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

Activity note: Hotel check-in available 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.

Afternoon: Program Registration. 4:00-5:00 p.m. After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar table in the lobby to register 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, we’ll have a welcome dinner at 6:00 pm.

Evening: Orientation. 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. 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. Thank you for your understanding. 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: Driving approximately 140 miles over 3.5 hours. Walking around 2 miles over 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: Lunch in a local restaurant

Afternoon: We will board the coach for Tadoussac. Along the way, we will visit Montmorency Falls, at 272 feet high, the falls are almost 100 feet higher than Niagara Falls. We will resume our travel along the St. Lawrence and drive through a 350-million-year old meteorite crater before arriving at our hotel.

Dinner: At the hotel in Tadoussac.

Evening: At your leisure.

Activity note: The whale watching is aboard the Grand Fleuve, which offer its passengers the best view of the world’s most fascinating creatures…the WHALES! With glassed-in panoramic decks, terraces and observation platforms, these boats provide unparalleled visibility and passionate naturalist-guides. Boating approximately forty miles over three hours on board a whale watching boat.

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: From the perspective of the Innu people whose ancestral territory, the Nitassinan, extends from the coasts of Labrador to the St-Maurice River, we will learn about the arrival of Europeans into North America. The Innu, along with the Beothuks of Newfoundland, the Mikmaws of Chaleur Bay and the Iroquoians of the St. Lawrence, were the first to come in contact and establish relations with the French explorers who took possession of the land in the name of Kings Francois 1er and Henri IV and called the region ‘New France’. In this presentation by our local expert, we will hear how this story continues on to this day. After the presentation, we will walk to the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord behind the wharf with our Group Leader.

Dinner: On Your Own.

Evening: At your leisure.

Activity note: Walking two miles over four hours. 40 miles driving over an hour.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will board the coach for a full day of activity. Our first stop is at the Archéo-Topo Museum. Here we will learn about the archeology and natural history of the area as well as examining artifacts documenting 8,000 years of human presence. We will visit the Marine Environment Discovery Centre and learn about the marine environment, tides, currents, fish and animals.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Our last stop is Cap-de-Bon-Désir.an excellent place from which to admire the St. Lawrence Estuary and the seek out the many species of marine mammals there, including minke, common and blue whales, belugas and many species of seals and seabirds.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At your leisure.

Activity note: Walking about 1.5 miles over 3 hours. The whale watching is aboard the Grand Fleuve, which offer its passengers the best view of the world’s most fascinating creatures…the WHALES! With glassed-in panoramic decks, terraces and observation platforms, these boats provide unparalleled visibility and passionate naturalist-guides. Boating approximately forty miles over three hours on board a whale watching boat.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: 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 to recognize them? The Museum’s exhibitions, skeleton collection and reconstitutions of sea-mammals, films and slide-shows 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: This afternoon we embark on a second watching safari to search for Fin, Minke and Beluga whales perhaps Humpback and Blue whales. 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. 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 3 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: At the hotel.

Evening: At your leisure.

Activity note: Walking about 1 mile over two hours. Driving around 140 miles over 3.5 hours.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will depart by coach for Quebec City. En route we will visit an 18th century water-run flour mill in les Eboulements, still in operation today. Entirely restored, its original mechanism powered by a waterwheel still drives the millstones. Together, the mill and the seigneurial manor are one of the last four remaining seigneurial sites. The adjacent structure is still the miller's house. Les Eboulements owes its name to a geological incident that changed the shape of this territory in 1663. A gigantic landslide occurred as a result of an earthquake, causing part of the coast to be swept away into the St. Lawrence River. The tormented landscape of this region, steep and mountainous, offers nonetheless, sites of sensational beauty. The village owes its fame to its country heritage and to the beautiful architecture and character of its houses.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: At the Papeterie Saint-Gilles, we can observe artists making paper using ancient techniques. Their fine cotton paper is embroidered with leaves or flowers representing regional trees and flowers. In the workshop, we can see the craftsmen at work, while in the museum we can see some beautiful works of art made with paper. This one-of-a-kind workshop in Canada has preserved its strictly craftsmanship-oriented nature. 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 about the history of navigation and better understand the role of the navigation in the economic development of Quebec.

Dinner: At a local restaurant in Quebec City.

Evening: At your leisure

Activity note: Hotel check out is 12:00 p.m.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Departures from the hotel after breakfast as per individual travel plans. Check-out is 12:00 noon. This concludes our program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Please be in touch via the Road Scholar Social Network, where you can share memories, pictures and comments. Best wishes for all your journeys.