Day 1 Arrive Halifax
Arrive in Halifax and check in to your accommodations, which are ideally located in the downtown area of this vibrant and cosmopolitan urban centre on the Atlantic Ocean. Meet our Tour Director and fellow travelers this evening at a Meet & Greet.
Option: You may wish to add additional nights in Halifax to your vacation package. Bursting with culture and rich history, Nova Scotia’s capital city has much to offer.
Day 2 Halifax to Port aux Basques
Travel via Truro and Antigonish to cross over the Canso Causeway to Cape Breton Island. At North Sydney, board the Marine Atlantic ferry for a relaxing overnight crossing to Port aux Basques, your port of entry on the island of Newfoundland.
(Continental breakfast & dinner are included today)
Day 3 Port aux Basques to Port au Choix
Drive through the Codroy Valley and through Gros Morne National Park – to be enjoyed later during your tour – to the fishing community of Port au Choix to learn of ancient cultures. The Port au Choix Peninsula juts slightly out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Newfoundland’s northwest coast, and people have lived here for 5,500 years.
(Breakfast, lunch & dinner are included today)
Day 4 Port au Choix to L’Anse au Clair
Board the ferry from St. Barbe to cross the Strait of Belle Isle to Labrador. Continue to Red Bay National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where Basques had a whaling station in the 16th century. This mystical place takes the essence of Labrador coastal living and transposes it onto a tapestry of rich culture and history. Spend the night in Labrador.
(Breakfast & dinner are included today)
Day 5 L’Anse au Clair to St. Anthony
Return to Newfoundland and travel to L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, the first cultural discovery in the world to receive recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hear of the Vikings who walked here over a thousand years ago before continuing to your St. Anthony accommodations for the night.
(Breakfast & dinner are included today)
Day 6 St. Anthony to Cow Head
Enjoy a morning whale watching boat tour in St. Anthony. Next, visit the Grenfell Historic Properties, which celebrate Sir Wilfred Grenfell and the impact he and his mission had on the area’s social, medical and economic well-being in the early 1900s. Afterwards, travel to Cow Head in Gros Morne National Park for a two-night stay.
(Breakfast & dinner are included today)
Note: June and early July are the best times to see Titanic-size icebergs.
Day 7 Gros Morne Touring
Discover why Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is truly one of the highlights of your trip with a scenic boat tour on Bonne Bay; be on the lookout for the bald eagles that frequent the deep waters of the fjord. View the Tablelands; this mountain of flat-topped rock of a kind usually found only deep in the earth’s mantle is an awe-inspiring sight. Today will be an unforgettable experience; some say the scenery that Gros Morne offers is unequaled in Eastern Canada.
(Breakfast, boxed lunch & dinner are included today)
Please note: Passengers may request on booking to take a scenic boat tour of Western Brook Pond and visit the Broom Point Fishing Premises in lieu of the scenic boat tour on Bonne Bay and viewing the Tablelands. While some may consider the boat tour on Western Brook Pond to be a superior outing, please note that there is a 45-minute walk (3 km/2 miles) from the parking lot to the dock and a 45-minute walk back. This option must be requested at the time of booking.*
Day 8 Cow Head to Gander
Have your camera ready as your time in Gros Morne National Park draws to a close. Travel through Central Newfoundland on to Gander, famous as the basis for the hit Broadway musical, Come from Away; learn about the hospitality and generosity of the residents during the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks when 38 airplanes unexpectedly landed there. Also visit the North Atlantic Aviation Museum, which houses a variety of artifacts and displays chronicling Gander's role in the development of transatlantic aviation.
(Breakfast is included today)
Day 9 Gander to Clarenville
A scenic drive along the rocky coast of Notre Dame Bay leads to the beautiful outport of Twillingate, where you will visit Prime Berth Fishery & Heritage Centre, a tribute to the province’s inshore fishery. Keep your camera close at hand for wildlife as you drive through Terra Nova National Park and on to Clarenville, your home for the next two nights.
(Breakfast, lunch & dinner are included today)
Day 10 Bonavista & Trinity Touring
Today you will experience two quaint, historic towns. First, visit Bonavista, where John Cabot first arrived in North America in 1497. Learn about the hard life of the light keepers at Cape Bonavista Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site before continuing to the charming town of Trinity. Stroll the lanes and explore the many historic buildings preserved from the 18th century.
(Breakfast, lunch & dinner are included today)
Day 11 Clarenville to St. John’s
Continue to the intriguing old seaport of St. John’s, your home for the next two nights. North America’s oldest city and Newfoundland’s capital boasts a stunning location in the granite cliffs and slopes of the Avalon Peninsula. Enjoy a city tour featuring the Victorian architecture of the downtown area, the busy modern waterfront, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Confederation Building, and the panoramic view from Signal Hill.
(Breakfast & dinner are included today)
Day 12 Local Touring
This morning, visit Bay Bulls for one of the highlights of your trip, a boat tour in the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve to search for puffins and other seabirds. Next is a visit to the most easterly point in North America, Cape Spear National Historic Site. The afternoon is yours to explore St. John’s at your leisure.
(Breakfast is included today)
Day 13 Depart St. John’s
Arrangements end upon check-out from your hotel.
(Breakfast is included today)
