Newfoundland & The Viking Trail from St. John's

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VACATION FEATURES:

Accommodations
- 14 nights hotel accommodation

Sightseeing Excursions and Tours
- Bay Bulls Whale Watching Tour
- St. Anthony Whale Watching Tour

Admissions
- Terra Nova National Park (1 day)
- Gros Morne National Park (2 days)

Documentation
- National Historic Site Pass
- Itinerary, brochures, maps and vouchers
- Hotel luggage handling

ITINERARY:

DAY 1 - Arriving in St. John's

Upon arrival in St. John’s, pick up a rental vehicle (not included). St. John’s is one of the oldest European settlements in North America, and is the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador. St. John’s is also closer to Europe than any other city in North America, a fact that, in the days of sail and steam, gave this location a distinct economic advantage. Visit the Signal Hill National Historic Site (admission included), so named because the arrival of ships was announced from here to the town below through a series of Flag signals. It is also at Signal Hill that on December 12, 1901, Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless radio signal, ushering in the modern world of telecommunications. From the Hill, Canada’s second-largest National Historic Site, there is a spectacular view of the city, its harbor and the adjacent coastline. At the top of the Hill is Cabot Tower, built in 1897 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of Newfoundland, and the 60th year of Queen Victoria’s reign.

DAY 2 - Exploring St. John's

Today, take a two-hour whale watching tour (included) and then spend the rest of the day touring the area. Outside St. John’s are towns and villages and historic sites with a charm that distinguishes them from the capital city. One of the must-see places on any visit to St. John’s is Cape Spear National Historic Site, the most easterly point in North America (admission included). Built in 1835, the Cape Spear Lighthouse is the oldest existing lighthouse in Newfoundland. The two-storey, wooden structure that served as a marine beacon from 1836 to 1955 is now a lifestyle museum. The first light keeper at Cape Spear was Emmanuel Warre. Following his death in 1845, the government appointed James Cantwell to take his place. Members of the Cantwell family have tended the light ever since. Even the present, modernized facility is under the charge of a descendant of the first Mr. Cantwell. Return to St. John’s by taking a brief excursion through Maddox Cove to Petty Harbor, a small out port that is just 18 kilometres from the capital city. Here see the old wooden stages that were used to dry the salt cod that Newfoundland once supplied to the world. Later this evening, be sure to visit O’Reilly’s Irish Newfoundland Pub located downtown to participate in a local tradition called a “Screech In”, to become a honourary Newfoundlander! To do this, you will talk, drink (a local drink called “Screech” rum) and eat like a Newfoundlander. Oh yes, there is also on last part to the ceremony: you must kiss a codfish!

DAY 3 - Relaxing in St. John's

Today is a free day to explore the area. There are many activities in the city and area such as horseback riding, visiting historical houses, churches and museums. Or perhaps you may wish to take an optional harbour tour. (Activities are suggestions and not included).

DAY 4 - St. John's to Clarenville

Depart St. John’s today and travel west across the Avalon Peninsula. The Avalon Peninsula is where Newfoundland and North America begin. It is a place to photograph herds of caribou or sea-bird colonies, icebergs or whales. Thrust out into the waters of the North Atlantic, this irregularly shaped peninsula once was a part of the European continent that drifted westward 400 million years ago. It was flooded by oceans, scoured by glaciers and landscaped into an amazing geographical creation with rocks, cliffs, coves, and bays. At the town of Whitbourne, where the highway crosses the narrow neck of land connecting the Avalon Peninsula with the main body of Newfoundland, you will turn north. Your accommodation this evening is in Clarenville. In the early days, this was a woodcutter’s camp, supplying lumber to nearby fishing villages on the barren, treeless shores. Today, Clarenville is a full-service community and a good base for trips to Bonavista Bay and Trinity.

DAY 5 - Sightseeing in Clarenville

Today is yours to explore Terra Nova National Park (admission included). Terra Nova National Park of Canada – Fingers of the Sea – protects remnants of the ancient Appalachian Mountains. Rocky headlands provide shelter from the awesome power of the open ocean. The landscape of the park varies from the rugged cliffs and sheltered inlets of the coastal region to the rolling forested hills, bogs and ponds of the inland. Cultural history abounds in the remnants of sawmills and past human cultures. The Marine Interpretation Centre is the main park visitor centre where staff can help you plan your stay in the park and show you orientation videos. While there, journey from a shoreline habitat to the depths of the ocean in the main exhibit area where aquariums, interactive videos displays, murals and under water cameras reveal the sea’s mysteries. Explore the wonders of the deep at the touch of a tank.

DAY 6 - Clarenville to Grand Falls / Windsor

Leaving Clarenville, you will travel through the interior of the island - your destination is Grand Falls. Located 456 kilometres west of St. John’s, Grand Falls is one of the major suppliers of newsprint to world centres. It is the site of Newfoundland’s first pulp and paper mill.

DAY 7 - Grand Falls / Winsor to Corner Brook

Leave Grand Falls today and travel to Corner Brook located on the western part of Newfoundland. Experience the picturesque City from many walking trails or visit the Captain James Cook Monument and bask in the sun setting over the Bay of Islands. Step back in time at the Corner Brook Museum and Archives or the Railway Society of Newfoundland Historic Train Site. Explore our downtown area and discover unique gifts and crafts and dine out in one of the City's many fine restaurants.

DAY 8 - Discovering Corner Brook

Spend the day exploring the area. The area served as a meeting, marketing and distribution point for local fisherman, who fished the Strait of Belle Isle by summer and spent the winters working in Corner Brook's lumber woods. Permanent settlement came as a result of the island-wide railway system and the construction of the pulp and paper mill in the mid-1920s. During the war years of 1939-1945, both the pulp and paper industry and the fishery were booming and Corner Brook was prosperous. Soon after the end of World War II, a cement plant and a gypsum wallboard plant were established, creating new jobs in addition to those already available at the area¹s three fish processing plants, and at the paper mill.

DAY 9 - Corner Brook to Port-au-Choix

This morning, depart Corner Brook and travel north to Port- Aux-Choix. Travel past Gros Morne National Park. Don’t worry, you will have time to explore on the way back! Port-au- Choix, on the west side of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula, has been populated for thousands of years. The rich waters off this coast have supported many different groups of people, including those who live here today. The remains of four ancient cultures have been found at Port au Choix to date: Maritime Archaic Indian, Dorset and Groswater Paleoeskimo, and Recent Indians. Archaeologists searched many years for a site such as this one, which

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