Pack your things! There is an unforgettable experience waiting for you on the rocky Labrador coast, in the far Eastern regions of the Province of Quebec.
The aerial view of this vast and wild place called the Lower North Shore is something you won’t soon forget. Sailing among the hundreds of islands that dot the shore, you may see icebergs, whales, and migratory birds. But the real value in this package is in the authentic and informative encounters you will enjoy with our Coasters. They are homegrown adventurers, storytellers, and community leaders who will tell you all about life, past and present, in this unique area.
A 5-day Nordic tour with the Coasters, where a warm welcome and unique adventure awaits. The fun starts where the road ends…
A Voyages CoSte Signature Vacation – CoSte is a cooperative, receptive agency, devoted to Quebec’s North Shore.
Note: Iceberg season on the Lower North Shore is May to early July
Bring warm clothing – you will be visiting a subarctic climate and temperatures can be very cool in early summer. A windbreaker and rain gear are essentials, as are good walking shoes, if you intend to spend any time outdoors. Bring bug repellant.
Depart Natashquan for Blanc-Sablon on Air Liaison flight, with stops at Unamen Shipu (La Romaine), Chevery, and St-Augustin.
Arrive early afternoon at Blanc-Sablon airport. Your English-speaking guide will meet you. Pick up your rented vehicle. Proceed to the hotel and settle into your room.
Take a 4-hour photo safari with your host. He will familiarise you with your new surroundings as he shows you around the area.
Overnight in Blanc-Sablon at 2* hotel or inn, breakfast included
Breakfast at your accommodation.
Depart for Salmon Bay. Enjoy spectacular views of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence on this short drive.
Visit Salmon Bay Farm, where a local family raises scallops in a beautiful, natural bay. The owners will teach you all they know about breeding the delicious mollusks. Hike among the rocks that line the shore of the bay and enjoy a taste of the farm’s product.
Overnight in Blanc-Sablon at 2* hotel or inn, breakfast included
Breakfast at your accommodation.
Early morning, you are expected in the village of Rivière-St-Paul. You can once again enjoy the 88 km scenic route that separates Blanc-Sablon and Rivière-St-Paul.
Your local, English-speaking guide, an old salt with tales to tell, will meet you at the fishing port. Board a small craft with outboard motor for a discovery tour of the Rivière-St-Paul Archipelago. Among the windswept rocky islands there are seals and birds and minke whales. Your guide will tell you how his ancestors came to live here and how they survived against the odds.
Visit the former Basque whaling site, discovered only a few years ago by your guide, and only accessible by boat. Archaeological excavations have begun. These will shed more light on the community’s heritage.
Back in the river, you can cast a line and perhaps catch a trout to grill for your supper. Return to Rivière-Saint-Paul at the end of the day. Your guide will take you to your lodging for the night.
Overnight in Rivière-Saint-Paul at 2* hotel or inn, breakfast included
Breakfast at your accommodation.
Depart for the village of Vieux-Fort, at the far end of Route 138 West.
This village claims to have been Jacques Cartier’s first stop in Canada. The original trading post was called Brest, and history shows that a fishing port of that name did exist on these shores. The port is mentioned in several documents dating from the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.
The locality was, in fact, founded by Breton fishermen towards the end of the fifteenth century. It was known as a busy whaling station with ovens, warehouses, and depots. Jacques Cartier mentions Brest as a fishing port in the account of his first trip to Canada. His ships stayed there for at least a day. He planted a cross and celebrated mass. After stocking up on fresh water, food, and wood, he resumed his journey up the Saint Lawrence.
According to records, this visit to Brest took place in June 1534, three weeks before Cartier’s famed landing in Gaspé. The villagers of Vieux-Fort believe that the port of Brest was on the site of the current “Old Fort”. However, even if this town appears on the geographical maps preserved in the French archives, the maps are inaccurate, so the location of this locality remains difficult to prove.
You will find several hiking trails north of the village, and we suggest a visit to the fabulous observation point of Granny’s Hill.
Overnight in Rivière-Saint-Paul at 2* hotel or inn, breakfast included
Breakfast at your accommodation.
Early morning, drive to Blanc-Sablon Airport and board your return flight to Natashquan on Air Liaison. The flight makes stops in St-Augustin, Chevery and Unamen Shipu (La Romaine) before landing in Gille Vigneault’s native village in the Regional County of Minganie.
You can spend the rest of the morning beachcombing or visiting the village that inspired the characters in Vigneault’s songs. You may want to visit the café-bistro “l’Échourie” for a beach-side lunch in Natashquan, before heading home.
