5 Reasons To Visit Saskatchewan, Canada (Plus Essential eTA Info!)

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A remote province in the Canadian prairies, Saskatchewan isn’t the first place that springs to mind when you think of visiting Canada. However, you might be surprised to discover just how many reasons to visit Saskatchewan there are! Read on to hear about just a few (and get clued up on how to apply for your eTA in the process!)

At the start of this year, my 2020 travel agenda was looking pretty good. Actually, that’s an understatement – it was looking absolutely fantastic! With trips lined up to Trieste, Borneo and Saskatchewan before we’d even reached the end of January, this looked set to be one of my most exciting years for travel yet.

Fast forward just a couple of months and I was lying in bed one night after a long day in Sabah (luckily my trip to Borneo did go ahead!) watching the coronavirus outbreak unfold on TV news. At the time, just over 4,300 deaths had been recorded across 100+ countries and I had no major concerns about the virus becoming a UK epidemic, although we already had 373 confirmed cases and six confirmed fatalities, according to news reports. “This is all being blown way out of proportion,” I naively reassured myself, “in a couple of months, it’ll all have cleared up.”

How wrong was I? As the world entered lockdown, my trips to Italy and Canada were understandably cancelled; had this not been the case, I very much doubt I would’ve wanted to go anyway. Having entered 2020 feeling ecstatic about my travel plans, I’m now faced with great uncertainty and anxiety around the thought of when we may be able to travel again. Rather than allow myself to spiral downwards into a gloomy pit of despair, however, I’ve been reflecting on my best travel memories and focusing on what I’ll be getting up to when I can finally visit my favourite destinations once again.

So, I’m taking great pleasure in writing about some of the top reasons to visit Saskatchewan. Before I get into that, however, I just want to touch on the application process for a Canadian visa. Canada’s immigration system is somewhat stricter than most countries and it’s just as important to get your visa application right first time as it is to ensure you research and book any necessary transport services (such as bus charter service Toronto) well in advance of your trip.

How to apply for a Canadian eTA

Before you book your trip to Canada, you’ll need to make a visa application in the form of the eTA Canada travel permit. It’s advisable to do this prior to booking any flights or accommodation, just in case your application is rejected or delayed for any reason.

While you can apply for your eTA direct via the official website, if you’re unsure about the application process or only have limited time in which to process your application, you might wish to consider applying for the eTA Canada travel permit via a website like E-Visa.co.uk, as you can pay a fee to have your application double-checked in order to ensure accuracy and ensure you receive a response as soon as possible.

Normally, you’ll receive a response immediately upon submitting your application, but it can take up to 72 hours if you’ve made any errors or if you need to submit additional information or documentation. For this reason, it’s absolutely essential that you apply for your eTA as soon as you start thinking about booking a trip to Canada.

5 Reasons to Visit Saskatchewan (Plus Essential eTA info) via @therarewelshbit #Saskatchewan #Canada Click to Tweet

Now that we’ve covered the Canadian eTA, let’s take a look at some of the best reasons to visit Saskatchewan.

5 Reasons to Visit Saskatchewan

1) You’ll really be able to ‘get away from it all’

While some people might view Saskatchewan’s remote location as a downside, for many, it’s actually what draws them to visit in the first place.

Some of us love nothing more than to be in the middle of nowhere, alone with our thoughts and away from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. Where better to go to get away from it all than Canada’s picturesque prairies? Whether you’re travelling through Saskatchewan’s urban cities or rural towns, you’re unlikely to encounter any big crowds or tourist hot spot. This is partly why I’m so keen to visit!

2) It’s mind-blowingly beautiful

“Why would you want to visit Saskatchewan? It’s just totally flat,” my friends say when I tell them about my trip.

It’s actually a common misconception that Saskatchewan is flat. In fact, only a small area of the province – the part that runs alongside the TransCanada Highway – is actually flat. Furthermore, Saskatchewan is home to the highest point of elevation anywhere between the Rockies and Torungats and one-tenth of the land is covered by water.

The nature of the terrain means the land is well-suited to growing crops, which makes for some stunning landscapes stretching for miles. Just take the luminous yellow (in the summer, at least) canola, sunflower and mustard seed fields, for example; now that’s an Instagram shot waiting to happen!

If the agricultural scenery doesn’t leave you feeling lost for words, perhaps you need to spend more time looking up. Saskatchewan isn’t known as “the land of living skies” for nothing; the skies here are famous for their cloud formations and spectacular sunsets. Furthermore, when darkness falls, Saskatchewan is perfect territory for any budding stargazers, thanks to low levels of light pollution. It’s also ideally located for observing the northern lights (aurora borealis) dance across the sky!

3) Sasketchewanians are lovely people

Saskatchewan is the kind of place where everyone looks out for each other. Whether you’re in a rural area or a prairie city, communities here are incredibly close and while this may mean everyone ends up knowing your entire life story, it also brings Saskatchewanians closer together, encouraging them to support one other so that the whole community can flourish.

No doubt you’ll experience the warm and friendly nature of the locals when you pay Saskatchewan a visit!

4) There’s plenty to eat and drink

Saskatchewan cuisine is driven by the ‘First Nations’ culture and dietary preferences of its indigenous communities, whose numbers are far higher here than in any other Canadian province. Some of the foods I’m most excited about sampling include Saskatoon berry pie, spudnuts (potato meets doughnut), deer sausage and deep-fried pork ‘dry ribs’!

While visiting Saskatchewan, you’ll probably want to devote some time to exploring the farmers’ markets. As the world’s largest exporter of mustard seed and a major supplier of wheat and pulse crops including peas, lentils, chickpeas, beans, soy beans and broad beans (known locally as fava beans), Saskatchewan is an agricultural powerhouse. It’s also home to the second largest beef herd in the whole of Canada.

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan is also home to a trendy micro-brewery scene comprising of several local breweries including Nokomis Golden Ale, Saskatcheweizen and Milk N Honey Breakfast Ale.

5) There’s plenty to see and do

While Saskatchewan’s vast, rolling landscapes seem to go on forever, you’ll be surprised at just how much there is to see and do here. Whether you’re visiting a top tourist attraction like the Motherwell Homestead National Historic Site, the Slate Art Gallery or the Royal Saskatchewan Museum or getting involved in Saskatchewan’s thriving outdoor sports scene (winter sports are particularly popular here), you’ll make travel memories that’ll last a lifetime – and you probably won’t have to queue much, either!

If you’re looking to experience something a little less ordinary, head to the T.rex Discovery Centre in Eastend (opened following the 1991 discovery of one of the world’s most complete T-rex dinosaur skeletons), marvel at Cochin’s famous lighthouse (with no sea around for miles) or explore the largest one-man taxidermy collection in north America at Fuchs Wildlife Exhibit in Lloydminster.

Hopefully, you’ll now be feeling just as inspired as I am about visiting Saskatchewan. Now, all that’s left to do is wait for travel restrictions to be lifted, apply for your eTA and book your trip! For more inspiration on your trip to Saskatchewan – including advice on current travel guidelines – check out the Saskatchewan tourism board’s website.

5 Reasons Why Saskatchewan Needs To Be On Your Travel Bucketlist - via @therarewelshbit #ExploreSask #ExploreCanada Click to Tweet

Be sure to pin this post so you’ll be able to find it again in the future!

Can you think of any reasons to visit Saskatchewan that I haven’t mentioned above? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

Here are some other articles you might find inspiring:

• 10 Popular Canadian Foods You Simply MUST Try!
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• 10 Historical Places in Europe For Your Bucket List

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