I’ve always loved Canada. I’ve visited nearly every province, so I know it’s a stunning country—but it somehow never graduated to my list of dream travel journeys. However, after a recent Newfoundland Circumnavigation sailing with Adventure Canada, a small, family-run expedition cruise operator, this northeastern island became one of my all-time favorite destinations.
As Canada’s newest province, having only joined the confederation in 1949, Newfoundland retains much of its independent identity. Here, locals speak with accents that differ delightfully from the rest of Canada. The food culture is unique, relying heavily on codfish (and their tongues, a popular cut), which were densely fished here and went on to feed much of Europe and the Caribbean between the 16th and 19th centuries. And they even have their own quirky time zone, which is 30 minutes ahead of other eastern provinces in Canada.
Because so much of Newfoundland is either difficult or impossible to reach by car, visiting by cruise ship is the ideal way to explore this remote region. In fact, I met numerous Canadians who had joined this cruise precisely because they’d been unable to access some of the far-flung destinations on our itinerary on previous road trips across the island. Outports are a perfect example of this. For decades, Canada has tried to convince remote “outport” communities (tiny coastal towns in very hard-to-reach places) to relocate precisely because their extreme remoteness makes them so costly to serve.
During this 10-day circumnavigation, we visited two of these outport communities, including François (pronounced “Fran-Sway”), where 42 of its 53 residents over the age of 18 voted in 2021 to stay put. The alternative they shot down would have been accepting up to $270,000 per family of three to relocate to a less remote destination. Here, I joined a handful of other passengers and our guide for a steep, slanted hike over roots and rocks up to a hilltop with a 360-degree view of rolling hills, cliffs, fjords, and the François Bay as it poured into the Atlantic.
While circling the island, passengers will encounter Newfoundland’s dramatic coastline, including the Avalon Peninsula.
Photo by Bill Kennedy/Shutterstock
After sunset, we were off to a Newfoundland “kitchen party,” a traditional song-filled get-together that usually begins in someone’s kitchen. At the party, the community served a generous spread of homemade fish and brewis, a classic saltfish recipe made with potatoes and hard bread and topped with “scruncheons” (crispy pork). The food was served with a healthy side of live music and cheer and, as we ate, laughed, and danced the night away, locals were happy to share their stories, including how life works in such a remote enclave. For example, orders for food and home goods are placed at the tiny town store once a week, and when something can’t be sourced directly, it can often be ordered and shipped via ferry from other small islands. Because Amazon sells just about everything and doesn’t charge an additional fee to ship to outport communities, it is also becoming increasingly popular here, and several people described Amazon boxes piling up in the local post office.
Our later visit to Little Bay Island was quite the opposite experience, as its recent vote to leave has left the community with only two full-time residents. Unlike François, this outport community of approximately 60 people accepted the government’s relocation package. In 2019, all but one couple packed up their possessions and headed out on the last ferry to start their next chapter in a less remote part of Canada. While there are no longer public-funded services like a post office (or state-provided electricity and water), and various homes and structures are empty and abandoned, many homes are well-kept and serve as summer cottages. Homeowners get by using solar panels, generators, wells, septic tanks, and with the support they offer each other. In early June, we saw numerous fair-weather residents repairing their roofs and installing solar panels while kids laid out socks their nanas had knit, hoping to sell them to visitors.
As a nod to the area’s strong fishing heritage, decks and front yards were decorated with crab traps that had been repurposed as flower planters, and driveways were lined with wooden lobster traps that now hold small lanterns.
The region’s strong fishing heritage is felt throughout the entire sailing, from St. John’s to small outport villages.
Courtesy of Erin Minuskin/Unsplash
My guide here was the delightful Tony Oxford, a native of Little Bay Island, who has worn various hats over the years and throughout his travels: fisherman, educator, small-town mayor, storyteller, musician. Oxford delighted us every morning of the trip by playing his harmonica into the ship’s loudspeaker, which was broadcast into our rooms and public areas. Instead of setting an alarm, each morning I awoke to him singing a new song that he’d written about the previous and upcoming days’ adventures. During nightly briefings, Oxford taught us how Newfoundlanders greet each other (like the call and response “Whata ya at?” “This is it.”). He also shared colloquial phrases like “If you scald your arse, you’ll have to sit on your blisters,” referring to one’s need to pay the consequences for inappropriate behaviors.
While much of the appeal of this trip was visiting places I had never heard of (like Red Bay, Labrador, a previous center of the whaling industry, and the First Nations community of Miawpukek, which welcomed us with a ceremonial gathering), other highlights were better-known sights that were easier to reach by ship, Zodiac boat, and bus. One standout was L’Anse Aux Meadows, a UNESCO World Heritage site on Newfoundland’s northern tip, the only authenticated Norse settlement in North America.
Both of Newfoundland’s national parks were on this itinerary, and while Terra Nova National Park provided some excellent hiking, it was Gros Morne National Park that caused my jaw to drop. In Gros Morne, we spent the first day hiking along sky-high waterfront trails where wildflower-studded cliffs plunged into the ocean. The following day, parks staff led us on private tours of the rusty-colored rock landscape in a section of the park where the plate tectonics theory was established. Here, the environment is so similar to Mars that NASA scientists and other researchers conduct tests related to space exploration.
Adventure Canada is known for its focus on, well, adventure and for stocking its staff with geologists, ornithologists, historians, and other experts who give fascinating lectures aboard and lead trips on land. The resident marine biologist, for instance, pointed out and explained the behavior of sperm whales, white-beaked dolphins, and other sea life that danced in the waters surrounding our ship.
Adventure Canada brings along experts such as marine biologists to better explain the habits and life cycles of animals such as Atlantic whales that may be viewed on the trip.
Photo by Dennis Minty
Adventure Canada is also known for intimate trips; its ship, the Ocean Endeavour, is small and effortless to navigate. There are several lounges, a library, a small gym, and a yoga area where staff lead free classes several mornings. While there is not a full spa, there is a massage therapist on hand throughout the trip and I can personally vouch for the high quality of the treatments. Rooms are modest but comfortable, and food offerings are varied, including ample options for vegetarians and vegans. Adventure Canada highlights locally sourced food whenever possible, including partridgeberry jam, moose stew, and freshly caught lobsters purchased from a local fisherman during our stop in Little Bay Island. With only 198 guests at full capacity, making friends was easy simply because I kept bumping into the same lovely people.
Of the four sailings I’ve done with Adventure Canada (Scotland, Greenland to Wild Labrador, Sable Island, and Newfoundland), the Newfoundland Circumnavigation was, by far, my favorite. I’m even considering doing it again, only next time during fall, when brilliant wildflowers will be replaced with fiery autumn foliage. Adventure Canada rotates early summer and fall departures each year, and regardless of when you go, you’ll be glad you did.
To book: ‘Ocean Endeavour’ will next circumnavigate Newfoundland between October 1 and 12, 2025. Prices for the 10-day expedition start from $6,995 per person, based on double occupancy. Several single supplement–free rooms are also offered, as are discounts for travelers under 30.