Canada Newfoundland, Labrador and The Cabot Trail

With cruises, ferry crossings, and visits to several United Nations World Heritage Sites, this breathtaking 13-day vacation features the best of Newfoundland and Labrador. Begin in Halifax, Nova Scotia, known as “New Scotland,” for a city tour and a visit to Citadel Hill. Take the scenic Marine Drive north along the coast to visit Sherbrooke Village, once a gold-mining town. At Baddeck, visit the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, then travel along the Cabot Trail. Enter Cape Breton Highlands National Park. At Sydney, ferry to Newfoundland’s Port-aux-Basques. From Corner Brook, head north to Gros Morne National Park, known for its exceptional beauty.

Then ferry across to Norris Point. Visit Port-Au-Choix National Historic Site before boarding another ferry to cross the Strait of Belle Isle, known as Iceberg Alley. Ferry back to St. Barbe to L'Anse Aux Meadows National Historic Site where a Viking settlement is the main attraction. On the way to Gander, Twillingate, and Port Blandford, view lighthouses, museums and quaint fishing villages along the scenic coastline. You might spot drifting icebergs and whales as well. Visit Heart's Content Cable Station Provincial Historic Site on your way to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to tour the oldest settlement in North America with a local expert. Board your boat for a narrated cruise to view humpback whales and puffins in Witless Bay. Then end your vacation with a traditional screech-in ceremony.

Day 1 Halifax (Sat.)
Welcome to Halifax! This evening, mix and mingle with your traveling companions at the 6 p.m. WELCOME RECEPTION. Your Tour Director will prepare you for your upcoming adventure. (WR)

Day 2 Halifax–Sherbrooke Village–Baddeck (Sun.)
A Halifax tour includes a visit to CITADEL HILL with its early 19th-century star-shaped fort, Public Gardens, and harbor area. Take scenic Marine Drive along the Atlantic shoreline through picturesque fishing villages. Visit SHERBROOKE VILLAGE, once a thriving gold-mining town, whose renovated buildings recall the boom years of the 1860s. Cross over to Cape Breton Island, one of the first European settlements in the New World. (B,D)

Day 3 Baddeck - Cabot Trail Excursion (Mon.)
This morning, visit ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL MUSEUM, where exhibits trace achievements of the great inventor who spent his last years on Cape Breton. Travel along the CABOT TRAIL, considered one of the most scenic drives in the world. At the Acadian village of CHETICAMP, see the famous hand-hooked rugs. Proceed north along the coast, savoring magnificent vistas of the rocky shoreline and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Enter CAPE BRETON HIGHLANDS NATIONAL PARK, a landscape that strikingly resembles Scottish coastal regions. (B)

Day 4 Baddeck–Corner Brook (Tue.)
Drive to North Sydney, FERRY across the Cabot Strait to Port-aux Basques, gateway to Newfoundland. After docking late this afternoon (early evening on some departures), continue to Corner Brook. (B) Map

Day 5 Corner Brook (Wed.)
Enjoy an orientation tour of Corner Brook, followed by a break in Curling to see the Captain Cook Memorial. 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,D)

Day 6 Corner Brook–Gros Morne National Park–Plum Point (Thu.)
Skirt the shores of Deer Lake and head north to GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK, a United Nations World Heritage Site known for its exceptional beauty and unique geological features. Depart for Plum Point, visiting a few important sites along the way. 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. Lastly, 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 B.C. (B,D)

Day 7 Plum Point–Red Bay–L’Anse-au-Clair (Fri.)
Board your FERRY to cross the Strait of Belle Isle, known as Iceberg Alley, to Blanc Sablon. Then to Red Bay , the first major industrial complex of the New World and home to a 16th-century Basques whaling station. Return to L’Anse-au-Clair. (B,D) Note: Icebergs are most often seen in June and July.

Day 8 L’Anse-au-Clair–L’Anse aux Meadows–Plum Point (Sat.)
FERRY back to St. Barbe. Enter L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, the only known Viking settlement in North America and a United Nations World Heritage Site. Tour the reconstructed sod houses, learn how the Vikings lived, and see Norse artifacts dating back to 1000 A.D. Next is St. Anthony, home of the internationally renowned GRENFELL MISSION where Sir Wilfred Grenfell brought modern medicine to remote Labrador communities in the 1890s. Tour his family home and visit the Interpretation Centre. (B,D)

Day 9 Plum Point–Gander (Sun.)
Travel along the Viking Trail with a stop at ARCHES PROVINCIAL PARK to photograph the two large arches carved by the pounding sea. In Grand Falls-Windsor, 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 10 Gander–Twillingate–Terra Nova National Park–Port Blandford (Mon.)
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 the LONG POINT LIGHTHOUSE. With luck, you might spot whales along the coast en route to TERRA NOVA NATIONAL PARK. (B,D)

Day 11 Port Blandford–Heart’s Content–St. John’s (Tue.)
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 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. (B)

Day 12 St. John’s. Witless Bay Cruise (Wed.)
Tour the oldest settlement in North America with a local expert. Visit SIGNAL HILL NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, Cabot Tower, the old town, and the Basilica of St. John the Baptist. Then a short drive south to Witless Bay Ecological Reserve where whales and puffins abound. After lunch, 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 known as “the Seabird Capital of North America”—with the largest Atlantic Puffin sanctuary in North America. Follow up your cruise with a traditional screech-in ceremony. This evening, your Tour Director hosts a special FAREWELL CELEBRATION DINNER. Wonderful conversation and cuisine make the perfect finale for your vacation. (B,D)

Day 13 St. John’s (Thu.)
The vacation ends this morning with guests departing on individual schedules. Airport transfers are provided. (B)

INCLUDED FEATURES

HALIFAX: Welcome reception; sightseeing tour; visit Citadel Hill
SHERBROOKE: Visit Sherbrooke Village
CABOT TRAIL: Visit Bell Museum, Cheticamp, and Cape Breton Highlands
CORNER BROOK: Sightseeing tour
GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK-PLUM POINT: Visit Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse, Port-au-Choix National Historic Site, and Broom Point
STRAIT OF BELLE ISLE: Ferry across Iceberg Alley
RED BAY: Sightseeing tour
L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS: Visit Viking settlement site
ST. ANTHONY: Visit Grenfell Mission
GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR:Visit Salmonid Interpretation Center
TWILLINGATE: Visit Prime Berth Fishing Museum, Long Point Lighthouse, and Terra Nova National Park
HEART’S CONTENT: Cable Station Historic Site
ST. JOHN’S: Sightseeing tour; Witless Bay cruise and traditional screech-in ceremony; Farewell Celebration Dinner

INSIDE VISITS

Inside visits and special features are shown in the description, including admission charges when applicable.

MEALS

Welcome reception (WR), American breakfasts daily (B), 8 three-course dinners with choice of entrees (D), including a special Farewell Celebration Dinner in St. John’s.

SUPERIOR HOTELS

HALIFAX Delta Halifax (SF), BADDECK Inverary Resort (BA), CORNERBROOK Glynmill Inn (F), PLUM POINT Plum Point Motel (BA), L’ANSE AU CLAIR Northern Light Inn (F), GANDER Sinbads Hotel (F), PORT BLANDFORD Terra Nova Lodge (F), ST. JOHN’S Fairmont Newfoundland (SF)

DEPARTURE DATES
June to August

PRICES
From approx $2,569 US per person double occupancy