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Beautiful Labrador
See our photo set on FacebookDestinations: Labrador
The Expedition Vessel WANDERBIRD spends part of her season cruising to the far North, where you can participate in all or a portion of our journey to the land of the iceberg and the polar bear. Passengers meet us at ports-of-call along the way.
Photo © Michael Earle
In Labrador, we experience one of the planet's last great wilderness frontiers.
Labrador is sparsely inhabited descendants of Thule people who thrived over 1,000 year ago, Basque whalers, Moravian missionaries, traders, fishermen, and explorers. The Labrador tundra is inhabited by caribou, black bear, polar bear, wolves, lynx, Arctic hare and ptarmigan. The icy waters are teeming with whales, seal, cod, salmon, char and iceberg. The Labrador coast supports the greatest variety of seabirds on the planet. Join us as we travel down this magnificent, wild and absolutely pristine coast. We will see icebergs, explore fjords, outpost villages and experience waters teeming with wildlife!
Northern lights is the common name of the light phenomenon often seen in northern regions. The scientific name “Aurora Borealis” refers to this celestial phenomenon of rays or curtains of colored light that appear in the sky predominantly in the polar regions of the earth. As particles hit the upper atmosphere of the earth in what is called an auroral sub-storm, it causes rays of light to appear to be cast down from the celestial heavens, forming a band of curtains which move and spread across the sky and horizon. Last summer we saw Northern Lights while in Labrador that moved like translucent curtains gently blowing in the wind and as faint green and white flames.
©Photo by Karen Miles
Northern Labrador
Makkovik & Nain are the part of Nunatsiavut; ‘Our Beautiful Land’ in Inuttitut, the home of the Labrador Inuit. As we head due North, we will visit some of the remote Inuit settlements on the wild coast of Labrador. Ports of call may include Hopedale, Nain, Hebron, Okak or Nutak where you will experience Labrador Inuit culture & history. Nain is the gateway to the Canadian Arctic. Time will be spent exploring in the Torngat Mountains National Park in search of the great white bear. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see healthy Polar Bear in their natural habitat! We will also look for black bear, wolves, caribou, whales, seals & seabirds.
Our Northern Labrador Ports of Call:
©Photo by Karen Miles
Nain & Makkovik
Nain, established in 1771 by Moravian Missionaries, is the northern most community in Labrador. Makkovik formed as a Norwegian trading post was set up in 1860, and the population increased as Inuit and European settlers established roots in the community. In 1896 the Moravian Church established a mission station and residential school there. The territory that now comprises both communities, Nain & Makkovik, was used by Inuit long before any of this came to be. Today the population in both Makkovik and Nain remain primarily Inuit families.
The commercial fishing season usually lasts from July to October. The main species of fish processed at the fish plants in these two communities are snow crab, Arctic char, Atlantic salmon, turbot and scallop. People fish as far north as Hebron. In late spring just before the ice breaks up, people fish for trout for home consumption at river mouths.
©Photo by Karen Miles
Subsistence hunting is performed year-round for different species of animals, marine mammals and birds: ducks and geese are hunted in the fall just before freeze-up; caribou is mainly hunted in the spring when the George River Caribou Herd passes on its way to calving grounds between Nain and Hebron; some trapping is done during winter months for fox, wolf, etc., and seals are hunted year round.
Our Southern Labrador Ports of Call:
Red Bay, Battle Harbor, Goose Bay
Red Bay, Labrador
Right and bowhead whales, once plentiful in the waters of coastal Labrador, attracted whalers from the Basque country during the 16th century. A thriving industry based on the production of whale oil for export to Europe developed along the Labrador coast during the mid to late 1500s. The busiest port for this historic enterprise was the sheltered harbour of Red Bay. A sixteenth-century Basque whaling ship and significant archaeological site were found here. Sixteenth-century whaling in Labrador is portrayed in the exhibit "A Whaling Station" at the Canadian Museum of Civilisation here in Red Bay.
Battle Harbour, Labrador
One of the ports we will visit on our voyage to southern Labrador is a small island called Battle Harbour. Known as the "Capital of Labrador", it was the economic and social centre of the south eastern Labrador coast for two centuries. Salt fish Mercantile developed into this thriving community.
Economic collapse with the cod moratorium and settlement patterns had left Battle Harbour in decline, however, it has been revived through tourism. Many years of fund-raising, research and architectural restoration have revitalised this unique, historic place. Through the efforts of the Battle Harbour Historic Trust, the village of Battle Harbour is now a living commemoration of the life in a Labrador outport community. A real treasure - not to be missed.
Goose Bay, Labrador
The Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, considered the "Hub of Labrador", is located at the extreme western end of Lake Melville, a long salt-water inlet lake extending 210km inland from the Labrador Sea. The scenic, snow capped Mealy Mountains border one side of the lake and a great rolling plain the other.
The fur trade originally brought settlers to Central Labrador. Others came because of its abundance of fish, wildlife, timber, rich soil and the long growing season. For anyone visiting Labrador we recommend a visit to the Labrador Heritage Museum in nearby Northwest River. It is a perfect introduction to Labrador history and culture.
In 1941, the air base at Goose Bay with three 7,000-foot runways was built as a landing and refuelling stop. During the Second World War, thousands of aircraft passed through Goose Bay. Currently, the base provides support for NATO tactical flight training activities. And, also serves as the hub for anyone flying in Labrador.
The current population is approximately 8800 and is comprised of four primary cultural groups: Innu, Inuit, Metis and Settlers.
