Two people and a black and tan dog pose for a selfie in front of a turquoise alpine lake, with a dramatic jagged mountain peak and forested slopes in the background under cloudy skies

Bohdan Dryhval

Co-founder · Routes & Logistics

Bull elk with large antlers standing beside a cow elk grazing near a lake surrounded by coniferous forest

Anna Dryhval

Co-founder · Stories & Photography

About Bohdan

I’m Bohdan, a Ukrainian-Canadian travel writer and the co-founder of Explorer Canada. Together with my wife Anna and our dachshund Nika, I’ve driven over 23,000 km across Canada and through 12 countries in Eastern Europe — and I write about every kilometer of it.

My obsession with road trips started long before Canada. Back in Ukraine, my favorite weekends were spent driving between small towns with Anna — no hotels booked, no plans beyond the next coffee stop, just music, road, and the slow unfolding of places we’d never seen. When we moved to Winnipeg in 2023, I expected to lose that feeling. Instead, I found a country built for it.

Canada turned out to be a road trip in itself. Endless prairie highways, mountain passes that change weather every twenty minutes, lakes you find by accident on a side road. Most travel guides tell you about Banff and Niagara Falls. I write about the parts in between — the parking lot in Saskatchewan where we watched a thunderstorm roll in, the picnic spot in Birds Hill Park 30 minutes from Winnipeg that locals take for granted, the gas station coffee on the way to Riding Mountain that I still remember.

On Explorer Canada, I cover routes I’ve actually driven, costs I’ve actually paid, and stops worth the detour. No AI-generated itineraries. No “10 best places” lists written from a desk. Just real roads, real distances, and honest notes on what was worth it and what wasn’t.

If you’re planning a road trip across Canada — or a 4-day drive from Riga to the Transfăgărășan — start with the routes section. If you have a question about a specific province, border, or pet-friendly stop, get in touch. I read every email.

Why trust my routes

My favorite journey

Winnipeg to Banff: An Honest 4-Day Rocky Mountains Road Trip

A 2 a.m. start, a long prairie haul, and then the impossibly blue lakes of the Rockies. Here’s our honest 4-day Winnipeg-to-Banff road trip — and everything you need to do it yourself.

Bohdan's stories

Aerial view of a sandy beach with parked vehicles and beachgoers along the shoreline, and two speedboats creating wake trails in turquoise water offshore
A flooded quarry turned impossibly blue fishing spot in southeastern Manitoba — here's the history, the geology, the access road and the safety you need before you go.
Turquoise water along a sandy beach with forested shoreline, boats, and vehicles visible across the water under a partly cloudy sky
Reynolds Ponds is one of Manitoba's worst-kept secrets — impossibly blue quarry water at the end of a punishing gravel road. Here's what two visits taught us.
Aerial view of turquoise lakes surrounded by dense coniferous forest, with winding roads and cleared areas connecting multiple lakes
Before it was Manitoba's bluest swimming hole, Reynolds Ponds was a working quarry. Here's how the pits filled, the trout arrived, and the bass that shouldn't be there showed up.
Turquoise alpine lake surrounded by coniferous forest and snow-capped mountains under cloudy sky
From overnight camping workshops to a midnight sky at Point Pelee and a flash mob of canoes packing the locks — here's what's happening in Canada's national parks this summer.
Wide river with forested shorelines under a bright blue sky dotted with white clouds, viewed from a concrete barrier in the foreground
The name promises a waterfall; the river delivers a power station. Here's the story of Seven Sisters, its hydro dam, and the Whitemouth Falls park where the water still falls.
A black dachshund on a leash stands on a forest trail with wooden bridges and railings, surrounded by coniferous trees and a small stream, with hikers visible on the elevated walkway ahead
A 54-metre "Labour of Love" over the Pinawa Channel, a three-season walk, a tubing run and 28 km of Trans Canada Trail — here's how to make the most of Pinawa.

Share your Canada story

Tell us briefly about your trip. If your story inspires us, we'll reach out by email to hear the full version — and feature it on Explorer Canada.

Thanks! 🍁 We read every submission. If your story fits Explorer Canada, we'll email you within a few days to hear more.