If there’s not enough snow falling
for you in the UK at the moment, why not visit Canada? Winter is the
perfect time of year to go!
The Jasper National Park, located in
Alberta, sees an average of nearly 4 metres of fluffy dry snow fall
during the winter months! For thrill seekers, Jasper’s Marmot Basin
Ski Resort is an ideal location for winter sports, with 86 named runs
and a range of difficulties to suit all levels. The nearby Maligne
Ice Canyon provides a mesmerizing journey, walking around sheets of
glowing ice, hidden caverns and waterfalls.
Yellowknife, a city 250 miles south of
the Arctic Circle, is also a little chilly at this time of years with
average temperatures of -20°C!
The cold weather offers many opportunities to tourists: you can try
your hands at ice fishing, perhaps even managing to catch a fish from
a frozen lake! Snowmobiles and snow shoes are also available to hire,
which you can take on groomed trails or into the back country.
Yellowknife is also North America's diamond capital, so you can
choose a Canadian diamond and watch it being embossed and polished
before your eyes. If you choose to visit Yellowknife during winter,
the area surrounding the city is perfect for seeing the Northern
Lights (Aurora Borealis). On a clear night, the solar flares are
simply mesmerising! For the perfect Canadian experience, you can even
travel on a dogsled and see the Northern Lights trotting through a
snowy forest.
Perhaps the most well-known natural
attraction in Canada is Niagara Falls, the world’s second largest
waterfall. Staggeringly, six million cubic feet of water cascade over
its brink every minute, which is more than enough to get you wet,
even from a distance! Tourists can walk behind the falls, or even fly
above them in a helicopter. If you feel thirsty after seeing all that
water, you can dine among the vines at a winery restaurant. The
Niagara region is known worldwide for its distinctive wines.
Ottawa, Canada’s capital, is a city
steeped in culture. Take a course from Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa and
sample Canadian specialities, including Alberta beef, British
Colombia salmon and Quebec foie gras. You can even meet a Mountie,
who will guide you through Canada's Parliament buildings, whilst the
National Gallery of Canada is a must see for art lovers. The
historically minded will love visiting the Canadian War Museum. The
Canadian Museum of History is just a short walk or ferry ride away in
the neighbouring city of Gatineau. If you visit during winter, you
can skate on the world's largest skating rink- the frozen Rideau
Canal.
If you want to head further North, St
John's, located in Newfoundland, has something to offer for all ages.
Prowl George Street is the centre of nightlife and has the most pubs
per square foot in Northern America! St John's is an important site
historically; it is the oldest city in Northern America, founded in
1497. There is a huge variety of architecture, along with
jaw-dropping scenery which makes this city a must see. Tourists can
also visit the site of the the final battle of the Seven Years' War
and Signal Hill (the point where Guglielmo Marconi received the first
transatlantic wireless signal). St John's is also the most Easterly
point in North America and has beautiful panoramic views of the
Atlantic ocean.
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