4 Days / 3 Nights | Small-Group Guided Journey | Fully All-Inclusive
Peggy’s Cove: Coastal Trails, Ocean & Great Tables
This is the Nova Scotia most travellers picture—but rarely experience this way.
The South Shore is not dramatic in the way of the Bay of Fundy or the Cape Breton Highlands. Its power is cumulative—built from granite headlands worn smooth by the Atlantic, working waterfronts that have looked much the same for two centuries, and a coastline that rewards the traveller willing to move slowly and look closely. Over four days, you’ll do exactly that.
You’ll hike exposed coastal trails above the open ocean, paddle the sheltered waters around Blue Rocks by sea kayak, head offshore by zodiac along the cliffs and sea caves of the South Shore, and pass through Peggy’s Cove, Mahone Bay, and Lunenburg—three of Atlantic Canada’s most distinctive coastal communities. Each evening, the pace shifts naturally toward the table.
This journey is fully all-inclusive from pickup to return: every meal, every activity, all accommodations, and all ground transportation are covered. There is nothing to coordinate and no reason to reach for your wallet. Your role is simply to be present.
Starting at $3495 + HST
Maximum 12 Guests
What’s included—everything
All-inclusive means exactly that. From the moment you’re picked up in Halifax to your return, the following are fully covered:
- All ground transportation throughout the journey
- 3 nights’ accommodation in carefully selected coastal inns and boutique properties
- All meals—breakfasts daily, all lunches, and three dinners including the Shore Club lobster supper
- All guided activities: coastal hiking, sea kayaking, zodiac coastal experience, and visits to The Ovens Natural Park
- Dedicated local guide for the full duration
No hidden costs, no optional add-ons, no awkward wallet moments. Everything is arranged in advance and handled throughout.
What sets this journey apart
- Explore Nova Scotia’s most iconic coastline—Peggy’s Cove, Mahone Bay, Lunenburg, and beyond
- Hike the Gaff Point Trail, one of the province’s most rewarding coastal routes
- Take to the water on a zodiac coastal experience with Expeditions Nova Scotia
- Paddle the sheltered waters of Blue Rocks by sea kayak
- Discover hidden coastal landscapes on a lesser-known hike near Peggy’s Cove
- Visit The Ovens Natural Park, where sea caves cut into the coastline
- Enjoy a classic lobster supper at The Shore Club in Hubbards, with live music
- Finish with the Castle Rock Trail, offering sweeping views over Mahone Bay
- Stay in carefully selected inns and boutique properties that reflect the character of the region
- Travel in small, intimate groups—never coach-style—with a dedicated guide for every 6–8 guests
Guided by someone who knows this coast deeply
Your journey is led by a guide born and raised in Atlantic Canada—someone for whom the South Shore isn’t a destination but a known and well-travelled home ground. That familiarity shapes the entire experience.
The South Shore rewards those who know where to look. The well-known stops—Peggy’s Cove, Lunenburg—are worth seeing, but your guide knows the trails that bypass the crowds, the coastal viewpoints that don’t appear on maps, and the rhythm of a working waterfront that most visitors never quite access. The difference between a guided journey and a self-drive trip often comes down to a single question: who do you know here? Your guide is the answer to that.
Groups travel with a maximum of 8 guests per guide—intentionally small, so the experience stays personal and the pace remains yours.
Day By Day
Day 1 — Peggy’s Cove & a Classic Coastal Welcome
Halifax → Peggy’s Cove → South Shore
Depart Halifax and travel the Lighthouse Route toward Peggy’s Cove, where wave-worn granite meets the Atlantic in one of the most photographed—and genuinely striking—landscapes in Canada. Take time to walk the shoreline before moving beyond the viewpoint and into the terrain itself.
A lesser-known coastal hike near Peggy’s Cove follows—quieter, more immersive, and a better introduction to what the South Shore actually feels like when you step off the main path. Open rock, ocean views, and space to move at your own pace.
By late afternoon, arrive at your accommodation along the South Shore.
ACCOMMODATION
A carefully selected coastal inn or boutique property, chosen for its setting and sense of place. Confirmed at booking.
DINNER
The Shore Club lobster supper in Hubbards—a traditional Nova Scotia institution with a long-standing reputation, live music, and the kind of welcome that only a place like this can offer. It’s a fitting first evening on the South Shore.
Day 2 — Lunenburg, Blue Rocks & Coastal Waters
Mahone Bay → Lunenburg → Blue Rocks
Begin the day in Mahone Bay and Lunenburg—two communities that look like the South Shore at its most itself. Colourful buildings, working waterfronts, and a maritime history that isn’t staged for visitors. Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the designation is earned: this is what a working fishing town actually looks like.
From here, shift from land to water. Set out from Blue Rocks on a guided sea kayaking experience, paddling through quiet inlets and around small islands in the sheltered waters just beyond Lunenburg. It’s a slower, more immersive way to experience a coastline that rewards exactly that kind of attention—close to the water, shaped by the rhythm of the ocean, and well away from the road.
The afternoon allows time to explore Lunenburg at a relaxed pace before heading to the evening.
ACCOMMODATION
A coastal inn or boutique property along the South Shore, selected for character and proximity to the day’s experiences. Confirmed at booking.
DINNER
A carefully chosen evening meal—fresh seafood, local ingredients, and a setting that reflects the South Shore’s character rather than its tourist trade.
Day 3 — Gaff Point & the Open Coast
Gaff Point → The Ovens Natural Park → Zodiac Experience
Today is your most active and immersive day—three different ways of experiencing the coast, each one revealing something the others can’t.
Set out on the Gaff Point Trail, one of Nova Scotia’s most rewarding coastal hikes. The route moves through forest before opening onto exposed headlands with sweeping views over the Atlantic—open, unobstructed, and genuinely hard to leave. This is the South Shore at its most elemental.
Continue to The Ovens Natural Park, where sea caves carved into the cliffs by centuries of tidal action offer a different perspective on the same coastline. The scale here is intimate rather than panoramic—it rewards slowing down.
Later in the day, head offshore with Expeditions Nova Scotia for a zodiac coastal experience. Fast, responsive, and close to the water—a final high-energy view of a coastline you’ve now seen from trail, kayak, and sea cave. Each vantage point adds something the others don’t.
ACCOMMODATION
A coastal inn or boutique property, selected for comfort and setting. Confirmed at booking.
DINNER
A well-earned meal after a full day on the trail and the water—unhurried, locally sourced, and the right way to close out the most active day of the journey.
Day 4 — Mahone Bay Views & Return to Halifax
Castle Rock Trail → Halifax
Your final morning offers a slower, elevated close to the journey.
Set out on the Castle Rock Trail, where a moderate climb leads to sweeping views over Mahone Bay and the surrounding coastline. From up here, the geography of the last four days makes a different kind of sense—islands, inlets, and the broad Atlantic beyond. It’s a fitting final perspective: quiet, expansive, and worth the climb.
A relaxed closing lunch, then the return to Halifax—arriving mid-afternoon with four days of the South Shore behind you.
Where You'll Stay
The South Shore route moves through some of Atlantic Canada’s most distinctive coastal communities, and the properties along the way reflect that. Each night’s accommodation is selected for three things: its physical setting, its sense of place, and its comfort. These are not chain hotels—they are inns and coastal properties that belong to the South Shore in a way that adds to the experience rather than simply sheltering you from it.
Specific properties are confirmed at booking and may vary by season and availability. What doesn’t vary is the standard: well-located, well-run, and genuinely reflective of where you are.
Dining
The South Shore has one of the strongest seafood-driven food cultures in Atlantic Canada—built on proximity to the ocean and a genuine respect for what that proximity makes possible. Each meal is chosen to reflect that: locally sourced, well-prepared, and matched to the character of the day and the setting around you.
The journey opens with a Shore Club lobster supper in Hubbards—a Nova Scotia institution, served in a historic hall with live music, and exactly the kind of experience that sets the tone for the days ahead. It’s unpretentious, deeply local, and genuinely memorable. From there, dinners move with the coastline—fresh, unhurried, and grounded in where you are.
Specific restaurants and menus are confirmed at booking and may vary by season and availability. Dietary requirements are accommodated with advance notice.
Who travels with us
This journey is designed for travellers drawn to coastlines that feel lived-in rather than staged. They want to hike, paddle, and get on the water—but they’re equally interested in the communities built along the shore and the food culture that has grown up around the ocean’s proximity. The South Shore offers both, and this journey moves between them deliberately.
They’ve likely driven the Lighthouse Route before, or know someone who has. They choose a guided journey because they understand what local knowledge actually unlocks—the trail that bypasses the crowds, the coastal viewpoint that doesn’t appear on any map, the understanding of what makes Lunenburg genuinely worth your time rather than just a stop on the route. And they’re happy to hand off the logistics entirely.
If you want to hike the headlands, paddle the inlets, go fast on the open ocean, and end each day at a well-chosen table on one of the most storied coastlines in Canada—this journey was built for you.
