Parc Omega is nestled in the Quebec wilderness between Ottawa and Montreal, offering an unforgettable North American safari where you can get up close to Canadian wildlife in their natural habitat. It is quite an experience, rain or shine, and despite being in Quebec it’s a perfect day trip from Ottawa being only an hour drive away. You could also pair Parc Omega with Mont Tremblant or Montreal which are only a little bit further away.
Animals You’ll See at Parc Omega
Parc Omega is a place where you can get up and close with Canada’s wildlife in and even outside of your car at some points. The main attraction are elk; you’ll be amazed by their size and they way they swarm your car for food. The preferred food is carrots which you can buy ahead of time or at the park. At first, it was a little bit scary, when you open your window you are swarmed, but one of the workers told us just to slowly drive off and shut our window, they know when to move… so that’s what we did and it worked whenever we wanted to keep moving.
You’ll see the Elk throughout the park and they’re the most active, but white-tailed deer approach the car too and it’s nice to feed these cute, and smaller animals. There are reindeer and caribou later in the park too. Another common animal wandering about is the boar. Later in the park you can get out, walk around, be face to face with deer and look at wolverine, beaver and wolf, mind you in a zoo-like setting.
There are also moose, although that was the one animal we never managed to spot. Later in the park we observed bear, goat and bison, although all behind a fence and while driving. The experience was phenomenal and it felt like a North American safari with beautiful forests, lakes and animals throughout.
How Much Time You Need + Tips
Parc Omega isn’t a far ride, especially from Ottawa, but you’ll need at least half a day. We spent about 3 hours driving through the park and getting out at a few spots. We didn’t get out often, but we could have spent more time hiking and exploring around certain parts of the park. We brought snacks for the ride, but there’s also a restaurant and gift shop too. And if you want to spend even more time in the park, there is camping and glamping available. There are cabins, chalets and pre-pitched tents.
Driving through the park gets a little bit stressful at times, especially because it was raining pretty hard and with the amount of elk, but if you keep driving slowly and keep your eyes on the road you’ll be fine. The animals move out of the way, although at one point a massive elk blocked our car but we slowly drove around him. And if you’re tired of feeding the elk and deer but the car in front of you is passing out carrots like candy on Halloween, don’t worry the roads are one-way and two-lanes so you can easily pass.
We brought two bags of carrots, and we bought them at Walmart ahead of time. If you buy them from the grocery store, you’ll save some money, but if you don’t drive past a grocery store, you can purchase them in the park. We thought two bags would be good, but we probably could have used three or four, there are plenty of elk and deer to feed.
Cost and Final Thoughts: Is Parc Omega Worth it?
The cost was $49 per adult and $20 for our daughter. With taxes we paid about $135 and the price was totally worth it. The experience was once and a lifetime. We made the stop at the park after we left Ottawa and headed to Mont Tremblant so it was on the way; but renting a car for a day trip from either place is totally doable and worth it.
If the weather doesn’t cooperate don’t worry. It rained for half the day when we went, and the animals were still active. And even if it is raining, it’s a perfect activity because most of the time you’ll be in the car anyways. Rain or shine, Parc Omega is a laid back and fun family activity.
The wildlife was plentiful and some of the animals like the wolverine and elk were unique and something we weren’t used to seeing. And in addition to the animals the drive was beautiful too… if you’re in the region Parc Omega is a must-see attraction.
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