Welcome to Earth Rhythms, an award-winning small Nova Scotia company dedicated to fostering travel conversations and custom immersive experiences with creative people in out-of-the-way places where we live near the Bay of Fundy beside the Annapolis and Gaspereau Valleys. The ridges of highlands and rich agricultural valleys and marine environment of the Bay of Fundy’s Minas Basin have created a climate where Acadian forests, orchards, vineyards, organic farms and walking trails intersect. Offering intimate views of highland forests, coastal shorelines and Acadian dikes, this is a landscape offering slow travel. Mi’Kmaq, Acadians, Black Nova Scotians, and settler communities have evolved with different relationships to the land and sea.
After more than 25 years of operating as an experiential tourism company in Canada (originally in Manitoba, and now in Nova Scotia) we have found the heart of a great experience is a local guide - be it artist, songwriter, or food producer. Their stories offer wisdom and insights into local natural phenomena, what life is like in their local community and landscape, as they invite us to get “hands on” with the things that they Invent, make or craft. We create opportunities for you to meet some of these people, to learn from them, to linger a while, and to experience what is local. These are slow travel experiences, to break from the routines you are used to. Partnering with local guides means that we are employing local people, and you are getting accurate and relevant information and insights. Besides, we will always include nutritious local foods that reflect the terroir of the area.
Since 1996, we also have been crafting experiences all over Canada and training other tourist organizations and destinations how to transform tourism into immersive experiential travel. Celes Davar, owner and president, provides customized, facilitated training sessions and community-based tourism workshops and conference seminars throughout Canada.
“The Canadian experience is about boreal woodlands, grasslands, mountains, great lakes, rivers, three great oceans (Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic), and the wisdom and traditions of indigenous peoples interacting with these ecosystems. More recently European and other settlers have brought elements of their cultures to North America. In each part of Canada, we have opportunities to learn about what makes each place and its culture distinct. It is through this pan-Canadian lens that we offer storytelling and experiences about Nova Scotia that are interactive and immersive.” - Celes Davar
If you’d like to take some time to get to out-of-the-way places to walk, smell the coastal Atlantic sea air, sample seafood or new vintages of wine, or be with a “maker” doing something you’ve always wanted to do, we would love to help. We create half-day, full-day, or multi-day Nova Scotia itineraries with one-of-a-kind encounters and experiences for small groups in any season. Fall and winter are some of the best seasons because it’s the right season for doing things that are different from the summer months, and it means less people to encounter as we travel, too! Besides, there are already lots of things to do in the summer months.
We create these custom experiences by asking you questions about your interests and offer suggestions about things to do from our knowledge of the area, makers, guides, food producers and more. Your entire experience is about being hands-on, making things, loving the moment, and creating memories with the important people in your life.
What’s our focus?
Guides who know the local scene, have a passion for sharing their craft, and are delightful hosts.
Authentic (real) encounters - with people, places and things to do or make.
Discovery - surprise and intrigue wrapped in attention to details
Walking - to touch the earth, and learn from the texture of different ecosystems
Storytelling - with local folks, some planned and some serendipitous
Responsible tourism - practicing sustainability throughout your visit (local food, low impact transportation, conservation and water use, reduced energy output, recycling, re-using, and more).
Creating travel experiences - how we spend our time with meaning and embracing a place through its people, engaged with hands-on interactions using the senses to encounter local food, culture, art, and nature. (© 2018 McCarthy and Davar)