Newfoundland & Labrador Discovery

Relax with included airport lounge access before your flight to St. John's, collect your rental car and head for your overnight accommodation, Leaside Manor a heritage manor house, overlooking the downtown and waterfront of the heart of St. John's.

Next morning explore the city with a spot of sightseeing in St. John’s. Discover the drive up Signal Hill for spectacular views and take a trip out to Cape Spear National Historic Site, the most easterly point in North America. Visit one of the provinces most photographed places, Quidi Vidi Village just outside St. John’s. You may want to stop at Quidi Vidi Brewery for a pint brewed with iceberg water.

Stay: Leaside Manor, St. John's (Superior)

Spend the day exploring the stunning coastline and the little villages of the Avalon Peninsula. Start your day driving to Bay Bulls for a boat excursion to see whales and the Atlantic Puffin - if you are lucky you may even spot an iceberg (May/June only). From Bay Bulls follow the Irish Loop to Ferryland, the home of the original Colony of Avalon founded by George Calvert, later Lord Baltimore, in 1621. The site of the Ferryland settlement is now being excavated, and archaeologists have uncovered over a million artefacts from the stone constructed buildings including gold rings, Portuguese ceramics, and other unusual objects. 

Stay: Leaside Manor, St. John's (Superior)

Today embark on your journey to the Bonavista Peninsula, known for its scenic and rugged coastlines. The peninsula also contains some of the oldest settlements in Newfoundland, particularly the towns of Bonavista and Trinity. Before settling in to your accommodation for the night, drive south of Trinity to New Bonaventure and visit the Random Passage Site. Constructed in 2000 for the filming of the international TV mini-series “Random Passage”, the site today provides the opportunity to step back in time and experience what life might have been like in a fishing outpost in the early 1800s.

Stay: Artisan Inn, Trinity (Superior)

Explore the enchanting village of Trinity with its restored white and pastel coloured clapboard houses. Set along a dramatic coastline you will discover a sense of Newfoundland’s history and nature. Join the Trinity Pageant, a walking theatre that meanders through the village enticing viewers to live the history of the area. If you’re feeling active, hike the short but steep 20-minute trail up Gun Hill behind the village for spectacular views of the village and surrounding areas.

Stay: Artisan Inn, Trinity (Superior)

Now that you have a sense of the area, venture to Port Rexton today and hike the Skerwink Trail. This very walkable trail will take you along the rugged coastline for a spectacular view of the surrounding villages set against the ocean. In the afternoon, head north to the town of Bonavista, where you can visit the Ryan Premises National Historic Site, a 19th century replica fish processing factory. In this small village you will also find the red and white striped Bonavista Lighthouse, and the Matthew Legacy, a replica of John Cabot’s ship which voyaged across the Atlantic to discover land in 1497. 

Stay: Artisan Inn, Trinity (Superior)

Enroute to Twillingate, pass through Terra Nova National Park. If you feel the need to commune with nature, a stop will introduce you to coniferous forests, ponds, and a plethora of walking trails. Continue towards Twillingate. In Boyd’s Cove make another stop at the Beothuk Interpretive Centre and visit an ancient Beothuk village discovered by archaeologists in the 1980s. Arrive in Twillingate then grab your camera and head out on the ocean with the afternoon Iceberg Watch boat tour, where you will have an opportunity to see icebergs, whales, sunsets and many other spectacular views that the beautiful island of Twillingate has to offer. 

Stay: Harbour Lights Inn, Twillingate (Superior)

Bound for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Gros Morne National Park, words do not give the vistas justice. The park is populated by little villages, bare topped mountains, and forests inhabited by moose and caribou.

The morning is free to explore the area with your rental car. Enjoy a boat tour of the freshwater fjord of Western Brook Pond. The landlocked fjord is a rare sight. Carved by glaciers, and home to plenty of waterfalls and wildlife, it’s worth the trip alone. The rest of the day is free to explore the sites of the Gros Morne National Park.

Enjoy a day exploring all of Gros Morne National Park on your own viewing glacial valleys, intriguing rock formations, magnificent sea arches and numerous types of wildlife. Don’t miss the internationally known Tablelands, a rare outcrop of the Earth’s mantle pushed skyward half a billion years ago.

Heading toward St. Anthony, make a stop in Port Au Choix and Port Au Choix National Historic Site where three ancient cemeteries of the Maritime Archaic People were discovered. The Visitor Centre gives great background to this culture with exhibits and artefacts. Continue to St. Anthony, the ‘Iceberg Capital of the World’. Along the rugged ocean coastline you can witness the majestic wonder of whales and icebergs (note that the peak iceberg season is typically May/June and early July).

Stay: Grenfell Heritage Hotel, St. Anthony (Superior)

Visit the L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site comprising the remains of the earliest European settlement in the Americas. The colony of Vinland was excavated in the 1960s and the artefacts are on display supported by a film. Walk to the original village and discover the full scale replicas of Norse buildings. Return to St. Anthony for the night.

Stay: Grenfell Heritage Hotel, St. Anthony (Superior)

Return to Norris Point and settle in for one more night. The day is at leisure to explore the region or take in the enchanting beauty of the region.

Stay: Neddies Point Inn, Norris Point (Superior)

After breakfast, make the drive to Deer Lake Airport, return your car rental and board your flight to St. John's, connecting to your overnight flight back to the UK arriving on Day 14.