This 13-day escorted coach tour brings you through the seaports and sprawling meadows of Canada’s most charming province, where Viking and Acadian history date back hundreds of years. Discover the island’s friendly reputation as you move through small towns across the eastern province, strolling between colourful buildings and grassy knolls. This trip features first-class accommodations and small group tours with your local tour director who accompanies you throughout your journey across “The Rock.”
Enjoy new beginnings in Halifax, the largest city and cultural hub of Nova Scotia. A vibrant arts and culinary scene meets you here, as does the Canadian Museum of Immigration and the Maritime Museum at famous Pier 21. You’ll travel to Cape Breton Island, taking in jagged cliffs against deep blue waves before crossing those very waters overnight to Newfoundland.
The plains, windswept coast, and dramatic fjords of Newfoundland will provide ample opportunities for quiet reflection. Wind through ocean paths, magical forests, and sweeping valleys as you find a stunning sense of scope at Gros Morne National Park, Notre Dame Bay, Cape Bonavista Lighthouse Provincial Park, Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, and Terra Nova National Park. If the time is right, you may spot some icebergs that loom out of the sea as large as the Titanic itself at Twillingate, the “Iceberg Capital of the World”. Keep your eyes peeled for whales, moose, caribou, and puffins, the lovable black and white seabird who has rightfully claimed the crown as Newfoundland’s provincial bird. You’ll have time to chat with your new travel friends from the tour as you explore, but you might be left breathless by the unique beauty that awaits you on these ancient lands.
The most eastern province in Canada is home to rich Viking and maritime history as the location of many of North America’s first settlements. L’Anse aux Meadows provides fascinating archaeological remains of the first known evidence of Europeans in the Americas when the Norse people sailed over 1000 years ago. Step even further back in time at Port au Choix, where 6000 years of human history collide at ancient burial sites, unique limestone barrens, and diverse plant life right on the board of the sea, familial territory for the Maritime Archaic, Dorset, Groswater, and recent indigenous peoples long before the Vikings set foot on the rocky land.
Colourful towns painted in bright summer hues cover the island, including stops in L’Anse au Clair, St. Anthony, Cow Head, Gander, Twillingate, Clarensville, Trinity, and St. John’s, the capital and North America’s oldest city, making its map debut in 1519. Allow all your taste buds to soak in the local culture as you try a traditional Jiggs Dinner, cod, or mussels. In these towns, you’ll discover where Newfoundlanders get their reputation for being the friendliest people in Canada. There’s no shortage of live music, as locals love any occasion to sing and dance with both loved ones and strangers alike.
Just on the other side of the Strait of Belle Isle lies Labrador, whose lesser-known lands hold pristine beauty with an equally rich history and culture. At Red Bay, you’ll visit the remains of a 16th century Basque whaling station, whose archaeological finds lie both above and below the sea’s surface. You’ll spend the night in L’Anse au Clair, a village with a population of roughly 216 people with French roots.
Your tour will come to an end in St. John’s, where you can transfer independently to the airport for your trip home, or extend your stay as you explore the windy seascapes and picturesque fishing villages on your own.
