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An Adventure Traveler’s Guide to Nova Scotia

Kayaking in Nova Scotia
Kayaking in Nova Scotia | © Ryk Venema

Adventure travel in Nova Scotia is almost a given, seeing as the province is surrounded by ocean and brimming with wilderness, waterfalls, and lakes. If your ideal vacation involves sailing, hiking, climbing, and more, keep reading for adventure travel highlights.

Hiking

Take in the province’s stunning scenery and rugged coastline with a hiking trip. Popular spots include Blomidon, Cape Split, Duncan’s Cove, and Cape Breton Highlands Park. There are also thousands of waterfalls around the province, which are a really fun hiking destination. Head here for some of the top spots.
✨Magical Nova Scotia✨ • • • #Waterfalls #WaterfallsNS #Magical #NavigateNS #NovaScotia #wilderness #Hike #HikeNS #water #trees #greenery #Beauty
A post shared by Navigate Nova Scotia (@navigatens) on Sep 10, 2017 at 5:01am PDT

Camping

With 20 provincial parks and over 100 privately owned campgrounds in Nova Scotia, there is no shortage of amazing camping spots. Just to get you started, we recommend checking out Kejimkujik National Park, Cape Breton Highlands Park, and the Ovens.

Sailing

Nova Scotia is known as ‘Canada’s Ocean Playground’ for a reason, and a sail is a quintessential maritime experience. Sailing tours are available all over Nova Scotia’s coastline and make for a fantastic day trip.
#sailracing #chesterraceweek #chesteraceweek2017 #sailing
A post shared by Matthew C Moore (@matthewcharlesmoore) on Aug 29, 2017 at 2:35pm PDT

Ziplining

Why walk when you can zip? See Nova Scotia from above with one of four ziplining companies in the province: Upper Clements Adventure Park, Anchors Above Zipline Adventures, Shubenacadie River Adventure Tours, and Ontree.

Rafting

Twice a day, 160 billion tons of water rushes in and out of the Bay of Fundy. Hold on tight and ride the eight-foot waves in one of the area’s whitewater rafting tours.
Looks like the gang from #Liverpool #novascotia in this 2006 photo? Have a #story to tell about your ride on the river? We would love to hear from you. Just add #tidalborerafting to your photo and description. #rafting #riverrafting #tidalbore #visitnovascotia #iphone #iphonegraphy #bayoffundy #somuchfun #shubenacadieriver
A post shared by Tidal Bore Rafting Resort (@tidalborerafting) on May 28, 2014 at 6:01am PDT

Skydiving

The Atlantic School of Skydiving offers both tandem and solo skydiving adventures. This is a fun and exhilarating one-day activity that you won’t forget any time soon.

Surfing

You might be surprised to hear it, but Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore is an internationally recognized surfing destination. Hurricane season (from August until November) brings large swells up the coast, so grab your surfboard or boogie board and head to Lawrencetown beach to hit the waves. You can go solo or take a surf lesson.
Surfing 🏄 in canada 🇨🇦 #lawrencetownbeach #surftrip #firsttime #happyhippos #explorecanada
A post shared by rahelkaes (@rahelkaes) on Sep 30, 2017 at 7:40pm PDT

Kayaking

Sailing isn’t the only way to explore the ocean. Kayaking is another of our favourite ways to hit the water. Kayak rentals and tours are available all over the province, but we especially recommend renting at the Bay of Fundy and the Halifax Harbour.

About the author

Kate is a freelance lifestyle and travel writer based in Halifax, Canada. You can find her online at katehorodyski.com and on Instagram @katehorodyski.

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