EXPLORE NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR 11 DAYS

Today we will start the journey to the wild and to the origi- nal. First we will visit Daniel-Johnson Dam and Manic-5 Generating Station, a symbol of Québec Hydroelectric knowhow. Drive through unpaved road for a memorable trip to Manicouagan Reservoir, an annular lake in cen- tral Quebec covering an area of 1,942 km2. The lake was created more than 200 million years ago by the impact of a meteorite of 5 km in diameter. The lake and island are clearly seen from space and are sometimes called the «eye of Quebec».

Then head to an iron ore plant in Mont Wright, operated by Québec Cartier Mining Company, one of the leading producers of iron ore products in North America owned by ArcelorMittal. The company operates an open pit mine and a crusher/concentrator facility capable of producing eighteen million metric tonnes of iron ore concentrates annually.

Hotel in Labrador City, one of the best places in Newfoun- dland and Labrador to see the Northern Lights. You may have a chance to enjoy a spectacular light tonight.

Visit the Gateway Labrador, the home to Labrador Rose Boutique, Labrador West Visitor Information Centre and the Edmund Montague Exhibit Hall. The museum has on display many artifacts representing Labrador West and the entire Labrador region – its history, culture and people. As well the hall showcases the fur trading and mining history of Labrador.

After lunch, visit Churchill Falls, a 75m high waterfall on the Churchill River in Labrador. Formerly counted among the most impressive natural features of Canada, the diver- sion of the river for the Churchill Falls Generating Sta- tion has cut off almost all of the falls’ former flow, leaving a small stream winding through its old bed and trickling down the rocks. The Churchill Falls Generating Station is a hydroelectric underground power station with the capa- city of 5,428 MW. It is the tenth largest in the world, and the second-largest in Canada, after the Robert-Bourassa generating station in northwestern Quebec.

Rather than a single large dam, the plant’s reservoir is contained by 88 dykes, totaling 64 km in length. Now called the Smallwood reservoir, it has a capacity of 33 cu- bic kilometres in a catchment area of about 72,000 square kilometres, an area larger than the Republic of Ireland. It drops over 305 metres to the site of the plant’s 11 turbines. Hotel in Happy Valley Goose-Bay, home to the largest military air base in Northeastern North America and a landing and refuelling stop for the Atlantic Ferry route. The town is also known as another best place to view the Northern Lights.

Visit the Labrador Military Museum. Travelling back to 1941, the museum told stories of Canadian and US air- crafts transiting during WWII to Europe, and also stories from the Cold War, as the Americans from the Strategic Air Command called this their home. This museum also features stories of the Canadian, American, Dutch, Ger- man and British Air forces.

Visit Labrador Heritage Museum to explore the museum, craft shop, tea room and historic town: North West River, the oldest community in Central Labrador, established in 1743 as a trading post by French fur trader Louis Fornel. After head to Labrador Interpretation Centre, we will dis- cover the founding peoples of Labrador—Innu, Inuit, Métis and European Settlers and explore Labrador’s ancient indigenous history and lives today.Then escape to Port Hope, a company town exporting tim- ber to paper mills, seasonal cod and salmon in the past and nowadays crab, shrimp and scallop

Head to Red Bay. In the 1500s, the waters of Red Bay were thick with right and bowhead whales. Whalers from the Basques regions of Spain and France established a ma- jor whale port here. On the shores of Red Bay, the Basques extracted oil from the whales that lit the lamps of Europe. Today, you can wander around the former whaling town UNESCO World Heritage Site and immerse yourself in the traditional life of a Basques whaler.

Walk to the Boney Shore to see the most visible remains of the 16th-century Basque whaling at Red Bay: the whale- bones. Explore how these bones ended up here, how they were used by carvers in the early 20th century and why it is so important to protect them today. Let these ancient bones cast a new light on the present-day population of North Atlantic whales in our oceans.

After lunch, we will head to the Point Amour Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site, stands tall amid limestone cliffs near the small, historically significant community of L’Anse Amour, on the south coast of Labrador. Towering at 33 meters, it is the tallest in Atlantic Canada and the second highest in the country. A panoramic view of the surrounding land and sea, and a glimpse of its historical attributes can be witnessed during the 132-step adventure to the top. Dating to the 1850s, the Point Amour Light-sta- tion has figured prominently in the lives of the people of Southern Labrador for nearly one and half centuries. The lighthouse has been partially restored to the period of its original construction.

We will pass by Maritime Archaic Burial Mound National Historic Site of Canada and overnight in l’anse-au-Clair

Ferry to St. Barbe. Enter L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, the only known Viking settlement in North America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A Local Guide shows you the reconstructed sod huts, explains how the Vikings lived, and you will see Norse artifacts dating back to 1000 AD. After lunch, head to Port au Choix Na- tional Historic Site.

On the west side of Newfoundland’s Great Northern Pe- ninsula, you’ll find the crossroads of 6000 years of hu- man history. The sea’s bounty drew the Dorset people and the Groswater people long before Europeans arrived. Seals on passing iceflows were hunted by the Dorset and used for food, shelter and clothing. Hotel in Port au Choix

Day 7 : Port au Choix – Gros Morne National Park – Grand Falls Windsor Salmon Inter- pretation Center - Gander

In the morning, visit Gros Morne National Park, a UNES- CO World Heritage Site. We will visit the Discovery Centre and view the famous Tableland. It is this area that earned the park its UNESCO World Heritage status and its nickname as the ‘Galapagos of Plate Tectonics’.

After lunch, we will head to Grand Falls Windsor Salmo- nid Interpretation Center – located near HWY 1 (the main hwy across Newfoundland) in the middle of the island. Knowledgeable staff will excite and educate you on the biology, ecology and habitat of the Atlantic salmon & Newfoundland’s history of conservation of this aquatic resource. Depending on the season, we may view Atlantic salmon as they migrate upstream to their spawning habi- tat, along with other live species including brook trout, sticklebacks & eels.

Peak salmon season will start from late June to August, and Salmon may migrate during September to October also.

This morning we will visit Gander International Airpo- rt, where Canadian Forces Base shares the airfield with a separate entity and provides transatlantic refuelling stop. On September 11, 2001, with United States airspace closed because of the terrorist attacks, Gander International played host to 38 airliners, totalling 6,122 passen- gers and 473 crews, as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon. Gander International received more flights than any other Canadian airport involved in the operation apart from Ha- lifax.Then we are off on the «Road to the Isles», before travel- ling across «Tickles and Runs» to spend time on beautiful Twillingate Island. This is one of Newfoundland’s oldest and most interesting fishing communities. In the waters off the coast, look for whales, dolphins, harp seals, sea- birds, and – if the season is right – icebergs. Twillingate is one of the stops along Iceberg Alley, a vast corridor of ocean that runs from Greenland and a popular path for these frozen leviathans. One of the best places to view all these sights is at Long Point Lighthouse, which looks out over the distant reaches of Notre Dame Bay. Take a boat expedition and witness whales breaching and playing just metres away from you.We then travel to Terra Nova National Park to view the vistas of Newman Sound.

Today we will visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the southernmost tip of the Avalon Peninsula resides a wave-swept crag known as Mistaken Point. Preserved in exquisite detail upon the planes of these tilted and cleaved mudstones are oldest fossils of complex multicellular life found anywhere on Earth. The area originally gained no- toriety – and a name – from the difficultly of navigating in the treacherous waters surrounding the point (over fifty ships are known to have been wrecked in the area). The spectacularly preserved fossils found at Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve date back hundreds of millions of years. This site is the only place in the world where you can view 565-million-year-old deep-sea floors that accu- rately preserve the ecology of the period.

After lunch, we drive to Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Re- serve, a wonderland for birdwatchers and explorers alike. Thousands of gulls, razorbills, common murres, black-le- gged kittiwakes, northern gannets, and double-crested and great cormorants nest here. Where 20,000 scoters, long- tailed ducks, harlequin, dovekies, thick-billed murres, and kittiwakes winter. This captivating area is one of seven protected seabird ecological reserves. Its natural beauty makes it perfect for nature walks and family adventures

In the morning we will tour historic St. John’s, the oldest city in North America. This trip includes a visit to Cabot Tower and Signal Hill National Historic Site where we can view the famous «Narrows» and admire the architecture of old St. John’s. Then visit to the Johnsons Geo Centre to see the gorgeous Labradorite stone in person. After taking pictures at Mile “0” monument, which stands for «starting point» for the entire Trans-Canada Highway system from the Eastern coast of Canada to the west coast city of Victo- ria, we will visit Terry Fox’s statue, a young athlete who lost his right leg to cancer, trained to run across Canada. What became known as the Marathon of Hope inspired the nation and raised money for cancer research. Fox began his epic run in the easternmost city in Canada of St. John’s.

Rejoin the Trans-Canada Highway and travel to Witless Bay Islands, where whales and puffins abound. Just 17 kms from St. John’s: “the far east of the western world” Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site, Newfoundland’s oldest surviving lighthouse, has served to guide ships to the St. John’s harbour since 1836. Constructed by local builders Nicolas Croke and William Parker, it consists of a stone tower surrounded by a frame residence, a common ligh- thouse design on Canada’s east coast. The light mechanism in use in the 19th century came from Inchkeith lighthouse in Scotland.

Visit the Quidi Vidi Plantation and end off a perfect day with an ice-cold Iceberg Beer at Quidi Vidi Brewery.

Farewell to Canada’s newest yet oldest Province, and our guests will fly back to the Ottawa. Home is where the heart is