Greenland/Labrador
Expedition North: The Wild Beauty of Greenland & Labrador
Program No. 22631RJ
Reindeer. Humpback whales. Viking vestiges. Discover Greenland and Newfoundland and Labrador, a harshly majestic Arctic outpost not just endured, but embraced by its friendly residents.
Enroll with Confidence
We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more
Protecting the Environment
We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more
17 days
16 nights
46 meals
16B 14L 16D
3
Kangerlussuatsiaq Fjord
Kangerlussuatsiaq Fjord
4
Nuuk
Nuuk
5
At Sea, Davis Strait
Davis Strait
6
Torngat Mountains National Park
Torngat Mountains National Park
7
Torngat Mountains National Park Continued
Torngat Mountains National Park
8
Torngat Mountains National Park Continued
Torngat Mountains National Park
9
Torngat Mountains National Park Continued
Torngat Mountains National Park
10
Hebron
Hebron
11
Nain
Nain
12
Labrador Coast
Mealy Mountains
13
Labrador Coast
Mealy Mountains
14
Old Norse Settlement & Exhibits
L'Anse aux Meadows
15
Terra Nova National Park
Northeast Newfoundland
16
St. John's, Disembark
St. John's, Newfoundland
17
Program Concludes
St. John's, Newfoundland
At a Glance
The hum of your Zodiac’s outboard motor stops, and you wait. There it is! A humpback whale pierces the water’s surface, pirouetting with a splash. To perhaps witness this rare spectacle is one reason you have voyaged north to the wild coastlines of Greenland and Newfoundland & Labrador. On this educational adventure, discover for yourself how these rugged lands where Vikings lived 600 years ago aren’t all together so different today. Learn in these Arctic enclaves how the friendly residents — like the reindeer and grey-leaf willows — not only endure this extreme outpost but embrace it.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking and standing for up to three hours per day over hilly, rocky, uneven terrain. Climbing stairs between decks on board as well as external gangway stairs to transfer between the ship and Zodiacs. Most embarkations and disembarkations will be via Zodiac, which require stepping up or down approximately 12 inches. Zodiac landings will generally entail disembarking onto rocky or gravelly beaches, and in windy weather can make for rather splashy rides.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Explore Torngat Mountains National Park with a variety of hikes.
- Discover L'Anse aux Meadows, the only authenticated Norse settlement in North America, which boasts a superb interpretive center and several reconstructions of Norse-style sod buildings.
- Enhance your knowledge with unique access to Adventure Canada's seasoned onboard staff, each professionals in their fields including culturalists, photographers and naturalists.
General Notes
The itinerary is subject to change based on weather conditions. The program is limited to 24 participants and the Ocean Endeavour holds 198 passengers.
Suggested Reading List
(22 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Expedition North: The Wild Beauty of Greenland & Labrador
Program Number: 22631
The Shipping News
An international bestseller that put Newfoundland on the world stage, this lyrical novel conjures the tough life of a recently divorced journalist struggling to get through the day in a remote fishing town.
The Surgeon's Mate
The seventh book in the Aubrey-Maturin series, with American privateers in hot pursuit across Newfoundland's Grand Banks.
Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings
The history of the Vikings told through a series of innovative maps and excellent photographs. This book traces the routes of the 9th-century Viking merchants and explorers throughout Europe and onto the New World.
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams is an epic portrait of passion and ambition, set against the beautiful, brutal landscape of Newfoundland.
Newfoundland & Labrador Map
This double sided map shows Newfoundland on one side (with St. Pierre et Miquelon and an inset of St. John's) with Labrador on the reverse.
Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises
In the trademark, graphic Eyewitness style, this sturdy guidebook colorfully describes the world's cetaceans with numerous illustrations, range maps, fluke drawings and a few paragraphs on each species.
River Thieves
River Thieves is a beautifully written and compelling novel that breathes life into the pivotal events which shaped relations between the Beothuk Indians of Newfoundland and European settlers.
Bay of Spirits, A Love Story
Not just a love story (it includes the tale of Mowat meeting the woman who would become his wife), this is an unforgettable portrait of the last of the outport people and life aboard a Newfoundland coastal steamer.
A Traveller's History of Canada
A comprehensive survey of the country's past from the earliest times right through to the present.
Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World
Winner of the 1999 James Beard Award, Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World is the biography of a single species of fish, but it may as well be a world history with this humble fish as its recurring main character.
Island, The Complete Stories
Raised in Cape Breton, Alistair MacLeod writes of family, the pull of old Gaelic traditions, love and the landscape and folkways of Nova Scotia in this collection of 16 stories. Winner of the Pen/Malamud Award.
The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson
The much-loved painters of The Group of Seven helped define Canadian identity, creating iconic images of early 20th-century Canada. This glorious, lovingly produced book show-cases nearly 400 paintings, including influential landscapes, lesser-known portraits, gardens and city scenes, all organized geographically.
Baltimore's Mansion
A memoir and history of the author's family in remote coastal Newfoundland, including his father's days as a codfish-taster.
The Atlantic Coast, A Natural History
Thurston illuminates the geology, plant and animal life and nature of the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland and Labrador through the Maritime Provinces and the Northeastern United States south to Cape Hatteras in this illustrated, engaging survey.
The Boat Who Wouldn't Float
A laugh-out-loud account of Mowat's determination to refurbish and sail a clunky old boat in the not-always-forgiving waters of Newfoundland.
The Day the World Came to Town, 9/11 In Gander, Newfoundland
When thirty-eight jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001, due to the closing of United States airspace, the citizens of this small community were called upon to come to the aid of more than six thousand displaced travelers.
A Field Guide to North Atlantic Wildlife
A comprehensive pocket guide to commonly encountered marine mammals, seabirds and other marine life of Northeastern North America, from North Carolina to Newfoundland and the Canadian Maritimes.
The Bird Artist
Memorably set in a remote coastal village in 1911, this vivid book is the tale of an odd local man who murdered the lighthouse keeper. It's as much about human character and motivation as it is about Newfoundland.
Moon Handbook Atlantic Canada
A comprehensive guide to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island. With regional maps and detailed descriptions of St. John's and other points of interest, along with an overview of the people, wildlife and history of the region
Theatre of Fish: Travels through Newfoundland and Labrador
A rollicking account of Gimlette's adventures in Newfoundland and Labrador on the trail of a great-great grandfather. It's a witty tale, soaked in fishy history, myth, lore and incident.
Transatlantic
Colum McCann (Let the Great Wold Spin) traces the derring-do of early aviation, the arc of the lives of the two British airmen, and of four generations of remarkable women in Ireland and America in this stunning novel. Entirely a work of fiction, McCann nonetheless uses real people and real events as a point of departure, with sections on the real British aviators Alcock and Brown and their 1919 flight from Newfoundland to Ireland, Frederick Douglass's emotional Irish journey in 1845 and Senator George Mitchell's efforts on behalf of the 1998 Belfast Agreement. The extended sequence aboard the WW1-era biplane Vickers Vimy through the weather and perils and cold is nothing short of breathtaking. You can see the plane at the London Science Museum.
Vikings, The North Atlantic Saga
An extensively illustrated volume of Viking culture, history and exploration that focuses especially on voyages to North America. Published in conjunction with a Smithsonianexhibit, it features essays and 400 color photographs.
