9 Nights (Small Group) - Southern Labrador Experience

Included

• 9 nights accommodation
• All Breakfasts and Lunches as stated above
• All transportation as stated
• Admissions as listed
• Return airport transfers
• Experienced guide
• All boat trips

Join a naturalist on a photographic and historic expedition through northern Newfoundland and southern Labrador. Commemorate the polar centennial with four nights at Battle Harbour, Labrador. Contribute to our efforts at studying and cataloguing the region’s humpbacks, orcas, and other whales. Travel through time viewing fossils, remnants of the earliest life on earth, and some of the new world’s earliest archaeological sites. The area is incredibly rich with wildlife but is one of North America’s least studied marine areas. Enjoy comfortable nights, wild days, and some of our planet’s most dramatic landscapes as we count humpbacks and continue to pioneer the study of eastern North America’s orcas.

Day 1

Arrive Deer Lake, Newfoundland (YDF). Overview of expedition. Travel the dramatic route to Gros Morne for the evening. Meals: Dinner

Day 2

Travel to L'Anse au Clair, Labrador with a stop at Port aux Choix, Newfoundland to look at ancient orca carvings. The ferry to Labrador is famous for pelagic seabird watching. Whales and seals are also frequent highlights on this 90-minute crossing. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 3

If time allows, we visit the 1540s World Whaling Capital, Red Bay, where we learn the story of the bowhead and right whales who once called these productive waters home. Travel through old growth Labrador forest along the new Labrador Highway to Mary's Harbour where we meet the Battle Harbour ferry. Watch for the black bears and other wildlife along the route and around Mary's Harbour. Overnight in the beautifully restored, historic premises of Battle Harbour. From here Peary declared, "The Pole is ours." Today the area has been restored to the glory it enjoyed when it was the Capital of Labrador. We use generators for electricity and enjoy comfortable rooms and the local food. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4 - 6

Coastal boat trips searching for humpbacks, orcas, and other whales. Explore Battle Harbour and the abandoned communities of the Labrador coast. We will also attempt to gather some of the region’s first humpback tail photographs. Our hope is that we can continue our orca dorsal fin photography and perhaps use hydrophones to listen in on the underwater vocalizations of orcas and dolphins. We have a small catalogue of orcas we recognize and we will be attempting to broaden our knowledge of these individuals and their biology. The region’s dramatic coast and recently abandoned fishing communities contribute a poignant and unforgettable human adventure to the expedition experience. We enjoy the coast’s whales, abundant seabirds, and seals by day while soaking up the historic atmosphere of Battle Harbour by night. We review the story of Peary and Bartlett and their trip to the Pole. We also revisit the time the world came to Battle Harbour to hear the stories of the first successful journey to the Pole. Our time here is always an expedition highlight. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 7

Our gentle adventure departs Labrador for St. Anthony, Newfoundland area and our local hotels. The ferry trip between mainland Labrador and the Island of Newfoundland provides prime whale and seabird watching opportunities for us again. Meals: Breakfast, lunch.

Day 8

Depending on the sea conditions and local reports, we will explore the dolphin and humpback rich areas around St. Anthony and the Grey Islands on local tour boats. Every season several recognizable orcas show up, including individuals we know from the Battle Harbour region. This is our last day for photographing humpback tails and orca dorsal fins. We also explore the ancient Norse history of this scenic region....and learn about the relationships the Norse and the first peoples had with the region's whales. Meals: Breakfast, lunch.

Day 9

The last day of our expedition will likely see more moose and caribou than whales as we leave northern Newfoundland for the charming Glynmill Inn in Corner Brook. Here we enjoy a sumptuous farewell supper. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 10

Depart from Deer Lake airport. Bon Voyage! Meals: Breakfast