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2009
Tour
and Booking Information
Newfoundland Adventure
Our Most
Popular!
Experience the world's
largest gathering of humpback whales and a fabulous diversity of
marine wildlife. Small groups and giant landscapes are featured.
These departures are all guaranteed to go. While we can never
promise whales, these dates include the prime whale watching season
(100 per cent viewing success 1994-2008). Most years we see the
largest numbers and varieties of whales between late June and early
August. The seabirds are thinning out by late July but everybody
should see murres, puffins, razorbilled auks, gannets, eagles,
moose, caribou, and many other species of wildlife. Since 1993
(except 1999, 2005 and 2006) everybody saw icebergs on our June and July trips.
Guests also get to enjoy eastern Newfoundland's museums,
lighthouses, trails, wildflowers, songbirds, flavours, and local
folks. The genuine Newfoundlanders and Labradorians we introduce to
you are an especially memorable vacation highlight.
Itinerary
Day
1 Pick up at airport and short
orientation excursion around St. John's. An evening slideshow or
photo exhibit will introduce you to the highlights of the upcoming
holiday. Relax and get ready for the adventure.
Overnight St.
John's
Day
2 Today begins with a
boat voyage featuring whale watching, North America's largest puffin
colony, and tens of thousands of other seabirds. We like to start
your holiday with a thrill as we usually see members of the world's
largest summertime gathering of acrobatic humpback whales; and often
we enjoy the company of other whale species. The islands we visit
are one of the planet's largest seabird reserves — expect an amazing
and joyful morning. Next we savour a lunch featuring local flavors
before visiting one of the New World's earliest fishing villages.
Overnight St.
John's
Day
3 Whales, members of the world's most southerly caribou
herd, a small puffin colony, a tern colony, and seals are usually
seen as we circle the Avalon Wilderness Area — a 1,000 square
kilometre park. Sometimes the whales are lunge feeding on a local
beach — and when this is happening we make that marvellous spectacle
and the small caribou herd the highlights of the day. We often get
to enjoy lots of other wildlife including seabirds visiting from
south of the equator. You will be enchanted by the gorgeous fishing
villages and woodland wonders along the way as we travel to St.
Brides for the night. Should southerly winds bring fog to this
route, we will enjoy an alternative itinerary with coastal
communities and wildlife watching as we travel to scenic St. Brides.
Overnight St. Brides
Day
4 The morning starts with a visit to the continent's third
largest gannet colony. This site is also a breeding ground for
thousands of other seabirds including the world's most southerly
thick-billed murres. We get great views of gannets, kittiwakes, and
murres with their eggs and/or chicks. In season — usually mid-July —
we enjoy some of the world’s finest land-based whale watching as the
high seacliffs allow us to watch the whales cavort around their
northern coastal feeding grounds. After lunch we explore Placentia,
the first outpost of New France. We also show off our secret orchid
patch and look for moose. The evening's destination is the Trinity/Bonavista/Port
Union area. Our route to the coast features a moose and black bear
hunt (with cameras only). Some years we enjoy a 90 per cent or
higher success rate at finding moose over the week, but bears are
much more elusive. These hunts are always fun!
Overnight Terra Nova National Park
area
Day
5 This morning we go to sea again to enjoy more of the
ocean’s wonders as we look for bald eagles and watch for whales. In
2007, our company’s naturalists established that sperm whales are
consistently found during the summer in a portion of Trinity Bay and
we will look out for them and other whale species. Our afternoon
will feature more of what makes this area so special — trails,
moose, osprey, songbirds, dramatic vistas, orchids, shore-birds, and
numerous small museums and interpretation centres. In some ways this
is an afternoon where we can cater to your interests. Bird watching,
icebergs, lighthouses, flower walks, beachcombing, sea kayaking,
land-based whale watching, photographing the local architecture, and
hands-on marine biology programs are all possibilities.
Overnight Terra Nova National Park
area
Day
6 Explore more of the historic Bonavista/Trinity region.
Icebergs, giant chunks of 15,000 year old Greenland glaciers, and
more whales usually add to the day's photographic wonders. Call in
at nearby coastal settlements to learn more about Newfoundland’s
unique cultures and flavours before returning to St. John's for the
evening. Enjoy Friday and Saturday night out on the town in North
America's first city. Our leader will provide lots of suggestions
about local theatre, entertainment, and culture. Enjoy!
Overnight St.
John's
Day
7 Travel to North America's
most easterly point, and further explore the trails, museums, and
attractions of historic St. John's. We also try to fit in another
dramatic wildlife watching boat trip and look for more puffins and
whales.
Overnight St.
John's
Day
8 Free in St. John's
until we bring you to the airport.
Notes
Included
Accommodations in fine
quality local hotels; experienced naturalist guide; all breakfasts
and lunches; all admissions; ground and boat transportation; airport
pick-up and drop-off
Not
Included Transportation to and/or from
Newfoundland
Other
Meals are a highlight and feature Newfoundland specialties such as
bakeapple tarts and partridgeberry pies. For each tour the day of arrival is considered Day 1. For
example, on trip 5, you arrive on June 29. We will meet you at the
airport. The order of holiday events may be changed to accommodate the
weather or other unavoidable circumstances.
Terms
and Conditions
*13 per cent Canada/Newfoundland
Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) is not included. Non Canadians
receive a FCTIP tax credit on their invoice from us and thus
actually pay only 6.5% HST.
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