In rankings of the most livable countries, Canada is generally in the top five, following Norway, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Denmark. These states can change places, but have remained in the ranks for decades. One of the factors that counts when scoring on such charts is attitude to ecology. And for nature lovers, a trip to Canada is a cherished dream. After all, there are already – forty national parks, and some of them – the size of the Benelux countries.
I must say at once that the standard of living in the country is high, so when planning a trip to Canada the prices make you calculate very carefully. Gasoline, however, is cheaper than in Germany – developed oil production. And without a car it is impossible to get to the reserves. The country is relatively sparsely populated (35.5 million people on the territory of 9,984,670 km²), public transport is well developed only in large cities.
Especially well-known are the reserves located in the west in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia (the area of the latter exceeds the territory of the Netherlands in 23(!) Times).
Of course, everyone has heard of Niagara Falls near Toronto, but it has unfortunately been turned into a huge tourist attraction with hotels, casinos and stores with tons of souvenir trinkets.
But in the west of the country, the feeling of pristine nature is combined with the relative comfort of civilization. If you carefully plan the route, you can do without a tent. The forests are diverse, some standing untouched for millennia. The lakes with their amazing whitish-blue color remind the alpine ones. There are paths in the groves, and it is not forbidden to deviate from them, but it is dangerous. I often encountered bears and their cubs on my path. Obviously, you must stay away from them, and if anything happens, make as much noise as possible. Often travelers take pepper spray with them on this hike. The most dangerous animals are grizzlies, but they are unsociable. Once at five in the morning, a five-pound owl snapped off a branch above my head. There are a lot of foxes and elk. But it’s not even about wild animals, most of all I was bothered by mice in the hostels. People constantly disappear (foreigners, of course), overestimating their strength and ability to navigate the area. Cell phone service is not available in some places.
The best place to fly into Calgary, rent a car there, and drive to Banff, Jasper, and Glacier National Park. If you want to see the glacier in time, hurry up, because it disappears before your eyes! Fans of fast driving who are used to the European highways will need to readjust. In Canada the short high-speed sections are replaced by thousands of miles of relatively narrow roads with speed limits of 100 – 110 kilometers per hour.
A couple of times I turned off at Indian reservations. It’s a sad picture. The government builds them houses for free and pays the communities a lot of money for the use of the resources located on their territory, for oil or salmon fishing. But the natives, who now make up only about 3% of the total population, have not been able to adapt to modern life.
A visit to a Mennonite settlement was also interesting. Even to catch a glimpse of the traditions and life of this Protestant congregation is already interesting. The men in suits, the women in strict traditional dresses. One of the leaders, a stout, bearded man named Dirk, showed me around the farm.
The people in Canada, in general, are friendly and open-minded. I was, however, struck by their attitude toward the States. Not one kind word. They denounce aggressive policies and megalomania, but feel like a raw materials appendage.