Learning in the wild
Turn the forest, tundra, wetlands, or grasslands into your personal wilderness classroom. History, geography, geology, biology and much more all populate Manitoba’s landscape. Take time to exercise your body and enrich your mind as you settle your soul in Manitoba’s wilderness. And while there won’t be a test at the end of your trip, you’ll come away with all the answers you could ever need.
- Follow the fur trade, flora and fauna to Churchill
- Finding the wild without leaving the city
- Paddle a backcountry classroom
- Natural rhythms in Riding Mountain National Park
- Become the teacher with self-guided tours
Follow the fur trade, flora and fauna to Churchill
Retrace the steps of fur traders and early explorers on their journeys to Norway House, Prince of Wales Fort, Sloop Cove and historic York Factory in Manitoba’s remote north. Presented by Canada’s National Historic Society and Heartland International Travel & Tours, this exclusive guided tour is limited to 11 people.
Rub shoulders and pencils with scientists and researchers at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, and marvel at the colourful carpet of boreal and arctic wildflowers, mosses and lichens on a botanical tour of the region. Follow the migration north to Churchill to look for rare species like the bohemian waxwing or Ross’s gull—a birders delight. Learn from topic experts, then cap off the week with a feast of traditional foods and Canadian wines.
Plan your learning in the wild getaway
Finding the wild without leaving the city
Reconnect with the wild at FortWhyte Alive—600 acres of prairie, lakes, forest and wetlands on the edge of Winnipeg. Learn how to convert to a natural lawn, go on a bison safari, build willow furniture or join expert birders on a sunrise hike. Figure out the J-stroke and draw stroke in a canoeing course with certified Paddle Manitoba instructors, and develop your skills and confidence in the protection of FortWhyte’s sheltered lakes. No need to haul gear—all necessary equipment for canoeing and kayaking courses is provided.
Hit the road to Brandon, where you can hike the self-guided pond trail next to the Assiniboine River and gain a deeper understanding of wetland ecosystems. Start at the Riverbank Discovery Centre to learn more about the 17-kilometre riverbank trail system. Satisfy your inner crafter at workshops to create your own willow chair, whimsical garden stakes or decorative stepping stones.
Plan your learning in the wild getaway
Paddle a backcountry classroom
Celebrate the International Year of Astronomy on a five-day excursion into the Mantario Wilderness Cabin in Whiteshell Provincial Park. Paddle and portage 20 kilometres to the cabin, where you’ll learn to navigate the skies… you may even witness the Perseid meteor shower, scheduled to peak in mid-August. Check out Nature Manitoba’s complete series of themed weeks throughout July and August—enhance your canoeing skills, make your own basket or whistle, take frame-worthy nature photographs, or learn to identify plants large and small.
Come ashore to try out your moves with belly-dancing instructor Za'ina Dilshad and the award-winning Northern Soul Wilderness Adventures. Gather a group of friends for a day-paddle on the Assiniboine River followed by shimmying and shaking at a riverside park. Yalla! Sun salutations more your style? Join certified Hatha Yoga instructor Alerry Lavitt and Northern Soul for a weekend of meditative canoe camping and lakeside yoga.
Plan your learning in the wild getaway
Natural rhythms in Riding Mountain National Park
Burrow into the nooks and crannies of Riding Mountain National Park on a guided adventure with Earth Rhythms - meet and learn from local experts who love the region, the park and sharing the wild mysteries within. Come away with eyes, mind and heart wide open and enriched – pick from a selection of activities in any season or make up your own!
Experience Sonics & Sojourns: Fall Festival of Learning & Music from September 18-27, 2009 with events in Onanole, Riding Mountain National Park and surrounding Clear Lake Country. Meet and mix with locals and guests from across Canada in a smorgasbord of science, music and art dressed in the fall bounty of local produce and served with a side of local cuisine. Satisfy both sides of your brain with a Science in the Park workshop followed by an interactive musical experience or chatting with local artisans. Catch the glowing orange, rusty red and yellow shades of fall against the backdrop of a harvest sunset, and listen to the elk bugling in the distance.
Plan your learning in the wild getaway
Become the teacher with self-guided tours
Paddle with the voyageurs, interpret Winnipeg’s French Quarter through the influential work of author Gabrielle Roy, or cycle the shores of glacial Lake Agassiz—set your own pace on a self-guided tour with Routes on the Red. Download detailed itineraries for a wide selection of tours in the Red River Valley – spend a half or full day in Winnipeg and other communities influenced and defined by the mighty Red, Canada’s newest Heritage River.
Head west to the Assiniboine Qu’Appelle Valleylands for biking, back roads and buddas. Pedal gravel back roads between Asessippi Provincial Park and Riding Mountain National Park—a perfect half-day trip from either. Immerse yourself in the area’s history at the Ukrainian settlers’ mass gravesite, beautifully restored churches, one-room schoolhouses and more. From buddas to banyas, your vocabulary will grow! Got a full day? Start in Russell for the First Peoples of the Valleylands circle tour. Choose your stops from the Ste. Madeleine Métis Cultural Centre, Binscarth Museum, Fort Ellice Interpretive Centre and the Birdtail Country Museum. Learn little-known stories and interesting facts in these turn-by-turn itineraries. There is so much to know and enjoy!
