Our tour to the central region of this amazing Atlantic island is a unique blend of icebergs, whales, tidal pools, boreal forest animals and wildflowers combined with the rich human history that has shaped this rugged Canadian province. This a perfect tour for those travellers who enjoy an abundance of diverse cultural and natural history experiences

Itinerary
(Breakfast - B, Lunch - L, Dinner - D)

Day 1 Wed. June 25
Arrive St. John’s, NL
The group will gather this afternoon and, after a short orientation meeting, we will take a brief tour of the old St. John’s area, before returning for our welcome dinner.
 o/n Quality Hotel or similar, St. John’s (D)

Day 2 Thurs. June 26
Witless Bay
The highlight for today is our boat trip to Witless Bay - a marvellous wildlife experience.  From Bay Bulls, we’ll boat to the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve and the seabird-covered rocks of Gull, Great & Green Islands.  This is the largest Atlantic Puffin colony in the world, as well as the second largest Leach’s Storm Petrel colony.  The Capelins are running this time of year and produce a feeding frenzy for birds and whales alike. We often see Humpback whales and icebergs on this excursion. After a picnic lunch, we will hike the waterfall trail in nearby La Manche Provincial Park where orchids and other interesting plants, and boreal forest birds can be found. If time permits we will scan the sea from Cape Spear, the easternmost point of North America.
o/n Quality Hotel or similar, St. John’s(B, L, D)

Day 3 Fri. June 27
Cape Bonavista
Today, we will make our way to Bonavista, via Trinity Bay, stopping at scenic lookout points to scan the bay for whales porpoises, seals and seabirds. The Trinity Interpretive Centre has an interesting display of the history and development of Trinity. We’ll also pay a visit to Dungeon Provincial Park to see the natural sea arches formed by a collapsed sea cave. In 1497, John Cabot landed on the northern tip of the Bonavista Peninsula and “discovered” the New-Founde-Land. More importantly, Cabot found enormous quantities of codfish. While we are at Bonavista Harbour, we’ll stop to see the replica of his ship ‘The Matthew”.
o/n Hotel Bonavista, Bonavista (B, L, D)

Day 4 Sat. June 28
Bonavista
Today, we will continue to explore the village of Bonavista. We will visit the Ryan Premises National Historic Site. This restored fish merchant’s premises tell the story of the five centuries old Newfoundland fishery through exhibits. We’ll have our picnic lunch at another important historical site, the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site, all the while keeping an eye out for icebergs and whales in the sea off the coast.
o/n Hotel Bonavista, Bonavista (B, L, D)

Day 5 Sun. June 29
 Lockston Path Provincial Park
Our first stop today will be the Lester Garland Premises Provincial Historic Site. This is a reconstructed Georgian brick house that, at one time, was considered to be one of the finest homes on the island. It is now a museum and provides an excellent insight into that historical period.

We will then drive to Lockston Path Provincial Park where we will walk some of the trails looking for wildflowers and birds and admiring the scenic maritime barrens. Our final destination for today will be Terra Nova National Park.
o/n Salvage Bay Motel, Eastport (B, L, D)

Day 6 Mon. June 30
Terra Nova National Park
Two hundred kilometres of deeply indented shoreline border Terra Nova National Park.  This is where the ocean edge and boreal forest meet to create a diverse natural habitat. Saltwater fjords indent a scenic landscape of forest, barrens and bog. We will hike some of the trails of this beautiful area looking for the many different kinds of orchids, such as Northern Bog Orchid and Ragged Fringed Orchid, which bloom at this time of the year. Along the trails we’ll find Bunchberry and Wintergreen, Bog Laurel and Clintonia Lily in flower. In the forest we’ll watch for nesting warblers, Boreal Chickadees, Pine Grosbeaks and Great Horned Owls. Mammals seen here include Black Bear, Moose and the endangered Newfoundland Pine Marten.
o/n Salvage Bay Motel, Eastport (B, L, D)

Day 7 Tues. July 1
Newman Sound / Touch Tank
Today we will embark on a boat tour of Newman Sound to look for Bald Eagles and Great Black-backed Gulls. The scenery of Newman Sound is particularly breathtaking with its high granite cliffs around the fjord. At the Visitor’s Centre of Terra Nova, the highlight is the Touch Tank, with its opportunity for close encounters with starfish, Sea Cucumbers and assorted shellfish. We will also take a short hike along a coastal trail to examine the various lichen and fungi of this national park.
o/n Salvage Bay Motel, Eastport (B, L, D)

Day 8 Wed. July 2
Boyd’s Cove/Deer Lake
Our journey today will take us to the Beothuk Visitor’s Centre and Exhibit at Boyd’s Cove. Here we will examine the native history of Newfoundland, as well as hiking a scenic coastal trail with prolific plant species.
 
In the early afternoon we will drive to the town of Deer Lake, where we’ll have our farewell dinner.
o/n Deer Lake Motel, DeerLake (B, L, D)

Day 9 Thurs. July 3
Departure Day
No tour activities are scheduled for today in order for us to catch our flights home.  (B)

Please Note:  To increase your enjoyment of this trip, we limit our maximum number of participants to 8.  This means extra comfort for you as we travel, for there will be ample room in the 15-passenger van for luggage and personal belongings.