I’m in a place I’ve always wanted to explore – Québec’s Îles-de-la-Madeleine – where I discover the unique pleasures of island living while paddling and swimming my way along this out-of-this-world coastline.
When planning things out for the Paddle Tales series, there were lots of places in Québec that I was excited to visit. There wasn't anywhere I wanted to check out more, however, than the small group of islands that sit like lone ducks in the middle of the Gulf of the Saint Lawrence: Québec's îles de la Madeleine, also known as the Magdalen Islands.
This is a place with endless sand beaches, spectacular sea caves, and a charming small-town vibe. Sculpted by the wind and sea, the islands really are spectacular. With 200 miles of pristine beaches, green rolling hills, and dramatic cliffs along a lot of the coastline. It's the kind of place where there's an obvious balance between nature and the population, which is only 15,000 for the whole region.
To get oriented, I headed to Aerosport Carrefour, a really cool outdoor shop and outfitter that offers kite boarding, stand up paddling, and sea kayaking trips. I met up with Elie-Anne Arseneau who works in the shop and leads paddling trips. We launched our kayaks and hit the water in one of the sheltered bays only a few minutes from the shop. These bays can accommodate paddlers of any level and offered me a beautiful first taste of the Magdalen coast.
After exploring the bay, Elie-Anne and I made the move to the outer exposed coast of the island to a place called La Belle-Anse. This area is known for having the region's most dramatic coastline, including some incredible sea caves to explore. I'd looked at photos and videos of the area before arriving in Les îles, but as always seems to be the case, it just didn’t do it justice. I've had the great fortune to paddle in stunning places around the world but this coastline was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Hands down, it was one of the coolest places ever that I've ever explored.
The next day, still buzzing from my time sea kayaking with Elie, I made the trip to the far end of the Magdalen Islands to an Inn called La Salicorne. This part of the Archipelago gets much less traffic than the main island and definitely has a more remote feel to it. Although the Magdalen Islands has around 200 miles of gorgeous beach, the nearby Old-Harry Beach is considered one of the best surf beaches in the region – and one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world according to National Geographic. I loaded up my kayak and met up with Annabelle and Michael, two guides from La Salicorne who might actually love playing in the water more than I do.
We caught a couple of small waves, however the break wasn’t truly working as it normally does, so Michael and Annabelle decided they needed to show me something different. With that, they handed over the thickest wetsuit I've ever put on and told me we’d be going for a swim. I'll be honest, the whole idea of leaving my kayak behind in order to go swimming isn't something I would normally do—I like being in my kayak and not out of my kayak—but that's exactly what made it so fun.
Making our way through the rough water was slow work, but surprisingly easy to do with all the flotation that the wetsuit and life jacket provided. Michael and Annabelle made it look easy. They were like a couple of seals on the rocks while I felt like a big sea cow! As we came around the next cliff, some deeper and darker caves appeared before us. Once again, I followed my guides despite my better judgment and ended up having one of the coolest experiences I’d had in a long time.
Les Îles de la Madeleine was a place that I’d been wanting to visit for a long time. And so, my expectations were very high. To say that my expectations were simply met would be a huge understatement. Les Îles de la Madeleine blew my expectations out of the water! Everything about this experience was incredible.
I can't wait to go back and share the experience with my family.
Special Thanks To:
Aventure Écotourisme Québec | Tourisme Îles de la Madeleine | Le Québec maritime
Is that a Trak 2.0 kayak you are paddling? I seriously covet one of those but can’t spare the $3,600 they cost (ouch!).
Hey David, good eye! It is the TRAK 2.0. I get what you’re saying about the price tag, but if you travel a lot to paddle, they are worth it! Same size as a golf club bag essentially, so the airline will take them with no hassles (which can’t be said for many regular kayaks). Thanks for checking out the post! Cheers!