Transportation to Gampo Abbey

Getting to Gampo Abbey is not particularly easy. We are located just outside the Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia. This is a very rural and isolated area, without cell phone coverage. It is always wise to allow yourself some extra time to accommodate flight delays for weather, especially during winter and spring months.

Arriving by car is, of course, the easiest. It takes approximately 5 hours to drive to Gampo Abbey from Halifax. Once you leave Cheticamp, our closest town, you will be travelling through the National Park and will have no cell service. There are also no gas stations between Cheticamp and Gampo Abbey, so it’s best to fill up before you leave Cheticamp.

Air transportation to Halifax, NS, is the most common route to arrive in the province. If you arrive the night before your expected arrival at Gampo Abbey we have an arrangement with an airport hotel for a preferred rate. Please contact our office (offsite) [email protected] for assistance in booking accommodation at this airport hotel.

From the Halifax International Airport there are shuttles available to Baddeck, a town that is approximately 2.5 hours from Gampo Abbey. From Baddeck there is a local shuttle, L’Acabie, based in Cheticamp, available for hire to either fetch you in Baddeck or alternatively directly from Halifax.

Click here for a list of shuttles and their timetables and prices.

Maritime Bus travels to Wagmatcook (near Baddeck) and requires a shuttle pickup from there. We do not recommend arriving on the bus, as the arrival time is very late, and even with a shuttle, your arrival time at Gampo Abbey is well past our bedtime! The outbound bus from Wagmatcook is at a more sensible hour, departing around 9:20 am. Please always check with the bus company to confirm any changes in schedule. Wagmatcook is about two hours away from Gampo Abbey.