The Wonders of the Golden Peninsula and Northern Lights

On the second day, you will go on an air safari destined for the scenic landscapes of the Labrador Coast.

In route, you will fly over the Arctic tundra where innumerable postglacial panoramas unfold before your eyes – ancient glacial valleys, lakes and rivers, as well as waterfalls cascading from the tops of cliffs. You will now be in the heart of one of the most isolated regions of the North American continent.

You will follow the length of the Hebron Fjord and the wild coastline of the Labrador Peninsula until you make your first stop on a lake by the sea. In this area, between July and August it is common to observe icebergs that drift slowly through the waters of the Labrador Sea.

You will take a stroll along the seashore to discover different landscapes such as cliffs, rocky ridges and turquoise water that make this a paradise for photographers. With a little luck, you will be able to see seals and sometimes even polar bears.

At this point in the trip, you will be in the “Iceberg Alley” stretch until your next stop at Hebron Top Lake. On the way there, you will fly over the mysterious ghost village of Hebron founded by the Moravian missionaries in 1833.

Once you have arrived at Hebron Top Lake, which is located at the top of the mountain overlooking the mouth of the Hebron Fjord, you will embark on a short hike over the barren summits – seemingly at the edge of the world. Facing the Labrador Sea, you will look out onto one of the most spectacular panoramic views in Northern Labrador.

If you want to make this day even more unforgettable, at the time of your reservation, you can add a guided seaside excursion to try to locate polar bears. NOTE: To guarantee the departure of this activity, the group must be composed of a minimum of 4 participants.

Return to the lodge at the end of the day.

Today your guide will introduce you to one of the most beautiful freshwater fjords on the Golden Peninsula.

At 8:00 am, you will depart for the interior of the Hebron Fjord. During flight, outlines of mountain peaks marked by tongues of snow are visible on the horizon, and long winding eskers snaking through the arctic tundra can be seen.

A short distance from the fjord are the Merewether Crater and the Kettles – which are glacial lakes with striking contrasts. Your pilot will be happy to tilt the aircraft so that you can take pictures, or to make an additional loop over these colorful landscapes.

Once at the destination, the helicopter will drop you off at the top of the northern cliff of Inner Hebron Fjord. In this beautiful setting, you are in the prime location to admire the beauty of Labrador’s largest inland freshwater fjord.

From the bottom of this breathtaking fjord, you can admire the highest waterfall in the province of Labrador. Extending twice as high as the Eiffel Tower, it is over 720 meters high!

With its glacially carved terrain, diverse wildlife and beautiful waterfalls, Hebron Fjord Lake alone is worth the voyage.

There are exceptional hiking trails in this area such as; the north ridge, the bottom of the glacial valley, along the Hebron Gorge, as well as packrafting along Hebron River which leads to Hebron’s freshwater lake. This hiking area is part of the North Ridge Trail and is no. 1 on our list of the best hiking trails in Labrador!

To make this day even more memorable, you can add a gentle raft float trip into the fjord to your package at the time of your reservation. NOTE: To guarantee the departure of this activity, the group must be composed of a minimum of 4 participants.

Return to the lodge at the end of the day.

First thing in the morning on the fourth day, you fly to Dry Canyon. The helicopter will drop you at the bottom of the canyon where you will take a hike to discover fascinating geological formations and beautiful waterfalls of fine angel hair that flow from the top of the colorful cliffs.

It’s the Fraser River that has carved this impressive 350-meter-deep dry gorge stretching over 1.5 km.

Making your way into a narrow canyon with high cliff walls is a totally unique experience. As you descend into the canyon, you will hear the runoff of an underground river running under foot.

The canyon is particularly beautiful around mid-day, when the sun fully illuminates the canyon floor and steep walls creating fabulous light effects and offering striking photo opportunities for photography enthusiasts of all levels.

As the day progresses, you will continue your journey to discover the most impressive Canyon in Eastern Canada; the Fraser Canyon – a geological trench, stretching 100 km long and 568 m deep, with many waterfalls.

Along the route you will pass through the white veil of mist created by Thunder Falls, as well as take a break at one of Labrador’s most fantastic waterfalls; the Fraser Waterfall, which plunges more than 240 meters into the canyon that bears the same name.

At the bottom of the canyon flows the Fraser River where arctic char and salmon migrate. The river is an important nesting site for the Harlequin Duck, and the area is a commonplace for Peregrine Falcon and other species of raptors.

A guided hike on the bare peaks that line the canyon immerses you into landscapes that are among the most breathtaking in the region.

Return to the lodge at the end of the day.

On the fifth day, you will explore one of the most secret regions of the Golden Peninsula.

By flying over the continental watershed between Quebec and Labrador, you will also enter the southern ecozone of the Arctic Cordillera. You will make a stop for the day at the Secret Garden of the Monoliths.

Luck sometimes leads to fascinating discoveries! Discovered by chance in July 2019, the Secret Garden of the Monoliths is one of the great hidden treasures of Labrador where adventurers can admire gigantic monoliths carved by erosion.

Over the millennia, water and wind have shaped the granite (movable metamorphic rock) to turn it into true works of art.

The Penguin rock, the Trolls Shoes and the Gourde are some beautiful examples of transformation. There is also a giant mushroom that is roughly 10 meters high, a huge muffin-shaped statue of 20 tons, the silhouette of a bear face and many other monoliths of erosion, all as unusual as the next.

To date, these monoliths have never been visited, documented or photographed by any tourist.

This secret garden of monoliths is a dream place for landscape photographers! Whether you want to take a picture of them at sunrise or sunset, or under the northern lights, the photos that you’ll bring back will be unique in this world.

In the summer of 2020, the Secret Garden of the Monoliths will unveil its unique masterpieces to guests of Golden Peninsula Tours for the first time!

Return to the lodge at the end of the day.

Today you will visit a variety of magical places within the Golden Peninsula. The seaplane and the helicopter will make a first stop at the “Ice River” where you wander through ice crevices in shades of aqua, blue and white.

What is special about the Ice River is that it almost never thaws during the short Arctic summer.

From the beginning of winter, the riverbed freezes completely, forcing the water to flow to the surface and form thick layers of ice. In the spring, the flood of waters sculpt magnificent crevasses, caves and tunnels in the ice.

Next, you will head to Hebron Gorge which is less than two minutes away. The helicopter will drop you off in the heart of the deepest, and most beautiful gorge in Labrador. Your guide will take you to his favorite places in order to show you many natural sites that you would have otherwise missed. While walking through this gorge you will have the pleasure of discovering roaring waterfalls, chasms, caves, beaches, colorful mountains and impressive cliffs.

The Hebron Gorge has many ravines from 50 to 100 meters deep, the largest of which is more than 460 meters deep. The condensed gorge possesses very diverse landscapes and offers many exceptional photo opportunities.

A third stop will take you to a mysterious crater that has been the subject of conversation for over 60 years.

With a diameter of 198 meters and a depth of 47 meters, the Merewether Crater is included on the “List of possible impact structures”. Elements make this assumption incomplete. Perhaps it is a sinkhole located on a fault line, or the explosion of a methane bubble. To this day Merewether remains an unresolved enigma. An excursion of a few hours with a professional guide will plunge you into the heart of this enigma to ponder your own conclusion.

The last stop on this fantastic discovery tour is at the Kettles. The Kettles are glacial lakes with striking contrasts; they are some of the most colorful lakes within the Torngat Mountain Range. Located in a strange area of moraine hills with an ice core, the Kettles are affected by thermo-erosion. Very few places on the Quebec-Labrador peninsula expose such a geological phenomenon.

We will take a short hike to explore the geology of the soil subsidence of these apocalyptic landscapes. The gaping chasms and mysterious craters will leave you speechless.

Return to the lodge at the end of the day.

On your last day to discover the wonders of the Golden Peninsula we planned a trip to the Moraine Desert Valley; a beautiful semi-desert valley located in the southern part of the Torngat Mountains in Labrador.

Your day begins in air safari mode! From your aircraft window you will discover the austere landscapes of the George River and Labrador Plateau.

Once at your destination, you will set out on an excursion with your guide along long plateaus and remarkable moraine dunes tinged with a slightly amber yellow. Your field of vision in this semi-desert valley is unobstructed, which makes it relatively easy to detect the movement of animals.

The animals in this remote area of the Torngat Mountains are so unaccustomed to human presence that they are not afraid of visitors, but are rather curious of them.

Throughout the summer, wandering caribou can be seen in the verdant oasis of the valley. Black tundra bears frequent the valley throughout the summer and are more present at the time of the salmon run and when the berries are ripe.

The valley is an absolutely fantastic place for fat bike enthusiasts.

If you have chosen to add a fat bike tour to your package at the time of your reservation, you will be delighted to explore the tundra landscapes by rolling on the moraine plateaus between the colorful mountains and the blue river water.

The stones, with shades of yellow, ocher and red can create optical illusions by changing colour from white, to yellow, to orange and red depending on the angle of the sun and overall luminosity during the day.

If you want to make this day even more memorable, you can add a fat-bike tour to your package upon reservation. NOTE: To guarantee the departure of this activity, the group must be composed of a minimum of 4 participants.

Return to the lodge at the end of the day.

Breakfast at the lodge. Departure for Montreal.