Our program begins Sunday afternoon as we meet you at the airport in Deer Lake, Newfoundland (Airport code: YDF). In the early evening, we begin this Newfoundland and Labrador adventure with an overview of your vacation and perhaps a light hike in Gros Morne or a wander along the dockside. Enjoy the coast and fishing communities. The region is rich with moose, waterfalls, orchids, mountains, songbirds, and wildflowers. The priority for the day is meeting you at the airport and getting you to our comfortable hotel. Tomorrow is when the fun – and your vacation – really begins. Enjoy the next two days exploring Gros Morne National Park.

Overnight Location: Gros Morne

Today we travel to the centre of the Earth. More specifically, we visit the Tablelands where an 80 square kilometer slab of the Earth’s mantle has been shoved up on land from deep beneath the ocean floor. Some scientists say the Tablelands more closely resemble the surface of the moon than the rest of the Earth. We will visit Parks Canada’s Discovery Centre and learn more about this UNESCO site’s intriguing history and geology.

A poet on our Tablelands walk might claim that we are actually walking on the centre of the earth, while photographers will marvel at the mountains and the visual spectacle of this glacier-carved landscape. An astronaut on the same walk would remark how the Tablelands share a similar geology to the surface of the planet Mars while NASA and the Canadian Space Agency are studying the region’s bacteria to prepare for the possibility of microscopic life on Mars.

Today you visit Red Bay — the 16th century’s whaling capital of the world. Less than 50 years after Columbus, this little-known part of North America had a population of over 1500 European people whereas areas like Boston and New York were still wilderness.

First, we visit the interpretation centre, and nature permitting, then catch a boat ride to the actual dig site where you will explore the trails walked by the Basques almost five centuries ago. In 2013 this area became Canada’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The new world’s first written documents originated here in Red Bay with ships’ manifests, whalers’ wills, and other poignant remembrances of this past era being recorded and preserved. We also learn the lessons taught by the huge gatherings of northern whales that once called these productive waters home.

Our local leader is delighted to share this history and special sense of place with you. Then, it's on to Canada’s second tallest lighthouse at Point Amour. Along the way, you will have the opportunity to pay your respects at the oldest burial mound in North America, where a young Maritime Archaic Indian boy was laid to rest over 7500 years ago. Putting this experience into perspective, the Pyramids are 4500 years old!

The entire Labrador Straits area is rich in birds of prey, wildflowers, ancient reefs, and fossils. Your camera will try to capture the sweeping seascapes and the dramatic colours of the sea in this wild and haunting place, but only your soul will truly encapsulate the memories of being at one with this wild land. Your leader will show you the coastal sites where the land-based whale and seal watching is amazing!

Overnight Location: L'Anse-au-Clair, Labrador

Today, your travels take you back to Deer Lake and on to Corner Brook for the night, BUT before you hit the road, we spend time in St. Anthony for an hour or two to explore the region so famous as a staging point for many a northern expedition.

Here, on the island’s northern tip, Arctic explorers used its sheltered harbour to take on sled dogs and other supplies as the world raced for the North Pole! As well, St. Anthony is home to the Grenfell Mission, founded by a young English doctor, Sir Wilfred Grenfell, in 1892; a philanthropic organization that provided medical and social services to people in rural communities throughout northern Newfoundland and Labrador. It’s history and activities are memorialized at the Grenfell Interpretation Centre. Explore the storyboards and artifacts in the Centre and in Sir Wilfred’s actual home. Step back to the early days of the 20th century and enjoy the tales of dog teams, hardships, courage, and innovation that surrounded Dr. Grenfell and his mission.

Your journey back to Deer Lake and Corner Brook isn’t without continued exploration! Visit ancient burial sites, settlements, and view original artifacts, from slate spears to harpoons, at the Parks Canada’s Port aux Choix National Historic Site. Here, you’ll discover the crossroads of 6000 years of human history. The sea’s bounty drew Maritime Archaic people, the Dorset people, the Groswater people and the recent indigenous people here long before Europeans even arrived.

Overnight Location: Corner Brook