Circle Cruise of Newfoundland - 9 Nights

Starts: St. John's, NL

Finishes: St. John's, NL

2010 Departure Dates: June 14-23

Included

• Accommodations, meals & taxes.

The charming, dramatic and culturally vibrant island of Newfoundland always has its doors wide open for visitors. The island is rich in diversity, from the spectacular cliffs and fjords of Gros Morne National Park to the barren limestone of Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve and to the century-old fishing villages lining the shore. We take you to see the best of Newfoundland’s delightful nooks and crannies.

Day 1 — St. John's

Come early and enjoy the parks, historical sites, music, food and famous east coast hospitality before we depart. Watch for breaching Humpback whales as we cruise past the Baccalieu Island Ecological Reserve, home to some of the world's largest colonies of puffins, storm petrels and gannets.

Days 2 to through 10

Among the places we may visit are:

Fogo Island & the town of Seldom

The Flat Earth Society has deemed Fogo Island as one of the four corners of the Earth. We take a break to experience life in one of the island’s "Seldom" seen villages.

L'Anse aux Meadows

The UNESCO world heritage site where Norsman Leif Ericson is thought to have founded “Vinland” in 1000 AD. As we explore the reconstructed sod huts and Norse ruins, we’ll see evidence that the Vikings discovered North America 500 years before Columbus.

The Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve

This 864-acre peninsula is home to more than 300 species of plants, some of which are among the rarest plant species in the world. The reserve’s botanical diversity and interesting geological features earned Burnt Cape ecological reserve status in 2000. We walk among this botanical wonderland, and learn what makes it so very special.

Gros Morne National Park

World renowned for its stunning scenery: towering Long Range Mountains and tiny seaside communities, forests, bogs, barren lowlands, and striking shorelines. We explore the Park’s famous fiord by ship, and spend time walking among The Tablelands – a mountain of flat-top rock usually found deep within the earth’s mantle. It was these very rock that helped geologists prove the theory of plate tectonics.

Bay of Islands

This is the mouth for one of Newfoundland’s major rivers, and a sub-basin for the Gulf of St. Lawrence, making the bay an important estuary. The bay’s many amazing arms provide numerous opportunities for zodiac cruises and hikes on shore.

The Grand Codroy Estuary

A bird lover’s paradise. The Estuary is one of the few places on the island where Bald Eagles, Merlin and Osprey are often spotted, and is home to nesting Black Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, and Green-winged Teals.

The South Coast

This is the most spectacularly rugged section of the island's coastline, with land that rises abruptly from the sea forming numerous bays separated by rocky peninsulas. Although most of the communities were abandoned after the collapse of the cod fishery, we’ll visit one of the towns still thriving thanks to friendly residents and old-fashioned charm.

Cape St. Mary's

During the breeding season, this ecological reserve is home to 24,000 Northern gannet, 20,000 black-legged kittiwake, 20,000 common murre, and 2,000 thick-billed murre. More than 100 pairs of razorbill, and 60 pairs of black guillemot, plus double-crested and great cormorant, fulmar nest here. We will get up close, making this a true photographer’s delight.