A great Canadian road trip

Along Quebec's Route des Baleines, I encounter not just whales, but the best of Canada

- TIM JOHNSON

Travelling along this seaside stretch of Quebec, the question hangs in the air, long before you step onto a boat. It's one that will make or break the day, and change your vacation stories, and memories, and the photos you'll show your friends. Namely: Will we see any whales?

It is, of course, an awesome prospect, the possibility of encountering another intelligent form of life, just by motoring out a little ways from shore. And here, in the village of Tadoussac, about a three-hour drive from Quebec City, the marine mammals don't make me wait long. The first two blows from humpback spouts come within the first 10 minutes.

Soon, I'm witnessing a baleine ballet, with whales all around our boat. Flukes and fins in the air, often in perfect coordination, a dance of mighty beasts. One dives just a couple metres off the starboard side. "La proche," says our guide with Croisières AML, a little breathless herself. "That was close!"

A total of 13 whale species swim in the St. Lawrence River, with May to October being the prime season to spot them. The area around Tadoussac, where the Saguenay Fjord empties into it, is particularly rich in krill and other fish for feeding, attracting many marine mammals. On this day, in addition to the humpbacks, I spot minkes, belugas and fin whales. But while Tadoussac is among the best places in Canada to spot marine mammals, I won't be in town long. This is only the beginning.

I'm here to road trip the entire 845kilometre length of Quebec's Route des Baleines-so named because it's possible, if you're lucky, to see whales anywhere along the way.