Kingston to Ottawa
Switch to Ottawa to Kingston
Embarkation starts at 8:00 p.m. in Kingston. Free car parking is available. The Kawartha Voyageur will remain docked at the Crawford Wharf for the night.
Day 1 Kingston to Jones Falls
Sailing before breakfast, the Kawartha Voyageur enters the Cataraqui River and proceeds upstream to Kingston Mills locks for the first lockage. This is one of the flight locks for which the Rideau is so famous. For the rest of the day we traverse numerous lakes and locks before we reach our overnight docking at one of the most beautiful sites on the canal, Jones Falls.
Day 2 Jones Falls to Poonamalie
This second day passes through the heart of Rideau Lakes. A mid morning stop at Chaffeys Lock lets us visit a lock house museum. We also stop at the historic village of Westport for shopping after lunch. Our picturesque overnight stop is at Poonamalie, a lock named by one of the builders for a romantic memory from India.
Day 3 Poonamalie to Merrickville
This third day we enter the Rideau River and stop in the mid-morning at Smiths Falls. Continuing on down the river we pass through Old Sly’s lock, as well as Edmond’s and Kilmarnock. Our overnight stop is at Merrickville, a lovely historic town with a guide book to direct you past the many old homes from the early nineteenth century.
Day 4 Merrickville to Long Island flight locks
A day of tranquil cruising down the river with constantly unfolding vistas of this lovely countryside. We pass through Clowe’s, Nicholson’s and Burritt’s Rapids locks before docking for the night at the Long Island flight locks – another remarkable setting that helped create the fame of the Rideau Canal.
Day 5 Long Island flight locks to Hartwell Locks
On our final day, we pass by beautiful private homes as we near Ottawa. A stop at Hog’s Back lock to view the cascading falls before entering the man-made channel that leads down past Carleton University to our final docking at Hartwell Locks. After lunch, passengers board our chartered bus which departs by 2:00 pm and arrives in Kingston before 5 p.m.
Passengers board our chartered bus by 6:00 p.m. at the parking lot in Kingston. Free parking is available. Bus arrives at Hartwell Locks in Ottawa about 8:00 p.m. for embarkation on the Kawartha Voyageur which will remain docked for the night at Hartwell Locks.
Day 1 Hartwell Locks to Burritt’s Rapids
Sailing after breakfast the Kawartha Voyageur follows the canal’s winding route through Ottawa to commence the cruise up the Rideau River past Hog’s Back, Black Rapids and Long Island locks to Burritt’s Rapids for overnight. This segment of the Rideau passes miles of beautiful country estates along the river.
Day 2 Burritt’s Rapids to Smiths Falls
A pleasant day of tranquil cruising along the Rideau River to Smiths Falls. We pass numerous locks – each one different but with its own legends – and all fastidiously maintained by Parks Canada. The highlight of the day is a stop at Merrickville, one of Ontario’s oldest towns. Overnight is at Smiths Falls.
Day 3 Smith Falls to Westport
Our third day introduces us to the Rideau Lakes with all their legendary beauty. From Poonamalie we cross Lower Rideau, then past Rideau Ferry to Big Rideau and through the Narrows to Upper Rideau Lake, the highest elevation of the Rideau Canal. By mid-afternoon, we arrive at the charming village of Westport.
Day 4 Westport to Jones Falls
Canada’s northland of water, granite and greenery is nowhere better viewed than this day’s journey downstream through a series of lakes and rivers connected by captivating lock sites that defy casual description. In particular, a late morning stop at Chaffeys Lock takes us back in time as we visit the lock house museum there. Over night is at beautiful Jones Falls with its spectacular arched stone dam and four flight locks. In September, we continue on to Upper Brewers where we dock for the night due to the potential for early morning fog on the water.
Day 5 Jones Falls to Kingston
An early morning departure on our last day continues to amaze us with the beauty of Whitefish and Cranberry Lakes. From the picturesque Upper Brewers lock, we enter the Cataraqui River which include Washburn and the flight of four locks at scenic Kingston Mills. After lunch, we cruise the lower reaches of the Cataraqui River to our 2:00 p.m destination in Kingston.