Newfoundland Explorer - 12 Days

Welcome to Newfoundland. Arrive in Corner Brook and check into your accommodation, where you’ll spend your first night in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Corner Brook - Gros Morne National Park - Port au Choix. This morning, meet your tour guide along with your fellow travellers before we set off, heading through Gros Morne National Park, an area we will explore further later in our tour.

Our destination is the fishing community of Port au Choix, where we will learn about the area's ancient cultures. Situated on Newfoundland’s northwest coast, the Port au Choix Peninsula extends into the Gulf of St. Lawrence and has been inhabited for 5,500 years.

Port au Choix - L'Anse au Clair. We board the ferry from St. Barbe to cross the Strait of Belle Isle to Labrador. From here, we proceed to the Red Bay National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for being a Basque whaling station in the 16th century.

L'Anse au Clair - L'Anse aux Meadows National - St Anthony. We head back to Newfoundland and visit L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, the first cultural discovery in the world to be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We learn about the Vikings who explored this area over a thousand years ago, and then we proceed to our accommodation in St. Anthony for the night.

St Anthony - Cow Head. This morning we join an included whale-watching boat tour in St. Anthony (weather permitting). We will enjoy wonderful views of the coastline and hope to spot species including minke whales, humpbacks and white-sided dolphins. We then retrace our steps heading back through Gros Morne National Park to reach Cow Head for a two-night stay. If travelling early in the summer season, keep your eyes on the coastline for giant icebergs, which have broken off from northern glaciers and drifted towards Newfoundland.

Cow Head - Gros Morne National Park - Cow Head. We prepare for an unforgettable day, as many claim the scenery in UNESCO-listed Gros Morne is unmatched in Eastern Canada. We begin with a scenic boat tour on Bonne Bay. Keep your eyes peeled for bald eagles soaring above the deep waters of the fjord.

We also see the Tablelands, a breathtaking mountain composed of flat-topped rock typically found deep within the Earth’s mantle.

Please note: You may request when booking that instead of today's included Bonne Bay boat tour and Tablelands visit, you take a scenic boat tour on Western Brook Pond and visit the Broom Point Fishing Premises instead. 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 on booking.

Cow Head - Gander. As our visit to Gros Morne National Park comes to an end, we keep our cameras at the ready. We journey through Central Newfoundland to Gander, a town renowned as the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical "Come From Away."

We can discover the remarkable hospitality and kindness shown by local residents in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, when 38 airplanes made unexpected landings in the town. We also make sure to explore the North Atlantic Aviation Museum, which features a variety of artefacts and exhibits highlighting Gander's significant role in the evolution of transatlantic aviation.

Gander - Terra Nova National Park - Clarenville. A picturesque drive along the rugged coast of Notre Dame Bay takes us to Twillingate, where we explore the Long Point Lighthouse and the Prime Berth Fishery & Heritage Centre. Keep your camera ready for wildlife sightings as we pass through Terra Nova National Park on our way to Clarenville.

Clarenville - Bonavista - Trinity - Clarenville. Today, we explore two charming and historic towns on a day trip from Clarenville. We begin our journey in Bonavista, the site where John Cabot first landed in North America in 1497. Learn about the challenging lives of the lighthouse keepers at the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site. Afterwards, we head to Trinity, where there is free time to wander the streets and admire the numerous 18th-century buildings that have been meticulously preserved. Then it's back to Clarenville for the night.

Clarenville - St. Johns. We proceed to the historic seaport of St. John's, where we will stay for the next two nights. As North America’s oldest city and the capital of Newfoundland, St. John's is beautifully situated among the granite cliffs and slopes of the Avalon Peninsula. We take an included city tour to explore the Victorian architecture of the downtown area, the bustling modern waterfront, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the Confederation Building, and the breathtaking panoramic views from Signal Hill.

This morning, we head to Bay Bulls for a memorable highlight of our trip: a boat tour (weather permitting) through the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, where we can look for puffins and other seabirds. Afterwards, we visit Cape Spear National Historic Site, the most easterly point in North America. The afternoon is free for you to further explore St. John's at your own pace.

Our tour comes to an end today in St. John's, after a final breakfast at the hotel and check out.