Overview

 Highlights


  • Hikes on Tablelands Trail and Lookout Hills Trail
  • Join in a Big Canoe team activity with an Indigenous guide
  • Explore the town of Woody Point
  • Participate in an Atlantic Healthy Oceans Initiative
  • Kayaking on Bonne Bay (depending on season)
  • Visit Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse

Nestled in Gros Morne National Park, your week-long journey begins with a warm welcome and orientation dinner on the waterfront of Bonne Bay. Explore the highlights of the area from land and sea! Walk on the Tablelands- the earth’s mantle and examine the geological wonder of Green Point. Visit a Mi’kmaq exhibit at the Discovery Centre on the Miawpukek First Nation way of life and experience these Indigenous traditions first hand by the campfire. This week is a multi-sport adventure, where you can paddle in both kayak and a 10 person ocean-going canoe!

Dive into conservation and the how to’s of a sustainable, circular economy with Atlantic Healthy Oceans Initiative, featuring presentations on microplastics and hands-on research at the Bonne Bay Aquarium and Research Station. Stretch your legs on the Green Gardens hike, a 10 km trail through forests and volcanic rocky shores, offering views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Depart Gros Morne with cherished memories of its natural wonders, diverse landscapes and rural Newfoundland culture.

Countries:

Start and Finishing Point:

Deer Lake

Activities:

Grading:Introductory   


Arrive at the Deer Lake airport in the afternoon and enjoy the one hour drive through cabin country and mountains to Gros Morne National Park. An orientation of the week is followed by a welcome dinner at the beachfront property in Norris Point. Stay at a comfortable hostel accommodations in Rocky Harbour all week.

Meals:  L,D

The day starts with an hour drive to the south side of the park. We will visit the Discovery Centre to learn about the geology in Gros Morne National Park and view The Middle River Exhibition, a Mi’kmaq story based on the traditions of the Miawpukek First Nation. After we will explore the Tablelands, an eerie landscape of mantle rock that once lay beneath the ancient Iapetus Ocean. From a geological and natural history perspective, it is one of the main reasons why Gros Morne National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The afternoon holds a couple options; either hiking the Lookout Trail, in the picturesque waterfront town of Woody Point. Tablelands Trail Distance: 4 km return (2 mi) easy to moderate Lookout Hills Trail Distance: 5 km (3 mi) hike up to a 400 m (1200 ft) elevation Hiking time: 2 - 3 hours Terrain/Elevation: Steep/70-405 m (240 - 1215 ft)

Meals:  B,L,D

In the morning, meet in Norris Point for a sea kayaking adventure on Bonne Bay. The sheltered fjord of Bonne Bay extends over 20 km (12.5 mi) inland from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Some of the best views of Gros Morne Mountain and the Tablelands are seen from the bay and its home to a host of wildlife and marine organisms including minke whales, eagles, terns, jellyfish, and sea stars. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the beach and in the afternoon visit two Parks Canada sites, Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse and Green Point. This century old lighthouse is still in operation and houses displays of Newfoundland culture past and present. A short drive to Green Point Geological Site offers a chance to see evidence of rock layers between the Cambrian and Ordovician time periods. These cliffs are a rare find.... 300 million years older than dinosaurs!

Meals:  B,L,D

This hands-on journey is focused on the natural resources we have in Newfoundland and Labrador and how our people have adapted and thrived during the seasons. Join an Indigenous guide in our Big Canoe and learn how to glide on Bonne Bay working as a team! To understand how the First Peoples lived, we’ll look at the land from their perspective, look at the sea with their needs in mind and hold the raw materials of their tools in our hands. Journey back in time as you paddle a 10 paddler canoe. We will work together traveling through a double armed fjord, keeping an eye out for marine or terrestrial life along the way. Our guides will provide storytelling and local history of the Indigenous people in Newfoundland as we set up a campfire and experience the tastes of the land. Savor local berry tea, get the feel of a flint to make fire and try lashing with spruce roots. Explore the plants and animals that sustained early life here and try your hand at cooking Lu’skinikin (bannock) over an open fire. Gather around the fire for the tales of the triumphs and tragedies of our ancestors.

Meals:  B,L,D

Spend the day in Norris Point with Atlantic Healthy Oceans Initiative and visit the Bonne Bay Aquarium and Research Station, a Memorial University campus. First, learn about this non-profit organization, specifically their micro plastic research and the effects on our ocean. Tour the aquarium to see the marine organisms that live in Bonne Bay and learn why this double arm fjord is such a unique diverse body of water. You're a marine biologist for the day! Collect measurements like salinity, water temperature and dissolved oxygen and compare them to the historical data from the area; assessing any changes to the local marine environment. Help conduct a small quadrant beach cleanup and audit the findings to find out what else lives on our shores outside of nature. You will learn about ways to reduce our use of plastics and eliminate waste from our everyday lives.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we’ll travel back to the south side of the park to the Green Gardens trail which is touted as the most ecologically diverse trek in the park. The route crosses an ancient ocean floor, traverses an Arctic alpine rock garden and descends into a boreal forest valley of northern evergreens, songbirds, and moose. It begins at 300 m (900 ft) and descends to the coast where you can explore wide beaches with shallow rock pools, grassy meadows, rock pillars, ancient volcanic sea-stacks and rugged cliffs. Lunch on the beach and if the tides permit seek out a sea cave and tidal pools. After lunch, hike to the second meadow to enjoy a spectacular view of the northern shore and return to the trailhead. Explore the fishing community of Trout River and enjoy an evening meal at a seaside restaurant. Green Gardens Distance: 9 km Hiking time: 3-4 hours Terrain/Elevation: Steep/0-279 m (800 ft)

Meals:  B,L,D

After breakfast, say farewell to Gros Morne National Park and drive an hour back to the Deer Lake Airport.

Meals:  B


Learning outcomes for students

World Expeditions Schools journeys are designed to encourage positive personal development and the learning of life skills, while leaving the communities and environments we travel to, in a better condition than when we arrived.
The programs are designed to:
• build strong friendships and bonds with their peers, their teachers, and the local people they meet.
• increase the confidence to engage with new people, and collaboratively make informed decisions.
• discover the benefits of working cooperatively together as a cohesive team, to achieve a common objective.
• Increase the ability to face, and cope with, mental and physical challenges and therefore increase resilience.
• give students a chance to appreciate and care for the natural world. The environments we travel through are beautiful and often pristine, invariably the students will gain a deeper appreciation and understanding about how their individual actions impact on the environment.
• Learn personal skills i.e., time management, personal hygiene, responsibility for personal gear, patience, tolerance, and public speaking.
We help encourage students to learn what it means to be a true global citizen.


Inclusions

  • 6 nights hostel accommodation with private facilities
  • 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 6 dinners
  • Services of a licensed, local guide
  • Ground transportation
  • Airport transfers (YDF Deer Lake)
  • Park fees
  • Marine tour
  • Indigenous experience
  • Aquarium tour
  • Environmental education program

  • Airfare or travel to/from Deer Lake
  • Items of a personal nature
  • Tips and gratuities

About Your Leader

Your professional guide is familiar with the area, history and most important the changing weather. All of our guides are trained in wilderness first aid and are lots of fun to keep the days interactive and informative. Many of our Gros Morne guides have teaching backgrounds and offer great experiences for those with a healthy interest in learning.


Accommodation


Grading

Introductory

An introductory trip grading involves trekking or walking, cycling, rafting or sea kayaking for up to five or six hours a day at a slow but steady pace and should never be misinterpreted to mean they are easy trips. These trips do not spend time at altitudes above 4000m and are usually a week in duration. You will need a reasonable level of fitness and good health. Suggested preparation: 30 minutes of aerobic type exercise, (either cycling or jogging) three times a week for three months leading up to your trek. For trekking, hill walking with a daypack in variable weather conditions is also recommended.


Customise your program

We can fully customise a School Travel Program to suit your students' learning objectives and budget. Whether you require a Service Learning program, physical challenge, cultural immersion or certain curriculum targets - talk to one of our educational travel experts about the elements you need in your itinerary. We pride ourselves on developing unique itineraries to meet the learning requirements for schools.

World Expeditions Schools is a division of one of the world's leading adventure travel companies, World Expeditions. We can develop itineraries in any destination that is offered by World Expeditions, which is to every continent on earth.

Use our simple Expedition Design Form to contact us with your requirements and an educational travel expert will be in touch to assist.


Why travel with us

Why travel with us

Assisted over
14,000 Students Worldwide

Since the 1980's, we have helped students from around the globe to experience the world's most exciting destinations, allowing them to travel, give, grow.

400+ Service Learning
Programs

Together with students, we have completed over 400 Service Learning programs in developing countries. We will always continue to support causes including social justice, animal welfare, the environment and more.

Fully Customised
School Travel Programs

Want to include service learning, your school curriculum and a physical challenge, or any of the above? Contact us and we can design a program fully catered for your students and budget.

Safety and
Support - Our #1 Priority

Every school receives a detailed risk management plan that is guided by government advisories and the local partners we work with. We never compromise on the safety of your students to reduce the price of the program.

Testimonials


Want to find out more?

Our educational travel experts are ready to help you tailor an itinerary or service learning project to suit your school’s needs and budget. Contact us today to receive a free consultation.


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