Rideau Canal
The great outdoors
Cruise destinations for Canada
Cruise on the Rideau Canal and discover beautiful lakes too
Map of the waterways
Self-drive boats in the Rideau Canal region
Le Boat
Le Boat operate 5 different types of self-drive boats in this region.
Here is a random selection.
Rideau Canal information
Self-drive boat rentals on the magnificent Rideau Canal in Ontario, Canada
On the east side of the Great Lakes, just above Lake Ontario, take an adventure of a lifetime cruise.
The Rideau Canal is the perfect destination for nature and outdoor lovers with great fishing, hiking, biking and bird-watching. For the active and sporty you have paddle boating, canoeing, swimming and even jet-skiing.
The canal is a slack water system and uses the waters of two rivers, the Rideau and the Cataraqui, as well as the Lower, Big and Upper Rideau lakes.
The canal was constructed in 1832. It is 202 kilometres (126 miles) long with 47 manually operated locks and connects Ottowa to Kingston via Smiths Falls, Merrickville, Westport and Newboro.
Now the canal is only used by pleasure boats and what a grand destination!
The Rideau Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also a National Historic Site of Canada.
Two hundred and two kilometres (126 miles) of pure waterway pleasure and adventure for every fan of the outdoors awaits you!
The boats are based at Smith Falls on the Rideau Canal, and Selley's Bay. You can cruise southwards to Kingston on the Ontario lakes or northwards to Ottowa.
From 2020, one-way cruises between the two bases are possible when cruising for one week.
One-week return cruises:
Smith Falls - Portland - Jones Falls - Smith Falls: 27 hours cruising, 12 locks
Smith Falls - Newboro - Seeley's Bay - Smith Falls: 33 hours cruising, 20 locks
Smith Falls - Merrickville - Burritts Rapids - Long Island - Smith Falls: 34 hours cruising, 20 locks
Selley's Bay - Westport - Seeley's Bay - Kingston - Seeley's Bay: 33 hours cruising, 28 locks
One-week one-way cruises:
Smith Falls - Kingston - Seeley's Bay: 34 hours cruising 25 locks
10-14 nights return cruises:
Smith Falls - Merrickville - Long Island - Ottawa -Smith Falls: 43 hours cruising 36 locks
Smith Falls - Newboro - Kingston - Smith Falls: 50 hours cruising, 30 locks
3, 4 or 5 nights short breaks, return cruises:
Smith Falls - Pert - Smith Falls: 10 hours cruising, 8 locks
Smith Falls - Merrickville - Smith Falls: 13 hours cruising, 10 locks
Seeley's Bay - Kingston - Seeley's Bay: 17 hours cruising, 14 locks
Seeley's Bay - Smith Falls (minimum 4 nights): 17 hours cruising, 11 locks
