Page 72 - 2024-25 Travel Guide to Canada

Yet this small but mighty spot—the most
populous and prosperous of the four sister
provinces—offers travellers within the
region far more than a convenient location.
Its sensational sites are must-sees in their
own right.
A SEA-BOUND COAST
The scenery alone can make you want to
linger indefinitely. After all, Nova Scotia is
essentially surrounded by water, and every
stretch of its 13,000 km (8,000 mi.) coastline
promises adventure opportunities as well as
oh-so-fresh seafood. Yet each also has its
own distinctive character.
The Minas Basin, for one, is a magnet for
migrating shorebirds, hundreds of thousands
of which descend each summer to dine on its
mud flats before flying to South America.
Nearby, the constant beating of the Bay of
Fundy tides uncovers 300-million-year-old
fossils in Joggins’ UNESCO-designated cliffs.
The South Shore, conversely, is dotted with
centuries-old towns and sheltered coves
once frequented by privateers; the Eastern
Shore boasts pounding surf; and between
them is Halifax, home to one of the world’s
largest natural harbours. Northumberland
Strait, meanwhile, is notable for warm, sandy
strands, whereas much of Cape Breton is
BY SUSAN MACCALLUM-WHITCOMB
NOVA SCOTIA
Tenuously connected to New
Brunswick by a slim sliver of
land, then tethered by ferries
to PEI and Newfoundland,
Nova Scotia acts as Atlantic
Canada’s anchor.
1,066,416
Halifax
www.novascotia.com
Halifax Stanfield International
Airport, 35 km (22 mi.) from
downtown
NS
70
HALIFAX HARBOUR • SHUTTERSTOCK/DARRYL BROOKS
Where Mother Nature
Meets Father Time