Go Deep into the Wilds with Our Best Nature Stories

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Regardless of whether you’re reading Air Canada enRoute in seat 16F or on your couch at home, our stories transport – it could be to the quietest place in Canada or to a street performance-filled neighbourhood in Seoul. In celebration of Earth Day, here are some nature- and wildlife-focused gems from our archives, which will take you from the ancient forests of Haida Gwaii to the “panda route” in Sichuan, China.

Rainforest lines Tow Hill Road at the north end of Graham Island
    Photo: Eamon Mac Mahon

Magic Awaits on an Off-Season Adventure in Haida Gwaii

 

As Sarah Musgrave writes, “these lush islands on B.C.’s north coast are bucket-list material for folks looking to connect with the planet.” From majestic Sitka spruce trees to a family of orcas, she saw it all and, because she travelled to the “Hawaii of the North” in the off-season, had it all to herself.

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A whale shark swims to the surface of the ocean in Australia
    Photo: Kara Rosenlund

Become One with the Whale Sharks in Western Australia

 

Twelve hundred-kilometres north of Perth, on Australia’s remote west coast, writer Caitlin Walsh Miller unplugged, surrounded by the crystal-clear waters of Ningaloo Reef – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the easiest places on Earth to swim with a whale shark.

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A close up of a panda in a patch of grass in China
    Photo: Algirdas Bakas

See Pandas on Their Home Turf in China’s New National Park

 

Last fall the Chinese government finalized plans for Giant Panda National Park, which will span more than two-million hectares in the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu – more than four times the size of Banff National Park. That makes now a great time to revisit this story by writer Gloria Dickie, who travelled to the region for our October 2018 issue.

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A motmot searching for something to hunt
    Photo: Alexi Hobbs

Why Costa Rica is a Bird Lover’s Paradise

 

In one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, Costa Rica’s Arenal Volcano National Park, our senior editor Jacinthe Dupuis went on a mission: to spot the greatest number of animals possible. The birds, in particular, did not disappoint. Flit along with her in this read to encounter small blue herons, motmots and more.

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Trees in the Lake Athabasca woods
    Photo: Eamon Mac Mahon

You Can Still Hug a Tree

 

Ever stopped to consider what’s really happening in the woods? In this excerpt from German forest ranger-turned-author Peter Wohlleben’s book The Hidden Life of Trees, you will learn about the dynamics between mother trees and their offshoots and how to identify if a young tree is experiencing a growth spurt – all accompanied by Eamon Mac Mahon’s striking photographs of mature forests across Canada.

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