Circumnavigation of Newfoundland - Vikings, Fjords and Whales

Day 1: St. John's, Newfoundland

We meet in St. John's, Newfoundland's historic, vibrant capital. Picturesque and welcoming, it has been continuously fished since 1498, allowing it to boast the designation of North America's oldest European settlement. We will join the Sea Adventurer here.

Day 2: Fogo Island

Located 15km off Newfoundland's northeast coast, Fogo Island was originally named 'fuego' or 'fire' by the Portuguese, after fires set by early fishermen were seen burning on the island. A lucrative crab fishery has since replaced the salmon and cod fisheries that once supported the outport communities of the island. Fogo Island supports 11 communities, and a landmark proclaimed by the Flat Earth Society as one of the four corners of the Earth. We spend time experiencing island life in Fogo Town before heading further north.

Day 3: L'Anse aux Meadows

L'Anse aux Meadows, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the only authenticated Viking settlement in North America. Located at the tip of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula, it is widely regarded as one of the most important archaeological sites globally.

Day 4: Red Bay and L'Anse Amour

Red Bay is a fishing village and former site of several Basque whaling stations occupied between 1550 and the early 1600s when they hunted right and bowhead whales. The remains of three Basque whaling galleons and four small chalupas haunt the depths of the waters in this area, making it an important archaeological site and earning it a UNESCO nomination.

L'Anse Amour is an important archaeological site, located on the Strait of Belle Isle coast, was occupied between at least 5500 and 2000 BC by the Maritime Archaic people who used the area for fishing and hunting harp seals and walrus. The site contains the oldest burial mound found in North America to this day at about 7500 years old. The skeleton of an adolescent child was found underneath, his body was covered with red ochre and accompanied by several stone and bone spearpoints and knives, a walrus tusk, a harpoon head, an ivory carving and a bone whistle. The importance of L'Anse Amour Burial was recognized in 1978, when it was made a National Historic Site.

Day 5: Gros Morne National Park

It has been said, "Gros Morne is to geology what the Galapagos are to biology." Spectacular scenery including Precambrian cliffs, deep inland fjords and volcanic "pillow" rocks formed as lava cooled underwater- is just one of the reasons we stop here year after year. Highlights on this day include time spent exploring the Tablelands, a 600m (1900 ft) high plateau that forms one of the world's best examples of ancient rock exposed from the earth's interior, and exploring the fjord by ship.

Days 6 - 7: The South Coast: Garia Bay, Francois

The last of the true outport communities are found here, and we will visit two of them. First, we visit the tiny village of Francois. Dramatic rock strewn cliffs surround the village, a delicate waterfall runs through the centre of town and there is a short hike to a picturesque pond overlooking the community. Tonight we are treated to music by the local band at an authentic Newfoundland 'Kitchen Party.'

Day 8: Arran Cove and Conne River / Miawpukek

A visit to Miawpukek (Conne River) will reveal a First Nation's community that has the mandate of turning the community into an economically self-sufficient community guided by traditional values. Miawpukek became a permanent community sometime around 1822. Before 1822 it was one of many semi-permanent camping sites used by the Mi'kmaw people who were at the time still nomadic and travelling throughout the east coast.

Day 9: Miquelon, France

On the northern side of the larger island, the village of Miquelon is inhabited by 600 people, mostly of Basque and Acadian ancestry. Wildlife is most abundant on this island and its couterpart to the south, the island of Langlade. The 8 mile sand dune between the two islands is peppered with over 500 shipwrecks.

Day 10:

Day 10: St. John's, Newfoundland

Discover one of the oldest cities in North America, a city unlike any other. Cradled in a harbour carved from 500 million year old rock and surrounded by hills running down to the ocean, St. John's is the most easterly point in North America. St. John's has been vitally important for centuries to explorers, adventurers, merchants, soldiers, pirates, and all manner of seafarers, who provided the foundation for this thriving modern day city.