Wildland Tours > About Wildland

Travel with Wildland Tours, and Let Us Introduce You to England's Oldest Colony and Canada's Youngest Province
Share the History, Open Spaces, Warmth of our People, and Special Spirituality of our Landscapes

Here we still have eagles and osprey soaring in a clear sky. We have places where the land appears to move, but it's really the backs of the world's largest caribou herd. Along the coast we have places where whirling seabirds are so plentiful they obscure the sun. We take you to where wild salmon leap in crystal clear rivers. Our ocean adventures feature the world's largest gathering of humpbacks sharing the waters with the second largest animals to ever live - the fin whales. Minke whales are so common we call part of our summer travelling route the "Minke Way." We make sure you travel with local folk who can show you what it is like to experience these places and sights. Along the way you sample our unique foods - partridgeberries and bakeapples - and you drink in the freshest air. Travel with Wildland Tours. Share our adventures. We provide holidays you'll always remember.

Our mission is
to tell the world about the natural wonders of
Newfoundland and Labrador, thereby enhancing the
protection of our wild lands and the ocean.
We accomplish this by inviting travellers from around the world
to experience the whales, seabirds, and other wildlife of this place.
We are committed to providing quality life experiences for visitors and
we strive to maintain excellent customer service while
providing respectful, sustainable, educational, and enjoyable excursions.
We also accomplish this by celebrating this place’s natural wonders through
the development and/or sale of sustainably produced gift items reflecting
our many special resources.

As the cliché goes, we leave nothing behind but footprints. We take special care not to harass the whales, seabirds, and other wildlife we enjoy on our holidays. In fact, we have been industry leaders in educating local boat tour operators about whale and bird harassment. We travel in smaller groups in order not to stress the animals (including whales) we look at. (We find small groups also provide our guests with a more enjoyable holiday.) We travel in the smallest vehicle possible allowing for the comfort of our guests. We reduce, reuse, recycle, and reject. We invest large amounts of time and effort into developing guidelines for the eco-tourism industry in Canada. More than one injured wild bird has found its way into our homes for rehabilitation and release. We devote time and money to preserving our freshwater resources. We write letters, send out press releases, lobby governments, and appear before Royal Commissions. Through our sister retail operation, Wild Things, we provide an annual scholarship for a post-secondary student who shows leadership in the area of environmental awareness and protection. Every year, Wild Things supports the Protected Areas Association. In 1990, we received the Governor General's Award for Conservation in recognition of our pioneering world in eco- tourism. Other winners include artist Robert Bateman and journalist David Suzuki. And in 2000 we won the Heritage Canada Sustainable Tourism Award.

Dave Snow is a naturalist and educator who first fell in love with the seabirds of the North Atlantic in 1979 while living and working as a researcher on Gull Island, part of the Witless Bay Seabird Sanctuary. He started Wildland Tours in 1984 to help protect the seabird sanctuary and the province's many other wildlife resources by demonstrating their economic value to business-oriented politicians.

Dave is an avid whale watcher who has taught in Canada and the U.S. about whales and their environment. Dave frequently writes about Newfoundland, whales, aquaculture, wildlife, history, archaeology, and the environment. Each year Dave leads as many holidays as time permits including our Whale Study Weeks and Northern Whale Study programs. Dave is also the project leader of our efforts to census the orcas of Newfoundland and Labrador. Look for Dave and former Wildland Tours holiday leader, Dr. Sean Todd (now Director of Allied Whale in the USA) on the award-winning 2000 video Whale of a Tale, which is still getting airplay around the world. Dave and his three children Alan, Angela, and Jennifer are all animal lovers who enjoy the whales, wildlife, and great outdoors of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Annie Simmons returned to Newfoundland in 2000 after 15 years on the mainland where she worked as an event planner and creative soul with a Nova Scotia advertising company. Before this, Annie worked in the food service industry holding such positions as area manager for Dunkin’ Donuts Canada and general manager for Wendy’s Restaurants of Canada. The call of her Newfoundland home proved hard to resist and once she was settled back home, Ann joined the office staff of Wildland Tours in 2001.

Today, Ann is the cheery voice on the phone when folks call to discuss the province’s whales, wildlife, and vacation highlights. She is an experienced Newfoundland and Labrador vacation and event planner who stimulates her artistic side through the painting of murals and store windows throughout St. John's.

Mark Tsang is one of Newfoundland and Labrador's best known skiing and winter sports enthusiasts. Working with us for springs, summers, and falls since 1997, Mark has led most of our Viking Trail Experience holidays. He specializes in outdoor explorations for travellers interested in the wildlife and wilderness of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula and Southern Labrador. An avid photographer, Mark has sold his work to international outdoors magazines plus he has contributed bird close-ups to our Wildland Tours promotional catalogue. His dramatic photos of the northern lights adorn the walls of our St. John's office. Mark is also our resident fossil expert…and time traveller. He takes guests from the 1,000 year old Viking settlement to fossil beds boasting the remains of 300 million year old trilobites.

Jean Knowles is a nature lover who has been hosting group tours in Newfoundland and Labrador since 1984. Like many of our Wildland Tours leaders, Jean has lived in remote places with seabirds and seals and has always had enthusiasm for our cultural and natural heritage. She comes from a long tradition of involvement in the natural world — her uncle Harrison Flint Lewis was the founder of the Canadian Wildlife Service — and she has enjoyed stints as a cruise ship naturalist, whale holiday leader, and volunteer on oiled seabird clean ups. Known for her entertaining newspaper columns; her volunteerism includes work with the province's museum and with the St. John's music and arts scene. Jean leads most of our Newfoundland Adventures and finds herself called into service whenever a cruise ship or large conference seeks out our hosting services.

Ken Knowles is a birder, naturalist and experienced tour leader. He has been leading tours for fifteen years for a variety of tour companies and cruise lines including Newfoundland and Labrador’s own Wildland Tours.

Ken’s love of nature began thirty years ago as a birder and wildflower enthusiast, and since then his interests have broadened into all areas of natural history. He has compiled one of the largest lists of bird sightings in Newfoundland and his photographs have appeared in national and international magazines as well as coffee table books.

Ken is a frequent university lecturer, newspaper columnist, and radio guest when the topics turn to birds and nature-related topics. He has an avid interest in the history of exploration, particularly of northern and polar regions. He has retraced by canoe and on foot the routes of arctic explorers to both the Arctic Ocean and Hudson Bay, and has collected the journals on polar exploration for both the north and south poles.

Dr. Don Downer was born on the Indian Islands on Newfoundland's Northeast coast. His life experiences range from inshore fishing to working as a biologist and educator. Don has been an international speaker on topics as far ranging as marine biology, school effectiveness, and the resettlement of small Newfoundland communities. He has written two books on the fast-disappearing lifestyle of rural Newfoundland and his idea of a holiday often involves introducing his home province to visitors. Every summer Don finds a way to lead some of our holidays. His photo shows Don exploring the cave system near Corner Brook.

Dan Hickey grew up in the shadow of historic Signal Hill and spent his youth exploring its trails, highlands, caves, and 16th century battlefields. Heading into his 8th year with Wildland Tours, Dan has been leading groups since 1997. During one of his 1998 Newfoundland Adventures he spotted the province's fourth Magnificent Frigatebird. Through his time with Wildland Tours Dan has worked in logistics with the company's growing cruise ship support service, travelled most of Labrador and Newfoundland, and experienced the beautiful Labrador Straits. In the off season this avid hiker and naturalist can be found participating in an array of outdoor activities including his newfound love of mountain biking. In 2003 Dan became Newfoundland and Labrador's first nationally certified Tour Director.

We have other holiday leaders boasting impressive credentials. Newfoundland and Labrador presents dozens of logistical challenges for anybody coordinating a tour or learning holiday. There are routes without bathrooms or other basic services yet these areas feature sites of international significance and world-class life experiences. These areas can lack the support of even a simple plaque or sign. Our years of experience have introduced us to many vital resource people - whether it be someone with a good well willing to provide visitors with a clean washroom or a retired fisherman who protects the "secret" nesting site of an endangered bird. Other vital resource people are associated with our parks, museums, and other protected areas. It has taken years to gather our knowledge and every year our leaders and guests make new discoveries and contributions. Our leaders are our most important resource people as they show visitors the anchor site of the Mayflower, the northern tip of the Appalachian Mountains and other highlights. This sort of knowledge doesn't usually make it into the Newfoundland information books - unless one of our Wildland Tours staff or resource people are writing the book!

When in St. John's, check out our offices at 124 Water Street, and take in our three-storey-high mural that celebrates Newfoundland's marine environment.