10 Things to Know Before Visiting Parc Omega in Canada
Parc Omega is probably best known for its 12-kilometer drive-through safari, where deer and elk walk right up to your car looking for carrots. But that's only part of what there is to do here.
We spent three nights at Parc Omega over Memorial Day weekend, which gave us plenty of time to drive the safari, attend animal presentations, walk ONIRO after dark, have dinner beside Arctic foxes, and, most importantly for us, spend a ridiculous amount of time watching wolves outside the windows of Wolf Chalet #6.
Three days was also enough time to figure out a few things we wish we'd known beforehand. Like buying WAY more carrots. Or exactly how early you need to show up if you want one of the coveted window tables at the Arctic fox dinner. And that your ONIRO reservation time doesn't mean what we initially thought it did.
So rather than give you a generic rundown of everything there is to do at Parc Omega, these are the things we actually learned during our visit and would want to know before going for the first time.
1. Buy More Carrots Than You Think You Need
This is my number one Parc Omega tip because we screwed it up. Buy more carrots!
We stopped for groceries on our way from Montreal to Parc Omega and had the foresight to pick up baby carrots before arriving. We did not have the foresight to buy nearly enough of them.
A big part of Parc Omega's 12-kilometer drive-through safari is getting to feed deer and elk from your car. And when you first enter the drive, there are animals EVERYWHERE.
Naturally, you start handing out carrots. And more carrots. And then a few more because there's another adorable face sticking itself toward your window.
Before long, we realized we'd barely made it into the park and had already made a significant dent in our carrot supply. Do not do this.
There are plenty more animals farther along the route, so ration accordingly. I would also buy several bags if you're bringing your own. Parc Omega sells full-size carrots on site, but we actually liked having baby carrots because we could hand out more individual pieces without having to break them apart.
Whatever amount of carrots you're looking at in the grocery store thinking, "Surely that's enough"? Add another bag.
Note: Parc Omega does have specific rules about feeding its animals. Carrots are the only outside food permitted, and only designated species can be fed, so make sure you're following the posted instructions throughout the safari.
2. Give Yourself More Than 1.5 Hours for the Drive-Through Safari
Parc Omega estimates about 1.5 hours to complete its 12-kilometer driving route. Technically, sure. But I wouldn't plan your day assuming you're going to enter the safari and emerge exactly 90 minutes later. There's a lot happening along the way.
Beyond the deer and elk coming directly up to your vehicle, we saw bison, moose, bighorn sheep, wild boars, wolves, red foxes, silver foxes, black bears, bear cubs, and plenty more. The bears were especially active during our visit. We watched bear cubs climbing all over the wooden structures in their area, which ended up being one of my favorite non-wolf sightings of the weekend.
There are also places to stop, animal presentations, walking areas, and plenty of reasons to simply sit for a few minutes when something interesting is happening rather than immediately continuing down the road. For example, if bear cubs are climbing around and putting on a show, pause and enjoy!
3. Expect Animals to Get VERY Close to Your Car
And by close, I mean there may suddenly be an elk face approximately six inches away from yours.
The feeding portions of Parc Omega are not a traditional wildlife drive where you're scanning the horizon hoping to spot something in the distance.
The animals know the drill. Deer and elk walk directly alongside the vehicles and approach the windows looking for carrots, which is part of what makes the experience so entertaining. Just know what you're signing up for before you pull into the safari with your freshly detailed car.
4. The Drive-Through Safari Isn't the Only Thing to Do at Parc Omega
I think this is easy to underestimate when you're first planning a visit. The safari is the main attraction, but Parc Omega isn't simply a road you drive once and then leave. There are walking areas, animal presentations, the Old-Fashioned Farm, restaurants, seasonal activities, overnight accommodations, and additional experiences throughout the property.
We stayed for three nights, so we had the luxury of spreading everything out. During the day, we drove the safari and stopped for different animal presentations. One evening, we had dinner beside Arctic foxes. Another night, we walked ONIRO through the forest after dark. In between, we attended wolf presentations and spent a lot of time back at our chalet scanning for wolves.
You certainly don't need three nights to visit Parc Omega, but I would look at the current schedule before arriving and decide which activities you care about most rather than assuming you'll figure everything out once you start driving. Some experiences have specific times, while others can be worked into your day more easily.
5. If You Want a Window Table for Dinner With Arctic Foxes, Book the First Reservation
This is one of the specific things I wanted to know before our trip and couldn't find a particularly clear answer about. So here's exactly what worked for us.
OmegaBon, Parc Omega's on-site restaurant, offers dining beside animal habitats. During our visit, we booked dinner with Arctic foxes. If you're doing this specifically because you want to watch the foxes while you eat, the window tables are what you want.
Arctic foxes are surprisingly small, and while you can certainly get up and look through the windows from elsewhere in the restaurant, sitting directly beside their habitat makes the experience completely different. The catch? You can't specifically reserve a window table.
During our visit, tables were assigned first come, first served. We booked the first dinner reservation of the evening, which was 5:15 p.m., and arrived approximately 30 minutes early. We were the first people waiting, and it worked. We ended up at what was arguably the best table in the restaurant, directly against the window and beside a warming lamp inside the Arctic fox habitat.
The foxes were given food at different points during dinner, which brought them out where everyone could see them. Then one decided his evening responsibilities were finished and curled up underneath the warming lamp directly beside us. He slept there for most of our dinner.
If getting a window table matters to you, I would book the earliest reservation available and arrive early. It still can't guarantee you'll get one, but based on how seating worked during our visit, it gives you your best chance.
6. ONIRO Isn't a Traditional Show With a Strict Start Time
We misunderstood this slightly on our first night. We had tickets for ONIRO, Parc Omega's nighttime forest experience, and initially interpreted our reservation time the way you would a normal show. It starts at 9. We need to be there at 9. Once we arrived, we realized that's not really what the experience is.
ONIRO is a nighttime walking trail through the forest where you move through a series of illuminated scenes telling the story of a wolf cub. You walk through at your own pace rather than sitting down for a performance that begins at a specific time. That actually made it much more relaxed.
One of my favorite parts was how they used the forest itself as part of the projection. Instead of projecting wolves and other imagery onto a traditional flat screen, the images appear across actual trees. The texture of the bark and slight movement of the trees in the wind gave the projections a completely different look. It was very cool and unlike anything we'd done before. It was also nice to get out and walk after spending part of the day in the car.
The current ONIRO route takes approximately an hour, and this is an outdoor forest trail with uneven terrain and inclines, so wear appropriate shoes. But the main thing I wish we'd understood beforehand is this: think nighttime walk-through experience, not "the show starts at 9:00 sharp."
7. Staying Overnight Changes the Parc Omega Experience
You don't need to stay overnight to visit Parc Omega, but having three nights on site changed the pace of our trip considerably. We weren't trying to cram the entire park into a single day. We could drive the safari, head back to our chalet, have dinner, do something else that evening, and know we still had another day.
Staying overnight also gives guests access to activities that aren't available to regular day visitors. For us, the highlight was the morning wolf presentation. It took place overlooking another wolf enclosure, where a naturalist talked about the pack while the wolves gathered nearby. Anthony, the naturalist during our visit, was excellent and gave us a chance to learn more about their behavior while watching the wolves interact.
Because the wolves know there's food involved, it's also a much more predictable opportunity to see several members of the pack relatively close together. We got some of our best wolf photos here. If you're staying overnight, check the current guest activity schedule when you arrive. The exact offerings and times can change.
8. If You're Booking a Wolf Chalet, Don't Overschedule Your Trip
This deserves its own point because it was probably the best planning decision we made. If you're spending the money to stay in one of Parc Omega's wolf accommodations, leave yourself time to actually be there.
We stayed in Wolf Chalet #6, which backed directly up to an enclosure with a pack of wolves. Before arriving, we intentionally stopped for groceries and drinks. Our friends brought an entire suitcase of board games because our vision for the weekend was pretty simple: Hang out. Catch up. Play games. Eat. Watch for wolves.
There were plenty of Parc Omega activities we wanted to enjoy, but we never planned every hour of every day. Sometimes we'd sit there for a while without seeing anything. Then we'd be halfway through a board game, and someone would suddenly yell: "Wolf!"
If you're considering staying here specifically for the wolves, don't treat the chalet as somewhere you're only going to sleep after spending 12 hours elsewhere. The downtime is part of the fun.
We spent three nights in Wolf Chalet #6, and I've written a separate review about what the chalet was actually like, how often we saw wolves, how many nights I would recommend, and whether I think the Parc Omega Wolf Cabin is worth it.
Read Next: Parc Omega Wolf Cabin Review: Is It Worth It?
9. Stop for Groceries Before You Arrive if You're Staying On Site
This was another decision I was very glad we made. On the drive from Montreal Airport to Parc Omega, we stopped for groceries so we would have provisions for the weekend. We bought food for several meals, snacks, drinks, and, although clearly not enough of them, carrots.
Our Wolf Chalet had a full kitchen with an oven, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and full-size refrigerator, so we were able to make our own meals throughout the weekend.
If you're only visiting Parc Omega for the day, obviously this doesn't matter. But if you're staying in one of the accommodations, especially a wolf accommodation, I would absolutely stock up before checking in. It gives you the option to stay put when you inevitably realize you'd rather eat dinner in front of the giant wolf windows than leave.
10. Parc Omega Is Not Pet-Friendly
This is an important one if you travel with your dog as much as we do. Pets are not allowed at Parc Omega, including in the accommodations.
This is actually why we didn't visit Parc Omega when we first discovered it several years ago. We were already traveling in Ontario at the time and briefly thought we could add it to our trip. But Lincoln was with us, and bringing a dog into a wildlife park filled with deer, elk, bears, wolves, and countless other animals wasn't going to work.
So Parc Omega stayed on the list until we could plan a dedicated trip without her. The rule makes complete sense, but it's something to know before you get too far into planning, especially if you're considering an overnight stay and assume your dog might simply be able to remain inside the accommodation. (Again, they can’t.)
A Few More Parc Omega Tips From Our Visit
A few smaller things I would keep in mind:
You need a vehicle. Parc Omega's main attraction is the drive-through safari, and you'll also need a vehicle to access the overnight accommodation areas.
Check the day's schedule when you arrive. Animal presentations and other activities happen at specific times, and overnight guests usually have additional presentations available. (You also might be able to check in early, so if possible, we recommend arriving early. If your accommodation isn’t ready, enjoy the drive-through safari.)
Wear comfortable shoes. Even though a large portion of Parc Omega is experienced from your vehicle, ONIRO and other areas of the park involve walking.
Bring a camera. There are a LOT of opportunities for wildlife photos here. We constantly had our phones and cameras nearby, especially at the Wolf Chalet.
And seriously, buy the carrots.
Is Parc Omega Worth Visiting?
For us, yes! We originally planned the trip because we wanted to stay with the wolves, and that was unquestionably the highlight for us. But I was surprised by how much else there was to do once we arrived.
The drive-through safari was fun in an entirely different way. We got ridiculously close to deer and elk, watched bear cubs climbing around, saw foxes and bison and moose, and spent a good chunk of the drive rationing our increasingly precious carrot supply.
We had dinner with Arctic foxes. Walked through a forest filled with projections after dark. Attended wolf presentations. And then, when we'd had enough activity for a while, we could go back to Wolf Chalet #6 and sit in front of large wolf windows.
Read Next: Parc Omega Wolf Cabin Review: Is It Worth It?
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