ATTRACTIONS/EVENTS

The Manicouagan area, as well as the surrounding areas of Tadoussac, Charlevoix and Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean, is teeming with activities, attractions and events of all kinds and for all tastes.

In Les Escoumins, dinghy whale-watching cruise as well as from the shoreline, is particularly popular. The marine discovery center with its St-Lawrence Odyssey exhibit will surely satisfy the entire family’s curiosity.
www.parcmarin.qc.ca.

Swimming in the river and enjoying the beach and picnic areas are much appreciated by visitors. Cafes, bakeries and restaurants are plentiful in Les Escoumins.

Gathering blueberries or cycling along the bike path connecting Les Escoumins with Grandes-Bergeronnes also ranks among popular activities in the region.

A ferry service links the South-Shore with Les Escoumins. Crossing the St-Lawrence on the ferry allows visitors to discover a little more of the majestic river with the chance to spot whales along the way.

Closer to Tadoussac, visitors can board a seaplane and soar over the Saguenay fjord, the Charlevoix mountains and the region’s many lakes. Visitors will also find the CIMM, the Center for Interpretation of Marine Mammals, in Tadoussac, giving tourists a chance to learn more about the region’s cetaceans after a whale-watching expedition in Les Escoumins.
www.gremm.org

Tadoussac also offers a multitude of lodgings, restaurants and even a golf course.

Manicouagan

Moving away from Tadoussac and Les Escoumins towards Manicouagan, one finds much to offer. Heading eastwards to follow the whales, you will come along many small villages set upon the coast, rivers, ecological interpretation centers, many lighthouses the famous Pointe-des-Monts lighthouse which offers visitors an original place in which to spend the night. As for Baie-Trinité, it is home to a shipwreck center.

Popular activities also include visiting the famous Hydro-Quebec dams, such as Manic-2, Manic-5 and Outardes. One can also participate in bear-watching as well as cruises in Manicouagan in certain small ports. Cruises on the North-Shore, with the exception of those in Tadoussac, Les Escoumins and Rivière-Portneuf – which are almost exclusively devoted to whale-watching – are aimed at bird-watching and discovering the St-Lawrence River.

The St-Lawrence’s Boreal Center located in Baie-Comeau offers a unique experience pertaining to the last Ice Age, an interpretative center, guided tours and hiking. Golf amateurs will be fulfilled in Tadoussac, Forestville and Baie-Comeau.

Charlevoix

In Charlevoix, which you will travel through to go on a whale-watching excursion in Les Escoumins, various activities abound. The area is home to three national parks and majestic landscapes! What Manicouagan offers at sea, Charlevoix offers in the mountains where visitors will be breathless at the untouched scenery.

The area’s craftsmen, painters and photographers tell nature’s tale while visitors are greeted at renowned restaurants, galleries and shops to suit a variety of tastes.

Grands Jardins National Park offers memorable fishing stories (it is home to 60 lakes, all in a natural state). Pedestrian excursions in exceptional landscapes and the chance to discover otherwise inaccessible ecosystems (the Taïga) beckon to tourists.

Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park presents one of the most impressive valleys in Quebec. This National Park constitutes one of the central parts of the Charlevoix Biosphere World Reserve. A popular river cruise in Charlevoix will take you down the Hautes-Gorges River.

Of course, one cannot mention Charlevoix without speaking about the famous Casino de Charlevoix and the nearby Manoir Richelieu located in the town of La Malbaie.

Another charming characteristic of Charlevoix is its series of small and picturesque coastal towns such as Port-au-Persil, named by 17^th century explorer Samuel de Champlain. Port-au-Persil is a tiny hamlet tucked away on the edge of a small bay on the St-Lawrence River.

The village of St-Irénée in Charlevoix can be found hidden away between two hills clutched to the mountainside and lying alongside the beach. The village embraces the spectacular shoreline and the landscape’s wonders.

Les Eboulements is a Charlevoix village from where one can admire landscapes that seem to plunge into the River and where large ships seem miniscule while threading through the canal.

The village of Les Eboulements, which means “The Landslides” in French, was named following a violent earthquake in 1663. Les Eboulements sits at 200 meters above sea level and offers a spectacular view of the St-Lawrence River and Iles-aux-Coudres Island.

Saguenay - Lac-Saint-Jean

The Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean region is characterised by two unique stretches of water: The Saguenay River, a navigable fjord, and an interior lake with a diameter of 25 kilometres. Numerous parks and the omnipresence of nature link the area with Charlevoix, Manicouagan and La Haute Côte-Nord. In the Saguenay, one can observe the Sainte-Marguerite River from the shoreline and watch Beluga whales feed themselves at the river’s mouth.

One of the area’s main attractions is the fjord route which brings visitors all the way to Tadoussac near the river’s delta. This route crosses several small and picturesque villages on both shores such as Sainte-Rose du Nord, Petit-Saguenay and L’Anse-Saint-Jean which offer tourists a multitude of enjoyable activities such as kayaking, hiking and cycling along the bicycle paths. Hunting and fishing is also quite popular in the region, particularly in Monts-Valin and its park.

The region offers a number of cruises in the Saguenay fjord which can leave from Tadoussac, Saguenay, La Baie or from Baie-Sainte-Catherine. Festivals and concerts are scheduled throughout the season. For more information, head to www.bonjourquebec.com.