EXCURSIONES EN TIERRA

Learn about the famous explorer Captain Cook during this informative tour that traces the coastal route he explored over 250 years ago. Before going on to discover New Zealand, Australia, and Hawaii, Captain Cook learned his skills as a navigator and captain in Newfoundland. The route you will follow today includes delightful fishing villages inhabited by people of English, French, and Aboriginal ancestry. Among the highlights you will enjoy are the rugged coastal scenery and inland forests, along with the possibility of sighting some seals and other wildlife.

A stop will be made at Lark Harbor where you will be treated to a sampling of Newfoundland flavors with a coffee/tea break served by the friendly locals. This visit in the small community of Lark Harbor always proves to be a high point of the tour and gives participants a chance to meet the genial residents.

Before returning to the pier, you will stop at the dramatic lookout site of Cook's Look-out National Historic Site.

This mostly panoramic tour gives you a great overview of Corner Brook. Boarding your bus, you will head out for a scenic drive to Captain Cook's Look-out historic site. From here, you can see out over the beautiful Bay of Islands.

Your tour will also include seeing the dramatic settings of Corner Brook's parks and magnificent vistas, all the while learning interesting facts about this picturesque logging town that is perched at the mouth of one of the world's great salmon rivers. Hear tales of 40-pound salmon, the buried treasure of Shellbird Island and the many wonders of western Newfoundland. Of course you will also get better acquainted with the world-famous Captain Cook and have a look at the forests that lured North America's first European visitors, the Vikings.

After a photo stop at the scenic Old Man in the Mountain viewpoint, you will enjoy a picturesque drive back to the pier.

A wonderful outdoor adventure, this tour features leisurely walks through the nearby woods where views include a cascading waterfall, meandering stream and open parkland. Boarding your school bus at the pier, it's a brief drive to the scenic Corner Brook Stream trail system, where you will have the pleasure of hiking its serene paths, parts of which wind through the city. The trail follows the stream itself, which eventually flows into the bay. Along the way, look for songbirds warbling in the trees, wildflowers blanketing the forest floor, and clusters of ripe berries in the bushes.

To enhance the experience and take full advantage of the ever-changing topography, there are pedestrian bridges, staircases and platforms that offer dramatic views of the countryside. Next you will be shuttled to the Glynmill Inn Trail, much of which also runs parallel to Corner Brook Stream and Glynmill Inn Pond. Mill workers originally constructed the pond as a dam to supply power to the city's paper industry.

Following your hike you will stop at a local café for a tasty treat made with Newfoundland berries before driving back to the pier where your tour concludes.

Discover what it’s like to live in Cox’s Cove, a small coastal community that has had a long and meaningful relationship with the sea.

After departing from the pier, you will enjoy an immensely picturesque drive along the beautiful coastline of western Newfoundland, pausing along the way to snap photos of the dramatic scenery. After approximately 90 minutes, you will arrive in the small fishing community of Cox's Cove.

Located in the unspoiled Bay of Islands, Cox's Cove has always had a deep relationship with the sea. People of European descent have fished these waters for 500 years. Thousands of years prior to their arrival, aboriginal people thrived in this pristine environment and developed a lifestyle that was highly dependent on the bounty of the sea. It wasn't until 1969 that Cox's Cove was incorporated and a fish plant was constructed primarily to process herring.

As much as Cox's Cove has evolved, it still treasures its past, as you will discover over lunch. While dining on a traditional meal that includes samplings of several local foods, including seafood of course, you will watch a folkloric dance performance to live music. The songs reflect the history of the community and often tell stories of the aboriginal people. Following lunch, you will have free time to wander about Cox's Cove. Don't miss the dock, where you will see the fishing boats that are so vital to the economy.

Soar high above Marble Mountain on a series of zip lines that will present you with sweeping views of Newfoundland’s natural beauty and leave you positively exhilarated.

After departing from the pier, you will enjoy a short but scenic drive up Marble Mountain, a peak in the Long Range Mountains that overlooks Cornerbrook. During the winter, skiers and snowboarders zip down the mountain, but it's all about zip lining in the summer.

After a briefing to acquaint you with the thrill of zip lining, you will harness up and begin your adventure from the first aerial platform. The moment you step off the platform, you can expect a hair-raising, adrenaline rush and a literal bird's-eye view of the natural beauty that surrounds Cornerbrook.

Flying from platform to platform, you can reach speeds approaching 20 miles per hour. So don't blink because the scenery goes by fast. There are nine zip lines in all, the longest being 2,000 feet and the highest being 285 feet above the ground. That's nearly the length of a football field, so you can imagine how magnificent the view and experience will be.

As you soar through the treetops, you will pass over one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the province and zigzag across a colossal gorge. You will also enjoy a perspective of fertile Humber Valley that few people ever see.

Zip lining is an absolute thrill, one you will not soon forget after returning to the pier.

OVERVIEW

Gain an understanding of the indigenous First Nation people that live in Elmastukwek, the Mi'kmaq word for the outer part of the horseshoe-shaped Bay of Islands, which Corner Brook overlooks. Elmastukwek literally means "going away from the river," a reference to region's distance from the Humber River. For a historical immersion into the culture, you will visit the site of Crow Gulch, a former poor and stigmatized Mi'kmaq community that was razed in the 1960s. A mural now marks the spot in recognition of the families that were displaced. It features two prominent crows, a nod to the spiritual presence of the ancestors of those who lived Crow Gulch. The focus will turn to food at the Saltbox, an informal restaurant that overlooks the Bay of Islands. You will be served a lunch of locally sourced specialties that will likely include moose tacos, smoked Arctic char and seasonal seafood.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Delve into the history and culture of the First Nation Mi’kmaq who live in Elmastukwek.
• Behold a colorful mural that honors a Mi’kmaq community that was razed in the 1960s.
• Dine on traditional foods such as moose at a restaurant overlooking the bay.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.