Mer et Monde

Good morning fellow travellers!  I hope today finds you all well.

As promised, I've just dug into my big bag of pamphlets and found something worth researching in greater detail.  Actually, this first piece is coming via request from Graydyn, since I'd briefly touched on it in a conversation with him.  I've got information here about a campground called Mer et Monde in Quebec.

Website:  http://www.meretmonde.ca
In English:  http://www.mer-et-monde.qc.ca/en/Mer-et-Monde/home.html

Specifically this campground is located near Tadoussac, right at the point where the Saguenay flows out into the St. Lawrence.  Google Maps calls it a 12 hour drive from Toronto.  What makes this a particularly exciting place to go camp is that in the summertime the waters of the St. Lawrence are home to many, many whales.  Talking to the Mer et Monde rep at the Outdoor Adventure Show he said that during that time seeing whales is a matter of course... just open the door of your tent and peek out at the water.

It's a neat setup they've got at this campground.  The shoreline appears to be predominantly rocky, with some stretches of beach, so about half the campsites are just sandy beach, and the other half they've set up flat wooden platforms that you can pitch your tent on.

This wouldn't be backwoods camping by any stretch of the imagination.  A quick look at their map reveals that all the sites are within easy walking distance of parking, although it looks like there's at least a pleasant distance between the campsites, so you're not shoulder-to-shoulder with your neighbours.  This is one of those places that's less about the camping, and more about being a jumping-off point for adventure.  They rent all the equipment you could desire for camping and kayaking, and it looks like it would be a pretty simple matter to bring your own boats if that's how you wanted to go.  The campsite would just be a place to rest your head; the daytime would be dedicated to getting out in a kayak and getting out there with the whales!

The campground also offers kayaking tours, which could be an interesting way to see the area and get a bit of local knowledge from your guide.

Now, the tricky part.  The season runs from May 20 to October 11 this year, with their nearby cafe not opening until June 3.  It's not a terribly long camping season, and they don't have a ton of campsites, so the rep informed me that they will book up quick.  I'd really like to get out there and check this place out, but reservations open up on April 8th, and I have a sneaking suspicion that they finish up around... oh... April 8th.  Not a lot of time to get some people together and organized for this.  Still, if anyone is interested in getting a group together for this let me know and maybe we can plan something quickly.  Check out the website, really have a good look around and see if you think it will be your cup of tea.  The sites have a maximum capacity of 4 people, so if more than 4 want to come we'll need two sites.  At a fixed rate of $30 per site it's pretty cheap if you've got 4 people though.

Okay, I have opened up the discussion on this, and now must head in to work.  Have a great day everyone and I'll talk to you all soon.