Kazakhstan's Wild West
Vietnam & Cambodia
A Tour for the Alpine Garden Society
Between winter snows and summer leaf-burst there’s a magical time in Ontario’s woodlands – the great spring flower show. The Provincial flower, Trillium grandiflorum, blooms throughout in magnificent stands of white and green, often with dark red Trillium erectum. With plentiful yellow Trout Lilies are Rose Twisted-Stalks, Uvularia’s and Cucumber-roots as well as Nodding Trilliums, Jack-in-the-Pulpits, Skunk Cabbage, Twinleaf and the colourful Indian Paintbrush.
Tom Thomson’s evocative landscapes captured what for many is the perfect tranquility of the Canadian Backwoods and these works were born in the majestic landscapes of the Algonquin. As Otters play in idyllic lakes and Spruce Grouse display from Black Pine-dotted bogs, we’ll seek Pitcher Plants and Goldthread, Fringed Polygala and Trailing Arbutus, Blue Flag, and fantastic shows of Painted
Trilliums.
Further south, the waters’ tumultuous descent over Niagara Falls is hardly calmed through the deep gorge below. Here impressively diverse Tertiary Relict forests of the Carolinian realm sweep up from the Appalachians and thrive on the warm slopes. The understorey is rich in spring ephemerals including more Trilliums, Dicentras, Corydalis, and stands of lovely Aquilegias. The Niagara Escarpment’s dolomite-capped cliffs trace a sinuous line across Ontario from the famous falls to the botanically-rich Bruce Peninsula. Limestone pavement is tinged blue with Dwarf Lake Iris and gold with the Lakeside Daisy, both endemic to the Bruce. Orchids include the first flowers of Small Yellow Lady’s Slipper, the tiny red and white Ram’s-head Lady’s Slipper, and Striped Coralroot. Even these can’t beat lovely colonies of the Calypso Orchid nestling amongst bright green mosses! We’ll not ignore the fauna with Moose in the Algonquin, garter snakes and Sandhill Cranes in the Bruce, and those beautiful North American Warblers will be taking up their territories amongst some of the finest flowery woodlands in North America.
Dates and Prices
4th May - 18th May 2025 (15 days)
* doesn't apply if you're willing to share and a room-mate can be arranged
Flowers, particularly spring bulbs.
Minimum is 4 and the maximum is 15. Both leaders will accompany the group.
All flights. All transport, accommodation, meals and gratuities in Canada.
Services of your leaders. Please note: drinks, and items of a personal nature,
including insurance, are not included.
We start the tour with three nights in the modern Hilton Garden Inn set in six
acres of gardens on the outskirts of Niagara-on-the-Lake and ideally situated to
explore the Niagara Peninsula’s floral riches. The azure wooden slats and white
balconies of the Kettle Creek Inn provide a quintessentially Canadian base for
our next three nights. Dating from 1849 and situated just north of the Lake Erie
shoreline, this welcoming establishment has all impeccably kept rooms. Next is a
real treat, with three nights at the gorgeous Bartlett Lodge, a bastion of
comfort in the wilds for almost a century. On the shore of Cache Lake, the
lovely wooden cabins are large and very comfortable, and the restaurant serves
absolutely fabulous four course dinners! Moving across Georgian Bay we’ve four
nights in the spacious rooms of the Big Tub Harbour Resort in lovely Tobermory
at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. All rooms and cabins on this tour have en
suite facilities.
We will be ambling no more than four or five miles in any one day, and always at
a slow pace, ideally suited to flower photography!
UK return flights are direct from London Gatwick or Manchester* to Toronto.
Other indirect routes from regional UK Airports* are available.
*These routes may incur a supplement.
Flight Upgrades
The flights to and from Toronto have an upgrade giving extra legroom available
for approximately £100 each way.
It’s Spring! Which means much as it does here – the weather can vary
tremendously. You should expect daytime temperatures in the range of 8°C to 25°C
with the night-time minimum still sometimes dipping below zero. Rain (and even
occasionally snow) is not infrequent though is rarely heavy.
Contact us to check if there is availability for the number of places you require. Click on the ‘Book this Tour’ button on this page to be taken to the online booking form or contact us and we will send one to you which you can complete and send back to us. You will receive confirmation of your place, and then a detailed information pack will be dispatched to you about twelve weeks before departure. This will contain up-to-date health information.
