After breakfast, today, say goodbye to Newfoundland and make your way back to Deer Lake Airport, where you will begin the journey home.
An adventure destination for the intrepid and curious, Newfoundland promises unique experiences in nature as well as a warm, welcoming culture inextricably linked to the ocean and its natural bounties. The earliest European settlements in North America were remote, outport fishing communities along the Newfoundland coast, and it was in these same unforgiving, icy waters that the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank over a century ago. Yet, visiting Newfoundland doesn’t have to be an exercise in “roughing it,” as recent years have seen the development of a burgeoning luxury travel sector that beckons to those visitors seeking a truly unique escape off the beaten path.
Begin your journey with a brief sojourn in North America’s oldest city, St. John’s, Newfoundland. Check into your room at The Luxus Boutique Hotel and Lounge, and enjoy some time to discover St. John’s adjacent, lively downtown waterfront district. A diminutive and remote, yet sophisticated and trendy metropolis, St. John’s is known for its vivid multi-coloured row houses, cute boutiques and galleries, and dynamic hip nightlife.
Overnight at The Luxus Boutique Hotel and Lounge
This morning, fly to the provincial town of Gander, once known as the “crossroads of the world” due to its historic role as a major refuelling point along the transatlantic aviation route. After collecting your baggage, you will be privately transferred to the car ferry that will bring you across the stunning Hamilton Sound to Fogo Island.
Just 45 minutes off of mainland Newfoundland, Fogo Island is a fascinating, utterly remote destination where the elemental forces of rock, ice, wind, fire and sea have clashed for over 420 million years to carve a landscape that resembles nowhere else on earth. Proceed to your accommodations for the next three days at The Fogo Island Inn, and get settled into your room. An otherworldly structured perched at what seems to be the edge of the world, The Inn is a luxurious property that features one-of-a-kind guest suites all with dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows that open onto “iceberg alley,” handmade furniture and quilts, and wood-burning fireplace stoves. Commissioned by a registered Canadian charity dedicated to the preservation of the island’s cultural heritage, The Fogo Island Inn is truly unique in that it’s operated as a non-profit organization, with 100% of its operational surpluses reinvested back into the community.
Overnight at Fogo Island Inn
Today you will enjoy a full day of private hiking guide services on Fogo Island with a local naturalist, geologist, or community host. Choose from 14 different trails– totalling 200 km altogether– each offering their own set of unique challenges and rewards. Whichever path you choose, you will be treated to the unique land, sea, wind and icescapes of this island-off-an-island at North America’s outermost edge. Along your way, you will likely encounter the local flora and fauna, including carnivorous plants, edibles wild berries and mushrooms, caribou, and puffins. You will also be able to explore the island’s ten thriving fishing communities and hauntingly beautiful abandoned villages. Stop for a traditional Newfoundland “boil up” over an open fire, enjoying hot tea, fresh fish and locally-foraged berries; then, return to the hotel in the late afternoon to enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.
Overnight at Fogo Island Inn
This morning, depart on an oceanic adventure in search of icebergs and local wildlife. From the comfort and safety of your state-of-the-art fibreglass vessel– complete with indoor and outdoor seating, washroom facilities and a second-level deck for enhanced wildlife viewing– your local expert captain will be on hand to entertain you with tales of life on the island and point out pods of minke, pilot and fin whales, and colonies of seabirds such as puffins, auks and turrs along the Fogo Island’s craggy shores. You will have the chance to get up-close-and-personal (but not too close) to immense, gently passing icebergs, carried by the frigid waters of the Labrador Current. If you wish, visit the nearby Little Fogo Islands and disembark for a brief hike to a spectacular lookout point.
Make your way back to the inn in the afternoon, and enjoy time at leisure to indulge in its various onsite activities. Relax and admire views of the ocean from a rooftop hot tub, hop on a cruiser bike to explore the island’s winding dirt roads, or head into town to enjoy a cup of tea with locals and watch a demonstration of traditional cod fishing, quilt making or furniture construction methods in action.
Overnight at Fogo Island Inn
This morning, depart Fogo Island and be privately transferred back to Gander for your flight to Deer Lake, the gateway to Gros Morne National Park. Check into your room at Neddies Harbour Inn, then enjoy some time to relax and settle into your new surroundings. Set against the magnificent vista of the Bonne Bay fjord, Neddies Harbour Inn is a boutique family-owned property featuring well-appointed, modern guest rooms and a renowned contemporary restaurant, just 5 miles south of the entrance to Gros Morne National Park.
Overnight at Neddies Harbour Inn
Today, you will meet your local expert driver guide and begin your exploration of Gros Morne National Park. Starting with an interpretation of the area’s natural and cultural history of the area at the park’s discovery center, continue on a 45-minute boardwalk hike across a bog (known locally as a “mish”) that will bring you to Western Brook Pond. Join a small group as you embark on a short journey on the waters of this fascinating landlocked fjord, enjoy breathtaking views of dizzying waterfalls and 2,000-foot granite cliffs along the way.
Afterwards, continue sightseeing with your guide through Gros Morne, hiking a trail through the famed Tablelands, often said to resemble Mars’ landscape more so than anywhere else on Earth. Enjoy sightings of sea stacks, pillow lava, wild meadows, sea caves, and wild sheep. Finish your tour in the picturesque working fishing village of Trout River, wedged between the Tablelands and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Enjoy a gentle walk along the boardwalk, perusing the wares of local craftspeople, and meeting the fishermen who will be supplying your dinner at one of the delicious, seafood restaurants in town. Return to your hotel in the evening to relax after what will surely have been an exhausting day of adventure.
Overnight at Neddies Harbour Inn
After breakfast, today, say goodbye to Newfoundland and make your way back to Deer Lake Airport, where you will begin the journey home.