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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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Regional StudiesSmall GroupAnimals & Wildlife
Length
7 days
Rating (4.97)
Activity Level
Starts at
2,999

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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
11 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 foyer 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. 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 about 160 miles, approximately 3.5 hours. 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 Québec City will be followed by an expert-led walk in Old Québec 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:
Having checked out of the hotel, we will board the motorcoach 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 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. With glassed-in panoramic decks, terraces and observation platforms, these boats provide unparalleled visibility and passionate naturalist-guides. Boating about 40 miles about 3 hours aboard a whale watching boat.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will start the 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 Québec 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 2 miles, approximately 4 hours. Getting on/off a school bus, driving 40 miles, approximately 1 hour total riding time.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board a school bus for a full day of activity. Our first stop is at the Archéo-Topo Museum. Here we will learn from a docent 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 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.
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 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.
Dinner:
On own.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Walking about 1.5 miles, 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.
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 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.
Lunch:
At the hotel.
Afternoon:
We will embark on a second whale 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:
At the hotel.
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 200 miles, approximately 3.5 hours riding time.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will check out of the hotel and depart by motorcoach for Québec City. On route, we will visit an 18th-century water-powered 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. Learning from a docent, you will have a guided visit of the mill and seigneurial site. 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:
This afternoon 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. We will then continue our journey to Québec City with free time until check-in.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant in Québec 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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