Kattuk Expeditions

Wow! Sable Island by helicopter was absolutely amazing. We had an excellent pilot, guide and fellow travellers that made this day ideal. Everything was well organized and exactly as outlined in the itinerary. It was a smooth helicopter ride just over an hour to the island with a fly by before landing. We hadn't walked more than 10 minutes and saw our first band of horses. Throughout the day we saw many different bands including some new foals and some energetic horse play with two stallions. Lots of grey seals on the beach, terns and ispwich sparrows. Lunch had a variety of items in our individual lunchboxes and was plentiful. It's a busy day of walking (9 km on our fitness watch) through soft sand and recommend a water bottle you can easily carry and a protein bar or two. I noticed all Park's staff and our guide wore hiking boots. The best kind of shoe is something that comes to/above your ankle because of the deep sand. We managed with running shoes but had to stop occasionally to dump out the sand. Our guide Lauren was friendly and knowledgable taking photos with a professional camera for great close ups. Our National Park's contact Laura was available during the lunch hour to answer any questions and was very informative. It was interesting learning about living on the island for weeks at a time given that it's very isolated. Would definitely recommend this trip - there is so much history about this sandbar in addition to how close you can get to these magnificent horses and grey seals.

I’ve had the privilege of going to Sable Island four times with Kattuk and each time was a once in a lifetime experience. Fred is an amazing guide. Not only will you see breathtaking views as you hike amongst wild horses playing on the dunes and grey seals relaxing on the beach, you will also learn about the history and ecology of this special island. Sable should be on every nature lover’s bucket list!

After a full cancellation in an earlier winter trip due to weather, Fred made recommendations and arrangements for me to return in August - so thankful he made the suggestions as we had beautiful weather while on the island. I highly recommend Kattuk as everything was well communicated, organized and our guide Donald was fantastic in leading us to wildlife sightings and providing us with valuable information about the island along the way. I had ample opportunities to take some wonderful photos! Love the hoodie - thanks Fred!

Our trip to Sable Island in August 2025 was amazing. Fred was such a great guide and gave us lots of details about the island and it's occupants. I would highly recommend it. We decided to take the helicopter and it was a great way to get there.

What an incredible experience, from start to finish! A bucket list trip of a lifetime to Sable Island, for me. Fred, the expedition leader was awesome! Very professional and personable. If anyone out there is looking to go to Sable Island, I highly recommend Kattuk Expeditions. I know I'll be going out there again in the near future.

We were fortunate enough to be two of the 7 to go on the last tour for the summer/fall season to Sable Island with Fred Stillman of Kattuk Expeditions. If you can only ever take one adventure in your life - do this one. All day long one of us or all of us were saying "Wow". I saw a post on Lennie Gallant's fb page that he and Patricia Richard were going to be on this tour and doing some filming for a song he wrote - Les chevaux de I'Ile Sable - The horses of Sable Island, and that there were still 3 seats available. This was just 2 weeks before the tour. We thought - Sable Island - the dream of a lifetime and seeing Lennie and Patricia - that would be the icing on the cake. The stars aligned - the weather was perfect and the flight was smooth and scenic thanks to the pilots, Dave and Michelle with Vision Air Services Inc. Fred was a knowledgeable and personable guide, lunch from The 5 K Cafe was delicious and filling; and the horses were putting on a great show as were the seals. And thanks to Fred we were prepared - we were sent all the information that we would need - meet up times, what time we would return, suggestions of what to wear, what to bring, physical capabilities, etc. Thank you Fred! The perfect end to a gorgeous day was the hour long life concert by Lennie and Patricia. If you are thinking about this - do it! Shout out to Parks Canada. Sable Island is a gem. We had thought we are just average Joe's - no photography skills - would we fit in, etc. Forget that - book the tour, and go soak it all up.

Fred at Kattuck made us a wonderful experience on the Cape Breton tour that will remain a wonderful memory for years. He was able to pivot with some rough waters to a land tour in addition to the outstanding helicopter tour and it was exceptional. The great part of the experience was Dave at Vision Air and Mac at Cape Breton Back Country Adventures came together to make an experience of a lifetime. As a collective team, their service and knowledge was exceptional.

I booked the Sunset Tour and the experiance was nothing short of amazing. Fred is very down to earth and easy to talk to - having never been in a kayak and having very limited time on the water he gave great instruction and made me feel right at home kayaking. The tour itself is incredible and was the highlight of my trip to Nova Scotia. The view is breath taking, Mcnabs Island is a little gem to see. I would highly recommend booking with them.

Arrived into Halifax, NS this summer and was so happy to discover Kattuk Expeditions was opening an Adventure Base for Sea Kayak Tours and bicycle rentals WITHIN metro Halifax in beautiful Fisherman's Cove! It is fantastic to now be able to experience a mid-morning or early evening sunset kayak tour in a pristine wilderness setting and not have to rent a car to get there from downtown Halifax! I've taken either ferry across the harbour with my bicycle for a cost of only $2.50 and then rode the bike trails/streets or I've asked for a free transfer for bus #60 to Fisherman's Cove. If you are a tourist with a car, or local, the drive is only 15-20 minutes and there is lots of free parking. I highly recommend Fred and his company and have thoroughly enjoyed this 'hidden gem' of Halifax : )