‘Greenland & Wild Labrador’

Are you looking for a trip that few have taken and which includes natural splendor, archaeology, hiking, history, native culture, music and lots of laughter? My husband and I experienced such a trip, the 14-day “Greenland & Wild Labrador,” Sept. 5-18, 2013, offered by Adventure Canada (14 Front St., South Mississauga, Ont., L5H 2C4, Canada; 800/363-7566). We booked it through the travel agency Great Canadian Adventure. 

From Toronto, we flew by charter aircraft to Greenland, where we boarded Sea Adventurer, soon donning lifejackets for the first of many Zodiac rides to shore. It happened that we had traveled to Antarctica in 2005 on the same ship, when it was the Clipper Adventurer. It accommodates about a hundred passengers. Our crowd included people from Europe, Australia, Canada and the US, and all were up for anything.

Serving delicious meals, the ship offered different fish every night.

We visited communities along the coastlines of Greenland and Labrador, including an Inuit town in northern Quebec and several places in Newfoundland. We were fed and entertained by people in the tiny villages and enjoyed hikes in remote and starkly beautiful settings. We also saw many birds, polar bears, whales, seals, etc.

We have traveled widely, but this trip truly included comprehensive learning experiences about every aspect of this fragile and awe-inspiring part of the world. Writers, musicians, archaeologists and biologists on the staff made the trip especially interesting and fun, and a number of Inuit folks taught us about their history, culture and lives. 

A highlight for my husband and me was our three days in Torngat Mountains National Park in northern Labrador, one of the most stunning sites we have ever seen! I got some frame-worthy shots as our ship navigated the fjords through these dramatic mountains.

The cruise ended in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where we had signed up for a one-day extension to Cape St. Mary’s. After a long but beautiful drive along the coast to this incredible nesting site for about 50,000 Northern Gannets, we walked to a headland very close to these huge seabirds. We could hear their calls and photograph them as they swooped below.

For our trip, we paid $7,495 per person for a double cabin, $1,100 each for a charter flight from Toronto to Greenland and $215 each for the extension, which included a night in the Delta St. John’s Hotel. Trip insurance was required. The cruise will be offered again in September 2014.

LINDA JESSELL

Portland, OR