This is an island belonging to Canada, covered in sand\u2026 lots of sand, which is where its name comes from. Sable Island is located in the Atlantic Ocean, about 160 kilometers from the nearest point of mainland Nova Scotia. It is a long, narrow and curved strip of land, with sand dunes that are constantly shifting across the island.<\/p>\n
Nature here is harsh. Strong winds and storms sweep across the island, fog is frequent, and the weather can change quickly. Despite this, Sable is home to an amazing variety of life and is one of the most fascinating natural places in Canada.<\/p>\n
Wild horses are permanent inhabitants of the island. They are descendants of horses brought here by people in the 18th century, and for more than 250 years they have lived freely among the sand dunes. Today, their population is around 400\u2013500 animals. The horses feed mainly on grasses and other vegetation, while in winter they shelter from the strong winds in the leeward parts of the dunes. They are completely wild and do not depend on people for food or veterinary care.<\/p>\n
Sable is also famous for its enormous colony of grey seals. The island is home to the world’s largest breeding colony of grey seals. During winter, hundreds of thousands of seals gather along its shores to breed and give birth to their pups. In summer, tens of thousands of them continue to use the island’s beaches as a place to rest.<\/p>\n
A female grey seal gives birth to only one pup. The pup feeds on extremely high-fat mother’s milk for a short period, after which the mother returns to the sea. The young seals remain on the island for some time while they build up enough reserves before beginning their independent life in the water.<\/p>\n
But Sable is not only an island of horses and seals. Many birds, fish, insects and other animals live here. Among the interesting inhabitants is the Ipswich sparrow \u2013 a subspecies of the Savannah sparrow that breeds on the island, which is its only known breeding location. The island is also home to rare insects, including the endemic Sable Island sweat bee<\/em>.<\/p>\n Sand is the defining feature of Sable. The dunes are constantly changing under the influence of the wind, while Ammophila breviligulata<\/em> \u2013 known as American beachgrass \u2013 covers a significant part of the island and helps hold the sand in place. In some areas, there are also freshwater ponds that are important for the wild horses and other wildlife on the island.<\/p>\n Sable is also known for another, darker part of its history. More than 350 ships have been wrecked around the island because of strong ocean currents, fog, sandbanks and rough seas. Because of this, the place became known as the \u201cGraveyard of the Atlantic.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Today, Sable is a national park reserve of Canada and, despite its remote location, the island can be visited by tourists. However, visits are strictly controlled. Every visitor must obtain prior permission from Parks Canada or travel with an operator licensed by Parks Canada. Independent visits without written permission are not permitted.<\/p>\n The island can be reached by plane, helicopter or by sea. Tourist visits are usually day trips, and during the main season \u2013 from late May to late October \u2013 there are designated dates for visits. There are also several special winter visits in January and February, when huge numbers of grey seals gather on the island.<\/p>\n There is no normal tourist infrastructure on the island. Visitors should be prepared for several hours of walking on soft, shifting sand, as there are no tourist trails. There is also no mobile phone network. Weather conditions can change travel plans, and flights may be delayed or cancelled. Camping is not permitted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is an island belonging to Canada, covered in sand\u2026 lots of sand, which is where its name comes from. Sable Island is located in the Atlantic Ocean, about 160 kilometers from the nearest point of mainland Nova Scotia. It is a long, narrow and curved strip of land, with sand dunes that are constantly …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6840],"tags":[19063,19060,19062,19061,19059,19054,19057,19058,19055,19056],"snipool_ingredient":[],"class_list":["post-41369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-and-tourism","tag-grey-seals-sable-island","tag-nova-scotia","tag-sable-island-tourism","tag-sable-island-wildlife","tag-wild-horses-of-sable-island","tag-19054","tag-19057","tag-19058","tag-19055","tag-19056"],"yoast_head":"\nTourism on Sable Island<\/h2>\n