Day 1: Arrive Halifax
Welcome dinner — fresh Atlantic seafood and Nova Scotian wine. Meet your Intrepid leader and travel companions. Overnight Halifax.
Day 2: Halifax — Maritime Soul
Morning: Halifax Citadel’s noon gun ceremony with the 78th Highlanders. Waterfront boardwalk exploration, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (Titanic exhibit), and Pier 21 Immigration Museum. Afternoon: Fairview Lawn Cemetery (Titanic graves), Public Gardens, and a walk through the Victorian South End. Evening: Halifax Seaport Farmers Market — the oldest continuously operating farmers market in North America (founded 1750). Overnight Halifax.
Day 3: South Shore — Lunenburg & Blue Rocks
Morning: Peggy’s Cove at sunrise — the lighthouse with a fraction of the crowds. Drive the Lighthouse Route to Blue Rocks — a tiny fishing village of weathered shacks and stacked lobster traps, beloved by artists and photographers. Meet a local watercolor artist who captures the ever-changing Atlantic light. Continue to Lunenburg — UNESCO walking tour, Fisheries Museum, Bluenose II. Lunch at a 200-year-old inn. Afternoon: Mahone Bay’s three churches, artisan shops, and Amos Pewter. Overnight Lunenburg area.
Day 4: Lunenburg to Cape Breton
Morning: visit the Millbrook Mi’kmaq Cultural Centre — learn quillwork, hear Glooscap legends, and participate in a smudging ceremony. Drive to Cape Breton Island across the Canso Causeway. Arrive in Baddeck. Visit the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. Evening: Cape Breton fiddle music — this isn’t a performance, it’s a kitchen party you’re invited to. Overnight Baddeck.
Day 5: Cabot Trail — Full Circuit
The complete Cabot Trail experience. Morning: Skyline Trail — the full 7km loop at sunrise, when moose are most active and the lighting is magic. Drive through Cape Breton Highlands National Park — every viewpoint, every waterfall. Lunch in Cheticamp: Acadian rappie pie (grated potato casserole with chicken). Visit Les Trois Pignons — Acadian cultural museum with world-class rug-hooking collection. Afternoon: Margaree Valley’s salmon pools, then the dramatic eastern coastline with whitecaps on the Atlantic. Overnight Baddeck.
Day 6: Cape Breton to PEI
Morning: Gaelic College in St. Ann’s — milling frolic (beat wool on a table while singing Gaelic waulking songs) and a Gaelic language lesson. Ferry crossing from Caribou, NS to Wood Islands, PEI. Afternoon: Greenwich section of PEI National Park — the parabolic sand dune system, one of the most unique in North America. Walk the floating boardwalk across Bowley Pond to the massive dunes and remote beach. Overnight Charlottetown.
Day 7: Prince Edward Island — Anne’s Island
Morning: Green Gables Heritage Place — Anne’s world, the Haunted Wood, and Lover’s Lane. PEI National Park’s Cavendish Beach — red sandstone cliffs and warm Gulf waters. Afternoon: bike a section of the Confederation Trail through pastoral countryside. Visit an oyster farm on Rustico Bay — pull oysters from the water and taste them moments later with a squeeze of lemon (PEI Malpeques are world-famous). Evening: lobster supper followed by optional Anne of Green Gables musical. Overnight Charlottetown.
Day 8: PEI to New Brunswick
Morning: last PEI explorations — Cow’s ice cream, Charlottetown’s Victoria Row, and the Confederation Centre. Cross the Confederation Bridge to New Brunswick. Stop at Shediac — photo with the world’s largest lobster. Afternoon: arrive in Moncton. Walk the tidal bore viewing area on the Petitcodiac River. Overnight Moncton.
Day 9: Hopewell Rocks & Fundy Kayaking
The Bay of Fundy at its best. Morning: Hopewell Rocks — walk the ocean floor at low tide among the flowerpot formations. As the tide rises (up to 16 meters, the highest on Earth), watch the ocean reclaim the shore. Afternoon: kayak among the flowerpot rocks (tide-dependent) or hike the Fundy Footpath for stunning coastal views. Visit the Fundy Geological Museum. Overnight Moncton.
Day 10: Saint John & Fundy Coast
Morning: drive the Fundy Coastal Route to Saint John. Visit Reversing Falls Rapids — best seen at both low and high tide to understand the dramatic reversal. Saint John City Market — Canada’s oldest, with its ship’s-hull ceiling and dulse (dried seaweed, a Maritime snack). Afternoon: Irving Nature Park — coastal trails through diverse ecosystems. Optional: craft brewery tour in Saint John’s Uptown. Overnight Saint John.
Day 11: Saint John to Digby & Annapolis Valley
Morning: ferry from Saint John to Digby across the Bay of Fundy (whale watching en route). Arrive in Digby — scallop capital. Watch a scallop shucking demonstration and taste them fresh from the boat. Afternoon: Annapolis Valley wine country — visit Luckett Vineyards (don’t miss the iconic red phone box) and taste Tidal Bay, Nova Scotia’s signature white wine. Continue to Grand-Pré National Historic Site — the UNESCO memorial to the Acadian Deportation. Arrive Halifax. Farewell dinner at a waterfront restaurant. Overnight Halifax.
Day 12: Departure
Airport transfer. Depart with 12 days of Maritime memories — the Cabot Trail, Anne’s Island, the Fundy tides, and a thousand lighthouses.
