Sageunay, Quebec, Canada

The second Port-of-Call on the Canada/USA voyage was Sageunay, Quebec region. Monday, 23rd September 2024

Sageunay has a large number of people who speak only French. In fact it’s the region of Quebec with the smallest portion of English speakers. Their French is also spoken with a very thick accent that it may even sound strange to other Quebec inhabitants.

Sageunay is home to the 105km Sageunay Fjord which is one of the longest in the world. Travellers head to the Fjord from all over the world in order to admire it and experience its incredible dramatic protected landscapes. People can also travel to Lac Saint-Jean to see the huge inland freshwater sea. Along its shores you can admire the warm, sandy beaches and magnificent rolling hills. This area is also a fantastic place to observe the local wildlife and there are 5 wildlife observation sites. You may be lucky enough to see a moose, black bear or carobou. In the winter months, the exceptionally cold weather means many embrace the Nordic way of life and winter is celebrated and Nordic skiing, ice fishing, snowmobiling and dogsledding are amongst the activities available.

We arrived early and planned to use the local hop on hop off bus. Unfortunately this was already full by the time we disembarked so are options seemed a bit limited as we had no tour booked. There were several craft stalls at the quayside and local musicians played and samples of black current juice and maple toffee were given out. We decided eventually to just have a stroll around La Baie which was walking distance from the cruise terminal rather than go into the town centre as it was supposed to be a 40 minute drive and there seemed to be a long delay to book taxis.

La Baie was pleasant enough to walk around with a beautiful church and another charming makers market. As we strolled round, there was a picturesque autumnal vibe and the air was fresh and clean. We spent a couple of pleasant hours here before returning to the ship.