Moraine Lake in Alberta. (Courtesy of Johannes Hohn)

The country offers an array of unusual, pristine and mind-blowing attractions.

If you love to travel and are looking forward to experiencing a new destination to enhance your senses, then you should consider going to Canada. As a tourist destination, Canada benefits from being the second-largest country in the world – following Russia – as its geographical vastness offers a diverse range of attractions for travelers from across the world. It has 10 provinces and three territories.

The attraction has also been recorded by statistics: according to data from destinationcanada.com, over the first four months of 2017, overnight arrivals from Destination Canada’s 10 overseas markets – including Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe – has expanded by 21.1 percent year on year.

Still according to data from the same website, in 2016, Canada welcomed 19,979,334 travelers – the highest number since 2002 and the second-highest number of tourists ever. In other words, last year tourist arrivals in Canada hit a 14-year high. In the same year, international arrivals to Canada increased 16 percent from the number in 2015.

As a destination, Canada offers a unique blend of natural immersion and unique landmarks. Here is a snapshot of what each has to offer.

Nature like you have never seen it

Most of you have probably heard of the beautiful natural phenomenon called the aurora borealis, or the northern lights, or seen pictures of it: a light-like dispersion that glimmers on the ionosphere, which results from interaction between the Earth’s magnetic field and loaded particles emitted by the Sun. Wonder where you can witness such a beautiful ray of light yourself?

You can go to Canada to see it in Yellowknife, the capital city of the Northwest Territories, which has aptly been dubbed the aurora borealis capital of North America. The Northern Lights are right up there, enabling you to directly witness and experience images of bright, vibrant colors filling the dark night sky.

Another suggested destination for natural immersion is Vancouver, a coastal seaport city in Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. The world’s biggest travel website tripadvisor.com, featuring more than 500 objective firsthand reviews from travelers, lists Vancouver on top of its top 10 destinations list for Canada.

The city’s forests, grand parks and impressive suspension bridge beckon travelers to explore them, tripadvisor.com says. Among them are Queen Elizabeth Park and VanDusen Botanical Garden, with their beautiful trees and flowers, which allows you to experience life in slow motion while marveling at the wonders of nature, disconnecting from the hustle and bustle of urban spaces for a while.

An aurora borealis appears in the province of Yukon.(Courtesy of the Arctic Range Adventure)

The lakes of Canada

There is a common thing in Canada. Wherever you go you will find a lake. According to the Atlas of Canada, the country is home to approximately 31,752 lakes that are larger than 3 square kilometers, of which 561 lakes have a surface area larger than 100 square kilometers. This is why Canada is called the land of a thousand lakes, just like Indonesia has been called the land of a thousand islands. Canadian folk band The Innocence Mission recorded a song about it called “Lakes of Canada” in its 1999 album.

Most of the lakes are located in the mountains: the azure alpine lakes from Canada are the most recognizable in the world. Some of great lakes of North America are also found here.

Various travel websites place Garibaldi Lake in British Columbia as one of Canada’s most outstanding lakes. Only two hours from Vancouver, a variety of activities can be conducted here there: whether it is canoeing and swimming during the summer or hiking during the winter. The beautiful dark blue lake is also surrounded by tall peaks, such as Black Tusk, which provides a beautiful backdrop for you lose yourself in your outdoor activities.

Another interesting place is Moraine Lake in the Banff National Park, situated within the valley of the 10 peaks at an elevation of approximately 1,885 meters. The lake is well-known for its blue color and the mind-blowing surroundings: high mountains with snowy peaks that bring the effect of tranquility. It also features a hiking track.

You can also see part of the Niagara River’s western bank in the Southern Ontario region, Canada, with a city called Niagara Falls named after the river. The river is located on the border of Ontario and the State of New York in the United States.

Science and art

Science whizzes will find something to love in Vancouver as well: the science world at TELUS World of Science, for example, is guaranteed to ignite the imagination of science lovers across all ages, with not only its futuristic architecture but also myriads of hands-on interactive exhibits, live science shows and giant-screen OMNIMAX Theater.

There is also a Museum of Anthropology where visitors can explore traditional and contemporary art from Northwest Coast First Nations and other cultures across the world.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in Vancouver.(Courtesy of Capilano Suspension Bridge Park)

Bears

Canada is also well known for its bears. One place where you can closely observe these animals’ behavior is Assiniboine Park, a beautiful and massive urban playground in Winnipeg that has pushed the boundaries in how a park is defined.

Manitoba is famed for polar bears and white, chirpy beluga whales. Inside the zoo’s Journey to Churchill exhibit, you can see the largest bears on Earth under a large glass dome as the creatures frolic and dive right above. Also on display at the zoo are more than 200 other species, including seals, muskox, Arctic fox, moose and wolves.