2 Best Sights in Pleasant Bay, Cape Breton Island

Nova Scotia is a center of Shambhala Buddhism, and though Shambhala International is headquartered in Halifax, this abbey is its monastic heart. Finding the site high above the sea, however, requires more than soul searching. From Pleasant Bay, a spur road creeps along the cliffs to Red River; beyond that, a gravel road twists and turns for some 3 km (2 miles) before reaching the broad, flat bench of land on which the monastery sits. You can tour the abbey and wander through some of its 230 acres to visit a small shrine and grotto. If the abbey is closed for a retreat or other event, continue down the road for about ½ km (¼ mile) to see the Stupa of Enlightenment, a large and elaborate shrine dedicated to world peace.

Visitors who like to stay on dry land while observing sea life should stop by here. Exhibits and models inside the center's modern structure explain the unique world of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, and there's a life-size model of a pilot whale. Using zoom scopes on the whale-spotting deck, you may catch a close-up glimpse of the many different species that often frolic just off-shore.