ewfoundland N and Labrador

Tales, Trails & Tastes May 27 – June 6, 2021

Cruise sheer-walled fjords, be amazed by majestic icebergs, walk through diverse landscapes from windswept shorelines to sub-Arctic summits. Xplore rare geological oddities that earned Gros Morne UNESCO World Heritage status, listen to tales of Vikings and relax amid the culture and hospitality of Newfoundland’s coastal communities.

HIGHLIGHTS 2 night stay in Rocky Harbour, Port au Choix Day 1 – Home City to Deer Lake. Fly from home city to Deer Lake, transfer to your hotel. and St. Anthony Day 2 – Deer Lake to Rocky Harbour. Depart for Gros Morne National Park. Visit the Discovery Centre, then Gros Morne National Park Xplore the unique and rare “Tablelands” on a guided interpretive walk. Then onto the quaint tiny fishing village of Trout River, to visit the historic Jacob A. Crocker House and Interpretation Centre. Enjoy some free time; grab L’Anse Aux Meadows UNESCO World some lunch, stroll the boardwalk, purchase a Heritage Site pair of socks off the clothesline, or, stroll one of the many hiking trails before heading north Port au Choix National Historic Site to our home for the next two nights in Rocky Harbour. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner with your Red Bay National Park, UNESCO World fellow Xplorers this evening. Heritage Site Guided Interpretive Walks Trout River Interpretive Centre Day 3 – Rocky Harbour. This morning we venture onto the Jacob A. Crocker House, Museum water of Bonne Bay, kayaking through pristine water with Tea & Biscuits at Lobster Cove Head spectacular views all around. Lighthouse Xplore a couple of great nature walks offered in the Point Riche Lighthouse Norris Bay area. After our adventurous day, kick back and relax, or Xplore more of Rocky Harbour on your own. This evening we partake in a Kitchen Party, a Viking Experience lively Newfoundland tradition sure to get your toes a tapping! Sing along, grab your own traditional Newfoundland instrument and play along with the band. Iceberg Alley After the kitchen party another unique ceremony, sure to get your tongue in a twist, put hairs on your chest, and make you an honorary Newfoundlander is the Taste of Basque History Screech In! No trip to Newfoundland can be complete without it! Ferry to/from Labrador Day 4 – Rocky Harbour to Port au Choix. Our adventures continue as we drive further into Gros Western Brook Pond Boat Tour Morne National Park, stopping at Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse. With a short walk around “The Head” we Bonne Bay Kayaking Tour take in some of the most spectacular and picturesque Iceberg & Whale Watching Boat Tour views in Gros Morne National Park. Enjoy a cup of tea and warm biscuit as we listen to stories of the past Roundtrip airport transfers on tour start and the people who lived on this rugged and beautiful and end date only headland. Then stretch your legs on a 45 minute walk across a “mish” where at the end, you are rewarded Porterage (1 suitcase) with the beautiful and rare Western Brook Pond. We board our vessel for a 2-hour boat tour “fara í víking”, along this 16km, spectacular Day 9 – St. Anthony to Plum Point. glacier-carved, land-locked fjord, view; wildlife, waterfalls cascading from billion-year-old Today we Xplore the land the Vikings cliffs 2000 feet above. Once docked, we make our way to Port au Choix for the next two once walked on as we tour the only nights. known authentic Viking site in the Americas. See original 11th century Day 5 – Port au Choix. Learn all about the 6,000-year- artifacts at old story of Port au Choix as we Xplore Port au L’Anse aux Meadows , stroll Choix National Historic Site. Hike coastal trails see UNESCO World Heritage Site prehistoric artifacts from four ancient Aboriginal in the footsteps of the Vikings and experience Norse life at the cultures. Examine the past at the Port au Choix Visitor Viking . This afternoon, we Xplore the trails, see rare 650 million-year-old fossil Centre, featuring both cultural & historical exhibits. Encampment Walk in the footsteps of the ancient cultures that first structures on the world-famous Thrombolite Walking Trail, one of only two places in the inhabited this spectacular landscape, in search of a world where you can view these gigantic living fossils dating back 570 million years. Stop sculpture series that celebrates the Indigenous heritage at Marjorie’s Bridge for some photos, drop by the “Skin Boot” Church and then take a of this remarkable place. Xplore the limestone barrens, relaxing hike along the White Rocks Trail. This evening we get together for an authentic looking for plants and fossils found nowhere else in Newfoundland Mug Up. Canada. Weave through a tuckamore forest and cross Day 10 – Plum Point to Deer Lake. This morning we travel to the charming traditional an ancient limestone seabed to reach Point Riche fishing community ofDaniel’s Harbour, home to legendary Nurse Myra Bennett, dubbed Lighthouse. the Florence Nightingale of the North. Walk along Day 6 – Port au Choix to L’Anse-au-Clair, Labrador. Bill’s Woods This morning we take the ferry over to Labrador. Trail providing wonderful views of the mountains. Stop at Travelling through “Iceberg Alley” you have a great opportunity to marvel at majestic icebergs and Arches Provincial Park, where breaching whales. Between 1530-1600, the large the ancient limestone has been numbers of whales in this area drew up to 2000 pounded by eons of surf to carve whalers from Spain and France to the Strait of Belle out scenic arches. Walk under the Isle, where they established a major whaling port at Red Bay. For years, they made the arches, or on top of them to experience the awesome strength of the sea. Enjoy free time dangerous, month-long journey across the Atlantic to hunt whales in Rocky Harbour meandering through the craft shops before gathering with your fellow Xplorers for our this evening. and produce the oil that lit the lamps of Europe. We visit the Red Farewell Dinner Bay National Historic Site, enjoy Bites of Basque History, hear Day 11 – Deer Lake to Home City. Transfer to Deer Lake Airport, travelling home with stories passed down through generations, enjoy music with a fond memories, newly acquired friends and many stories to share. 16th-century flair and astet a mouth-watering selection of Basque pintxos (little bites) prepared by a local chef. View many original PRICING Basque artifacts and the restored “chalupa” at this UNESCO World Heritage Site. After a $3,799 Room Share or Double day of Xploring, your appetite will be ready for the hardy dinner planned this evening! $3,649 Triple All prices are per person. LAND ONLY. Day 7 – L’Anse-au-Clair to St. Anthony. This morning hike the Jersey Trail, a walking $4,539 Single Not included in price: airfare, taxes & fees. path of crushed stone makes for easy walking, along a beautiful sandy beach and L’Anse Total meals included: All Breakfasts, 4 Dinners, 2 Snacks, 1 Tasting au Clair’s bubbling sands. The trail tells the story of early settlers, primarily those from the Channel Islands that established a fishery in the L’Anse aux Meadows 1800’s and leads to the archeological site of the “Jersey Rooms”. A visit to Point Amour Lighthouse, where you St. Anthony L’Anse-au-Clair can climb to the top of the tallest lighthouse in Atlantic QUEBEC Canada – the second tallest in Canada! Climbing 132 Plum Point steps, you are rewarded with a fantastic panoramic view of the Strait of Belle Isle, where you might spot an iceberg or Port au Choix whales breaching, it’s the perfect perch for an incredible photo opportunity. A short drive finds us boarding the ferry back to Newfoundland and our home for the next two nights, in the beautiful fishing village of St. Anthony. Be prepared for some local entertainment and great food this evening at the Great Viking Feast! Rocky Harbour

Day 8 – St. Anthony. St. Anthony is known as the iceberg and whale watching capital of Deer Lake Newfoundland! We join an experienced local naturalist to do just that, on an Iceberg and we’ll Xplore the scenic St. Anthony coast; an area that typically Whale Watching Boat Tour To book, visit your professional travel agent: has more icebergs, humpbacks and dolphins than any other region in Newfoundland. Relax while being entertained by traditional music, stories and interpretation. It’s a refreshing blend of nature, fun education and Newfoundland hospitality that you won’t soon forget. The afternoon is a relaxed hike followed by a visit to the Grenfell House Museum and the Jordi Bonet Murals. This evening immerse yourself in the Viking Age, gather around the skáli “kitchen” in one of L’Anse aux Meadows sod buildings, spend the evening by the fire with the Vikings of Straumfjörð and toast the heroic deeds of Leif Eriksson and his crew as tragic tales and Norse myths are retold in the place where it all began.