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Québec

Whale Tales: Adventures in Québec With Your Grandchild

Program No. 5455RJ
See feeding whales, visit giant sand dunes, embark on a marine safari and hear the story of local First Nations people as you explore the St. Lawrence River region with your grandchild.
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Start
GrandparentRegional StudiesAnimals & WildlifeAges 9 – 12
Length
7 days
Rating (5)
Activity Level
Starts at
3,099 / ADULT
2,099 / CHILD
Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
7 days
6 nights
What's Included
16 meals ( 6B, 5L, 5D )
2 expert-led lectures
10 expert-led field trips
An experienced Group Leader
6 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
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Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m. There are 23 stairs from the hotel ground level entrance to the main lobby. A phone is available at ground level to request luggage assistance or access to the service elevator. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).
Afternoon:
4:00-5:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the lobby to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
Orientation: 7:30 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone with a warm welcome and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may be changed due to local conditions/circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Prepare for check-out and transfer to Tadoussac in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving nearly 136 miles throughout the day, approximately 3.5 hours total riding time to Tadoussac. Walking and standing for approximately 2.5 hours during the aquarium visit.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
At the hotel, we will learn about the environmental history of the St. Lawrence River and the impact humans have had on the ecological health of the river. We will then check out of the hotel and ride via motorcoach to the Quebec City Aquarium. Come and meet the 10,000 marine animals that inhabit the Aquarium: fish, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and sea mammals. Among them, polar bear, walruses, and seals will provide you with unique moments. Watch them when they're feeding or being trained. A fascinating experience for young and old alike!
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
Arriving in Tadoussac late afternoon, we will check in at the hotel with about an hour before dinner.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Walking 1.5 miles over 2 hours with periods of standing. Whale watching will be aboard the Grand Fleuve, which offer its passengers the best view of the whales. With glassed-in panoramic decks, terraces and observation platforms, these boats provide unparalleled visibility and passionate naturalist-guides. Cruising about 40 miles over three hours on board a whale watching boat.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will start our morning with a presentation by a local resident. This presentation will explore the rich history of Tadoussac, a village which began as a trading post between Indigenous peoples and early European explorers. We’ll engage with the interesting contrast between life then and now, and see how Tadoussac has evolved into a vibrant Northern Quebec community powered through tourism, education, municipal services, and marine research. After the presentation we will walk the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord behind the wharf with our Group Leader.
Lunch:
At the hotel.
Afternoon:
We will embark on a whale watching safari with an experienced naturalist to see Fin, Minke, and Beluga whales, perhaps humpback and blue whales as well. The Gulf and Estuary of the St. Lawrence form a kingdom for whales. They are like an open-air laboratory for biologists fascinated by these giants. Since the beginning of the 1980s, the St. Lawrence has also become an incomparable destination for those wishing to attempt an encounter with whales. For it is here where the upwelling phenomena supplies vast clouds of krill and small fish that attract so many whales.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Walking about 2 miles, approximately 4 hours with periods of standing. Getting on/off a school bus; driving about 40 miles roundtrip, approximately 1 hour total driving time.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board a school bus and start our day at Archéo Topo at Les Bergeronnes. Grandchildren will make pottery just as the aboriginal peoples did thousands of years ago. Next, at the Marine Environment Discovery Centre learn about the marine environment, tides, currents, fish and animals. This is also a wonderful spot to whale watch from the shore.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
Cap-de-Bon-Désir is an excellent place from which to admire the St. Lawrence Estuary and the many species of marine mammals, including minke, common and blue whales, belugas and many species of seals and seabirds. We will then return to the hotel by the school bus.
Dinner:
This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Walking about 1 mile, approximately 2 hours. The whale watching is aboard a zodiac, which offer us an exhilarating whale watching experience. Cruising for 2.5 hours, approximately 40 miles on board a zodiac. Climbing up and down giant sand dunes.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will walk to the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre (or CIMM, abbreviated from the original Quebec French) to hear about the role and activity of the Whale Research Station. We will discover the fascinating and mysterious world of the St-Lawrence whales with our museum specialists. Where can one see them? How to recognize them? The museum’s exhibitions, skeleton collection and reconstitutions of sea mammals, films and slideshows are not to be missed. We will listen to the underwater sounds of the Saguenay River; see spectacular images and reproductions of whales, and much more.
Lunch:
At the hotel.
Afternoon:
From the marina, we’ll embark on a second whale watching safari by zodiac to see Fin, Minke and Beluga whales, perhaps humpback and blue whales. The Estuary of the St. Lawrence forms a kingdom for whales. They are like an open air laboratory for biologists fascinated by these giants. Since the beginning of the 1980s, the St. Lawrence has also become an incomparable destination for those wishing to attempt an encounter with whales. Next, we’ll travel to the sand dunes by school bus where we can run, jump, roll, slide, and somersault down the sand dunes descending 200 feet to the shore. This is a highlight for the grandchildren. Afterwards returning to the hotel by school bus.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer to Quebec City in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 136 miles, approximately 3.5 hours riding time throughout the day. Walking approximately 1 mile for approximately 1.5 hours with periods of standing.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We’ll check out of the hotel and board the motorcoach for Québec City. Next, we will discover Charlevoix’s maritime tradition at the Maritime Museum located at the former Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive shipyard. The shipyard was dedicated to the building, repair and winter dry-docking of schooners until it closed in 1972. The Maritime Museum preserves and recounts the Charlevoix’s maritime history through tales of the schooners that once sailed the St. Lawrence and the building techniques unique to these magnificent ships. We will enjoy a magical moment on the shores of the mighty St. Lawrence, where centuries of history unfolded and learn, from a docent about the history of navigation and better understand the role of the navigation in the economic development of Québec.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
We will continue our journey back to Québec City arriving mid-afternoon. We will then have free time to explore. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure tomorrow.
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 12:00 Noon.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
The program concludes after breakfast. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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