With cruises, ferry crossings, and visits to several United Nations World Heritage Sites, this breathtaking vacation features the best of Newfoundland and Labrador. Begin your trip in Corner Brook, Newfoundland for a city tour. Then head to Gros Morne National Park, known for its breathtaking beauty and unique geological features. Visit Port au Choix National Historic Site and explore the archaeological finds from ancient cultures before boarding a ferry to cross the Strait of Belle Isle, known as Iceberg Alley. Ferry to St. Barbe and tour the L'Anse Aux Meadows National Historic Site, the only known Viking settlement in North America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.On the way to Gander, Twillingate, and Port Blandford, view lighthouses and quaint fishing villages along the scenic coastline. You might spot whales as well. On your way to St. John’s, visit Heart's Content Cable Station Provincial Historic Site, where the first transatlantic cable was landed in 1866. In St. John’s, tour the oldest settlement in North America with a local expert. Then board your boat for a narrated cruise to view humpback whales and puffins in Witless Bay. Your trip concludes with a special farewell dinner—the perfect way to end this wonderful vacation to Newfoundland and Labrador on Canada’s Atlantic coast.
Itinerary:
Day #1 Arrive in Corner Brook. Welcome to Corner Brook! At 6 pm, meet your traveling companions for a welcome drink. Your Tour Director will prepare you for your upcoming adventure.
Day #2 Corner Brook. Enjoy an orientation tour of Corner Brook, followed by a break in Curling to see the Captain James Cook National Historic Site. Travel along Humber Arm to the Bay of Islands with excellent photo opportunities on the way to Frenchman’s Cove. Enjoy a stop at Lark Harbour. Savor great views of Guernsey, Tweed, and the Pearl Islands on the return to Corner Brook. (B)
Day #3 Corner Brook–Gros Morne National Park–Port Au Choix–Plum Point. Skirt the shores of Deer Lake and head north to GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its exceptional beauty and unique geological features. At the Lobster Cove Head, visit the LIGHTHOUSE and the fascinating marine displays. Next is BROOM POINT, highlighting the history of Canada’s earliest fishing settlements. Depart for Plum Point, visiting a few important sites along the way. View glacier-carved gorges on the way to PORT AU CHOIX NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE. The exhibits focus on archaeological finds of Maritime Archaic and Dorset peoples, who settled here before 2000 BC. (B,D)
Day #4 Plum Point–Blanc Sablon–Red Bay–L’Anse-au-Clair. Board your FERRY to cross the Strait of Belle Isle, known as Iceberg Alley, to Blanc Sablon. Then, to RED BAY NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, the first major industrial complex of the New World and home to a 16th-century Basque whaling station exhibit. Continue to L’Anse-au-Clair. (B,D)NOTE:Icebergs are most often seen in June and July.
Day #5 L’Anse-au-Clair–L’Anse aux Meadows–St. Anthony. FERRY back to St. Barbe. Enter L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, the only known Viking settlement in North America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tour the reconstructed sod huts, learn how the Vikings lived, and see Norse artifacts dating back to 1000 AD. (B,D)
Day #6 St. Anthony–Rocky Harbour. This morning, travel along the Viking Trail, with a stop at ARCHES PROVINCIAL PARK to photograph the two large arches carved by the pounding sea. Then, board a ship for a scenic CRUISE on Bonne Bay. Relax as you take in views of Gros Morne Mountain, learn about the history of the small villages nested on the shores, and keep a lookout for whales and bald eagles. Tonight, enjoy a special [LF] LOBSTER DINNER. (B,D)
Day #7 Rocky Harbour–Grand Falls–Gander. Depart for Grand Falls-Windsor with a stop at the SALMONID INTERPRETATION CENTRE, one of North America’s largest Atlantic salmon enhancement projects. This provides a great opportunity to see salmon migrating upstream (through underwater windows). On to Gander, once the international crossroads of the world. (B,D)
Day #8 Gander–Twillingate–Terra Nova National Park–Port Blandford. Along the “Road to the Isles,” the local predilection for colorful language comes across with place names such as “Too Good Arm,” “Virgin Arm,” and “Crow Head.” On the way to Twillingate, visit the PRIME BERTH FISHING MUSEUM and see the Long Point Lighthouse. With luck, you might spot whales along the coast en route to TERRA NOVA NATIONAL PARK. (B,D)
Day #9 Port Blandford. Excursion to Cape Bonavista. This morning, travel to historic Trinity, one of the oldest communities in North America, with its scenic harbor. Continue to Cape Bonavista to admire the beautiful cliffs and coastlines. In Bonavista, learn how modern North America began when John Cabot made landfall here in 1497. A visit to RYAN PREMISES NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE commemorates the prosperous fishing industry from the early 1500s to present day. (B)
Day #10 Port Blandford–Heart’s Content–St. John’s. Rejoin the Trans-Canada Highway to the Avalon Peninsula. Drive through Heart’s Delight and Heart’s Desire to the small town of Heart’s Content to visit the HEART’S CONTENT CABLE STATION PROVINCIAL HISTORIC SITE, where the first transatlantic cable was landed in 1866. Take a short break in Harbour Grace, an old pirate town and where Amelia Earhart took off in 1932 on her solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Continue around Conception Bay to St. John’s, visiting Cape Spear en route, the most easterly point in North America. Tonight, do as the locals do and enjoy a[LF] traditional Newfoundland favorite—a JIGGS DINNER. (B,D)
Day #11 St. John’s. Witless Bay Cruise. Tour the oldest settlement in North America with a Local Guide. Visit SIGNAL HILL NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, Cabot Tower, the Old Town, and the Basilica of St. John the Baptist. After lunch, a short drive south to Witless Bay Islands, where whales and puffins abound. Board your boat for a narrated CRUISE around the three islands. Newfoundland has the largest concentration of spectacular humpback whales in the world and is also known as the “Seabird Capital of North America,” with the largest Atlantic Puffin sanctuary in North America. This evening, your Tour Director hosts a special farewell dinner including a traditional [LF] SCREECH-IN ceremony. Wonderful conversation and cuisine make the perfect finale for your tour. (B,D)
Day #12 St. John’s. The tour ends this morning with guests departing on individual schedules. Airport transfers are provided. (B)