The tour "bus" made a sharp right turn and drove straight into the harbour. The guide didn't miss a beat; she stopped pointing out buildings and other landmarks and began pointing out ships. Up to this point it had been a pretty conventional tour.

Welcome to Halifax's unique tourist attraction, the Harbour Hopper. The "Hopper" as it is affectionately known is a converted Larc V. The Larc V is a Vietnam War era amphibious supply vessel, equally at home on land and in the water.

The one in Halifax was purchased, refurbished and set up as a novel sight seeing vehicle. The Hopper can carry 40 passengers during its hour-long tour of Halifax. The vehicle is painted a bright green, the better to resemble a giant frog, hence its name.

The first thirty minutes are spent on land, not unlike any normal sight seeing bus. Various historical buildings, and other interesting sites are pointed out as the Hopper manoeuvres through the downtown streets. The guides keep up a running commentary including several amusing anecdotes involving local history and characters. Some of them are even true.

The second half of the trip is a quick dip in Halifax harbour. This provides a great view of the city and a chance to see many of the ships moored here. During the Tall Ships visit to Halifax in July 2000, a second Hopper was commissioned and the tour was extended to ninety minutes. The extra half hour was spent at sea to provide an excellent vantage point to view these magnificent vessels.

The tour costs $19.95 Canadian and runs seven days a week, 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. from May 1st to October 31st. Even without the amphibious bonus it is an excellent introduction to Halifax and well worth the price. Make sure you bring your camera, and don't worry you won't get wet when you plunge, or "hop", into the harbour. Well maybe that is only partially true, but it can be refreshing on a hot day.

One final note, Halifax has been a seaport and naval base for almost three hundred years. This means "Haligonians" are used to seeing all manners of ships and boats. They're still not used to seeing them on their city streets during rush hour though, so be prepared for a few puzzled stares. Do what the guides do, stare back and wave.

NOTE: This review was first written and posted September 3, 2001 in General destinations, Canada category. With the addition of this more appropriate spot it was deleted there, updated and reposted here. For those interested it received 42 member and 410 total hits (VH average).


Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Families
Tour format: Various
Tour length: One Hour
Tour type: Individual