Canada Maritime Birding Tours Cape Breton

Canada Maritime Birding Tours Cape Breton, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island

On this tour we will visit the Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.  Visiting Newfoundland is an optional extension to the main tour. Newfoundland is not a maritime province but is a part of Labrador. 

Highlights:

3)  Birding the forests and coastline of Cape Breton

Printable Bird List
(This is a checklist of the birds that we have seen on this trip)

• Travel Dates: June 9 - 23, 2026
• Group Size:  4 people, spots left = 4
• Trip Length: 15 days
• Rates: Rate per person = $4,350 (based on double occupancy), $1,200 extra for single occupancy
• Rates include: Lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner, scheduled group tours, park entrance fees and basic travel insurance.
• Not included: International airfare, customs & immigration fees and visas, alcohol, trip cancellation insurance.
• Adventure level:  Easy, please check the “Welcome” page for definition
• Reservations:  To reserve a spot on the trip, a non-refundable $800 per person deposit is required, and the non-refundable balance is due six months prior to the trip.

Day 1:   Arrival day
Pick up at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ).  Most flights from the United States arrive in the evening.  You will be met at the airport and transferred to the Halifax Holiday Inn Hotel. 

Day 2:  Halifax
A full day exploring the parks and historic sites of Halifax. Lodging will be at the Dartmouth Best Western, located across the water from Halifax.  The hotel is located adjacent to Spectacle Lake, which is a good birding area.  We will stay for 2-nights. 

Day 3:  Halifax
Depending on the groups interest, we can focus on birds, history, and/or cultural activities on our second day in Halifax.  Halifax is surrounded by numerous parks and coastal areas for great birding, including the Salt Marsh trail, Rainbow Haven Provincial Park, and Shubie Park. 

Day 4:  Baddeck, Nova Scotia
From Halifax, it is a 4-hour drive to our next place of lodging at the St. Ann's Motel along Cabot Trail, Baddeck, Nova Scotia.  We will stay here for 2-nights. Along the way there are many places to stop for birding. Depending on time, we will visit Victoria Park, Beaver Mountain Provincial Park, and Whycocomagh Provincial Park.  We will also stop at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site.  Besides the museum, the surrounding park and waterfront area of Baddeck is a good birding spot. 

Day 5:  Baddeck, Nova Scotia
Our lodging at St. Anne's is an excellent location for birding the surrounding area.  In the morning, we will take a boat out to a Atlantic Puffin colony.  In the afternoon we will be birding St. Ann's Provincial Park, located right behind our lodging location. Birds to see:  Atlantic Puffin, Northern Gannet, Razorbill, Black-legged Kittiwake, Great Cormorant, and more. 

Day 6:  Cape Breton Highlands
From our motel at St. Ann's, it is a 1-hour drive to the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. This beautiful park has many roadside stops and short trails for birding. We will be traveling along the east coast and northern edges of this amazing park.  Our lodging at The Mountain View Motel for 2-nights is located at the northwest corner of the national park in a small village called Pleasant Bay. This is an excellent location for birding and wonderful walks. Cape Breton Highlands National Park consists of 234,000 acres, so this is a big area for birding. 

Day 7:  Cape Breton Highlands
A full day of walking and visiting the best sites and trails for birding Cape Breton Highlands National Park. 

Day 8:  Port Hastings, Nova Scotia
From Pleasant Bay we will travel the west coast of Cape Breton all the way down to the Port Hastings area.  Total drive time is about 2.5 hours.  We will spend most of the day birding the Cheticamp area, with also a few roadside stops as well. Our lodging for the next 2-nights is located along the Strait of Canso, across from Port Hastings at the Cove Motel. 

Day 9:  Port Hastings, Nova Scotia
On this day we will cross back over the Strait of Canso, back onto Cape Breton Island.  We will spend the day walking trails in forest areas that are north of the town of Port Hawkesbury. 

Day 10:  Hopewell, New Brunswick
From our lodging along the Strait of Canso, it is a 3-hour drive to the Amherst and Sackville areas of New Brunswick. Here we will spend time birding the Amherst Point Bird Sanctuary and the Sackville waterfowl park. From Sackville, it is a 1-hour drive to our lodging in Hopewell where we will spend 2-nights at the Hopewell Rocks Motel.

Day 11:  Hopewell, New Brunswick
A short drive down the coast from our lodging, is the Shepody Bay National Wildlife area, where will spend the morning birding. Later we will head to Fundy National Park.  Besides great birding, Fundy Bay is where you will experience the largest tides in the world.  Depending on the time of year and the moon phase, the tides can reach 53 feet.  We will spend most of the day at the Fundy National Park.  

Day 12:  Prince Edward Island
In the morning we will stop at Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park for a morning bird walk.  From Hopewell Rocks, it is a 3-hour drive to our lodging on Prince Edward Island.  We will be staying at the Forest and Lake B&B.  This wonderful B&B is located in a beautiful 20-acre forest with a small lake. There is good birding from the porch and nice trails for walking. 

Day 13:  Prince Edward Island
We will spend the day birding the eastern side of Prince Edward Island.  Stops include Panmure Island Provincial Park, Harvey Moore Wildlife Sanctuary, Cape Bear Lighthouse, and Marconi Station.

Day 14: Stanfield International Airport
We will be taking a morning ferry from Prince Edward Island and travel across the Northumberland Strait to Caribou, New Brunswick. It is a 75-minute ferry crossing with opportunities to see some pelagic birds.  In the afternoon we will have time to visit a few birding locations on our way to our hotel located close to the Halifax Stanfield Airport. Stops include Bezansons Falls and Brookfield Wetlands.

Day 15:  Fly Home 
There will be a shuttle to the airport for flights home.