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Québec

Whales, Fjords and French Canada: Saguenay and the St. Lawrence

Program No. 12684RJ
Enjoy expert presentations and thrilling excursions as you learn about whales, fjords, historical architecture and Québecois culture on this journey to the heart of French Canada.
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Start
Regional StudiesSmall GroupAnimals & Wildlife
Length
7 days
Rating (4.97)
Activity Level
Starts at
2,999
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
15 meals ( 6B, 5L, 4D )
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. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously). 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.
Afternoon:
4:00-5:00 p.m. After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar table in the lobby to meet with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing your up-to-date schedule that reflects any last-minute changes, other important information, and to confirm when and where the Orientation session will take place. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
Orientation: 7:30 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone 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 questions. We will learn from local experts who will give lectures and lead field trips. Program-related travel and transfers will be via private motorcoach unless noted otherwise. Periods in the daily 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 change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. You may also wish to explore what the city has to offer. If you’d like to go out on your own, the hotel is in the heart of Old Quebec near museums, the fortifications, and some of the finest restaurants in the city.
Activity Note
Walking up to 3-4 miles, approximately 2 hours. Many steep hills, uneven terrain, cobblestone streets, and some stairs will be encountered, some without railings.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
A presentation on Quebec City will be followed by an expert-led walk in Old Quebec with a local historian. We will gain an excellent overview of Québec City from its founding to the present day. We will learn about the principal historical events that occurred here and explore charming and historic Old Québec City. We will visit Place Royale, known as the cradle of French civilization in North America with its fine stone merchant houses and Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church. At Place d'Armes, we will see the monument of Samuel de Champlain, Father of New France and founder of Québec City. Dufferin Terrace is an enchanting area offering magnificent views of the mountains, St. Lawrence River, Lower Town and the Citadel known as the Gibraltar of North America which was built by the British between 1820 and 1832.
Lunch:
At the hotel.
Afternoon:
Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration.
Dinner:
On own.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer to Tadoussac in the morning.
Activity Note
Driving about 135 miles, approximately 3.5 hours. Periods of standing during field trips, walking about 1 mile.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Check out of the hotel and visit the Huron-Wendat museum and Ekkiionestha National Longhouse with a guide specially trained in Indigenous history and culture. The museum, a national institution, preserves and promotes the heritage of the Huron-Wendat Nation. Depart via motorcoach and travel to Tadoussac.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
After lunch we will walk the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord behind the wharf with our Group Leader. Then we will head to the hotel and check in.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Stepping on/off a cruise boat. Boating 40 miles, about 3 hours on board. Periods of standing and walking during field trips; about 1 mile for approximately 2 hours.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
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.
Lunch:
At the hotel.
Afternoon:
We will start the afternoon 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 hear about the role and activity of the Whale Research Station at the CIMM Museum. We will discover the fascinating and mysterious world of the St. Lawrence whales with our Museum specialists. Where can one see them? How do we 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.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Walking 2 miles, approximately 4 hours. Getting on/off a school bus, driving 40 miles, approximately 1 hour total riding time. Stepping on/off a zodiac boat.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board the school bus for a morning of activities. Our first stop is at the Marine Environment Discovery Centre where we will learn from a Parks Canada staff member about the marine environment, tides, currents, fish and animals. This is also a wonderful spot to watch whales from the shore. Our next stop is Cap-de-Bon-Désir, an excellent place from which to admire the St. Lawrence Estuary and to seek out the many species of marine mammals there, including minke, common and blue whales, belugas and many species of seals and seabirds. We will then return to the hotel by school bus.
Lunch:
At the hotel.
Afternoon:
We will embark on a second watching safari by zodiac to search for Fin, Minke and Beluga whales, perhaps Humpback and Blue whales as well. Whales have been coming to the St. Lawrence River for thousands of years, spending the summer feasting on the rich marine life before their fall migration to the Atlantic Ocean. We’ll set out by boat to search for these giants of the sea, these majestic creatures are drawn to the area by the abundance of food, created by the meeting of three sea currents: one from the Great Lakes, one from the Saguenay River, and the Labrador Current, a deep-sea current from the North Atlantic.
Dinner:
On own.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Walking about 1 mile, approximately 2 hours. Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving around 135 miles, approximately 3.5 hours riding time. Periods of standing during field trips.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will check out of the hotel and depart back to Québec City. We will stop to 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 Quebec.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
After lunch we will have a guided tour of the Copper Art Museum, where we will explore and discover over 90 years of the Gilles family’s dedication to the art of repoussé (metal embossing). Walking though the museum we will see intricate copper art pieces, and learn how copper ore is turned into copper art. We will then join a hands-on copper repoussé workshop, where we will have the opportunity to create our own copper art creation. We will then continue our journey to Quebec city with free time until check-in.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant in Quebec City.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.
Activity Note
Hotel check out is 12:00 p.m.
Breakfast:
At the hotel. This concludes our program.
Morning:
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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