Parc Oméga

Parc Oméga near Montebello is a large drive-through park where you stay in the car and the animals do not: wapiti, bison and deer come to the window, and wolves, bears, moose and lynx are held in enclosures along the route. It covers several square kilometres of Outaouais forest and lake country. The circuit takes a couple of hours at the speed the animals allow.

History

Parc Omega opened in 1991; Olivier Favre, a businessman from Alsace, became co-owner in 1996 and sole owner in 2001, and by 2019 the park was drawing about 280,000 visitors a year along its 12-kilometre route through lakes, meadows, forest and rocky hills (Wikipedia, Parc Omega).

What to look for

• The drive-through circuit - a route through the enclosures by car.
• The elk and bison - the animals that come up to the vehicles.
• The wolf and bear enclosures - the predators held along the route.
• The forest country - Outaouais woodland and lakes across the park.

When to go

May to October is the easiest visiting. Autumn colour through the park is the best of it. Winter opening continues with different conditions.

Things to know

Feeding is done with carrots bought at the gate and the animals expect it, which some visitors find uncomfortable. The circuit is slow and the queue at the entrance can be long in season. You stay in the vehicle for most of it.

Nearby

Montebello is south, and the Ottawa River is beyond.

Key facts