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Sport & Activities
Outdoor pursuits: The easternmost of the ‘prairie provinces’, Manitoba is dominated in the south by its two huge lakes, Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba. Altogether, the province has over 100,000 lakes and 175 provincial parks. There are ample opportunities for all types of watersports on the lakes and rivers. Rivers offering particularly good canoeing include Bloodvein River in Atikaki Provincial Wilderness Park, which flows through wild rice marshes into Lake Winnipeg; and Seal River in the north, one of the most challenging canoe routes in Canada. Fishing for trout, northern pike, walleye, channel catfish and Arctic grayling is especially popular. Several of the northern lakes are only accessible by air, and remote fly-in lodges are the answer for an angler’s wilderness dream. There are some excellent beaches around the lakes, the best known being Grand Beach on Lake Winnipeg, one of North America’s top ten beaches. Backed by high, grass-topped sand dunes, the beach is a favourite swimming spot amongst local people, owing to its shallow water and easy access from Winnipeg. Sailboarding, windsurfing and sailing are also available here. In the northern part of the province, there are unique opportunities to observe wildlife. Churchill, on the shore of Hudson Bay, is known as the ‘Polar Bear Capital of the World’. The best months to see them are October and early November. Special trips in ‘tundra buggies’ enable visitors to view the bears and other creatures (including Arctic foxes, birds and caribou) at close range. In summer, thousands of beluga whales congregate in the mouth of the Churchill River and in Hudson Bay, and some 200 species of birds use the environment as a nesting habitat during spring. The northern lights (aurora borealis) can best be seen here between January and April.
Other sports on offer include golf (there are over 125 golf courses in Manitoba, 27 of these in Winnipeg) and hiking. Cross-country skiing is available throughout the winter months at the provincial and national parks.
For general information about sport and activities in Canada, see the main Canada section.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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