I feel as though I’m in Mother Nature’s womb. With my kayak and I as centre point, I’m encircled by more than 100 belugas – those endearing “smiling” white whales. All about me they are surfacing, exhaling and inhaling with rhythmical swooshing sounds, then diving into the waters of Hudson Bay. It’s a wildlife ballet.

It’s hard to believe that you’re just a stone’s throw from the heart of a bustling city, but that’s the plan at Fort Whyte Alive, an outdoor lover’s playground where the bison roam and the humans have fun all day.

There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who love camping and those who don’t. If camping is not your thing, you can still bond with the great outdoors, enjoy its sights and sounds, and still be comfy and cozy. Wilderness accommodations combine the best of nature and nurture.

If there was such a thing as the yoga capital of Canada, you might guess it to be laid-back Vancouver, where star yoga retailer Lululemon was born and yoga clothes double as office wear. But you’d be wrong.

The yoga capital of Canada is actually Winnipeg.

The Winnipeg Folk Festival is a year-round arts organization that presents one of North America’s premier outdoor music festivals each July.

It’s funky, chock-a-block with retro-hippie shops, restaurants and residents, and Osborne Village, one of Winnipeg’s oldest neighbourhoods, has been named Canada’s greatest by the Canadian Institute of Planners.

Step into a private bush plane and hopscotch across Northern Manitoba and Nunavut with a small group on an exclusive 10-day Arctic Air Safari. It’s an intense, fast track glimpse into the North’s history, culture and natural world.

As the star of The Rick Mercer Report on CBC television, Rick Mercer has visited virtually every nook and cranny of the country to share stories about the people and places who live there. Here are Rick’s faves (in no particular order):