Fjord cruising, Torngat Mountains National ParkThe Torngat Mountains greeted us upon the Ocean Endeavour’s arrival to the northern Labrador coast. Living close to the Rockies, I feel at home amongst mountains, so I was excited to see these giants as we cruised into sprawling fjords carved by glacial movement over the ages. I thought of my graduate student friends at home studying geology in Montana, who would have reveled in the moment of encountering such ancient rock; I soon learned from the scientists onboard that, along with Northwest Canada and Australia, the Torngats contain some of the oldest rocks on the planet.
Our time in Torngat National Park also included a burst of wildlife sightings, including the one I had been waiting for the entire trip: polar bears. The first polar bear sighting of the cruise was a mother and her two cubs, traveling the coastline in search of food that must have been pretty abundant; they appeared content and undisturbed, and I wondered what they must have thought of our strange lone ship slipping through the eerie landscape. As we continued our cruising through the fjord, we also spotted a herd of caribou, also unconcerned with the presence of the Ocean Endeavour and its herd of curious humans.
On our many zodiac excursions through the park, we discovered evidence of Inuit occupation, as well as more ancient predecessors. The most striking encounter was a site dotted with stone cairns marking numerous Inuit burials. As we cruised into the site, framed above by towering rock, I became aware of the intense spirituality associated with the lands, Torngait literally meaning “a place of spirits.” Today’s Inuit in the area still maintain a strong connection with the spirits of the Torngat Mountains, in spite of European contact indicated in the remains of Moravian Mission sites in places such as Ramah Bay. In those sites, I could see signs of intersection—the evidence of a foreign far-reaching religion paralleling a belief system and culture that, like the monumental rock, had existed for thousands of years.
The people who inhabited these places are now gone, save the Inuit hunters and fishers who pass through year to year, but I knew as we left the Torngats that there was something special kept there that would remain for millennia more.
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
2 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
3 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
5 days ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.