icebergs.

Melanie: Come to the Great Bear Rainforest! It’s an incredible place, not just for the wildlife but for the scenery as well. It ticks so many boxes including large, charismatic animals and amazing landscapes. I would recommend to come and stay with an indigenous-owned company.

Mark: If you wanted a general experience of some of the best wildlife then I would say go to the Great Bear Rainforest. You’ve got the spirit bears, the black bears, the grizzlies. You’ve got everything from bald eagles to wolverines, and you’ve got fantastic whale watching with humpback whales, killer whales fin whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, porpoises… and amazing wilderness. Start the whole trip off with the ultimate day in Vancouver. You can go bear watching in the morning, whale watching in the afternoon and you can see a movie or Shakespeare in the evening. There’s not many places in the world you can say that!

What did you have to say?

Very informative night. Thanks Mark and Melanie

Enjoyed watching. Fantastic photography.

Thank you for the interesting talks and wonderful photos

Thanks so much everyone for a really interesting evening and stunning photos.

Thanks all. Fantastic evening. Absolutely loved it.

Great hints and tips. Brilliant evening. Thanks to everyone

Thank you for this fantastic presentation...

Many thanks. Lots of inspiration for future trips!

Thank you

A big thank you to Destination Canada and Discover the World who supported the event, all of our incredible speakers and to everyone who watched the virtual event. 

Sign up for more events