Central Ontario

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Pine-studded islands and golden sands, rugged craggy cliffs and lush orchards - these are the natural attributes of Central Ontario, a region steeped in history and endowed with those natural characteristics that make it a sought-after four-season playground.

Not that your group is required to work up a sweat hiking the region’s magnificent provincial parks, or angling for trout in a pristine network of lakes and rivers. Antique shopping is as much an outdoor sport as any other in Central Ontario, and you may well find that your tour’s first port of call is the charming town of Port Hope on Lake Ontario, known as the province’s antique capital. The nearby towns of Brighton and Cobourg offer leisurely antiquing of a different kind, with their quaint 19th-century streets and stately homes.

More present-day wonders await in the charming city of Peterborough, home to the world’s largest hydraulic lift lock, which hoists pleasure craft some 20 meters (65 feet) into the air. Given its pivotal position in the Kawartha Region of Central Ontario, Peterborough is also an important link in the Trent-Severn Waterway.

In fact, water - in the form of waterways, rivers, lakes and streams - is a wonderfully unavoidable component of any trip to Central Ontario. And when it comes to unearthing the secrets of the deep, Algonquin Provincial Park is a must-see attraction on any tour itinerary. Larger than some countries (it covers 7,725 square kilometers/3000 square miles of territory) Algonquin is the oldest and most famous park in Ontario. Its vast network of well-marked canoe routes take travelers into the heart of this pristine wilderness, complete with trout-filled lakes and brooks.

Meanwhile, on the shores of Georgian Bay, Ontario’s famous cottage country beckons with some of the most spectacular scenery everywhere. More than two million visitors come here each year to swim in the cool, clear waters of Georgian Bay, to explore the historic Blue Mountains (also Ontario’s largest ski area), or to daydream on the golden sands of Wasaga Beach, that stretch as far as the eye can see.

Historic Discoveries
Northeast of Peterborough is one of the most intriguing and evocative archeological treasures in Canada. Petroglyphs Provincial Park is a beautiful 1643 ha forested park on the rolling granite hills of the Canadian Shield complete with two small lakes, marshes, hiking trails and picnic areas.

However, it is the petroglyphs themselves that hold the greatest attraction for visitors. There on a flat expanse of marble, protected by a specially designed building built in 1984, are over 900 petroglyphs depicting symbolic shapes and figures such as turtles, snakes, birds and humans. The petroglyphs are revered as a sacred site, having been most likely chiseled into the rock face by Algonkian-speaking Aboriginals between 600 and 1,100 years ago.