Newfoundland & Labrador Viking Trail — Self-Launched from Corner Brook
7 days · Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada
Atlantic Tours & Travel charges £2,350
No-markup version: ~£625 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An independent, self-launched version of Atlantic Tours & Travel's 7-day Viking Trail group coach tour from Corner Brook to Deer Lake. Instead of a guided motorcoach, you drive the same loop yourself (or use the seasonal West Coast / Viking Trail connections) and book the same guesthouses, motels and boat tours direct. Highlights are unchanged: Gros Morne National Park and the Tablelands, Port au Choix, the ferry across the Strait of Belle Isle, UNESCO sites at Red Bay and L'Anse aux Meadows, a whale-watching trip out of St. Anthony, and a Bonne Bay or Western Brook Pond boat tour. Costs below are rough backpacker/budget estimates in GBP per person and assume a small group of 3-4 people splitting a rental car and a room (or booking a shared room). Solo travellers should expect the per-day figure to run higher because car hire and rooms aren't shared. Book the two ferries and the boat tours well ahead in summer; weather can cancel boat trips.
Day-by-day
Arrive Corner Brook
Corner Brook, NL
Fly into Deer Lake Regional Airport (the nearest airport) and make your own way to Corner Brook, about 50 km / 40 min by road. Cheapest option is the local taxi/shuttle into town, or pick up a rental car at Deer Lake airport if you're self-driving the whole route. Settle into a guesthouse or budget motel in Corner Brook, wander the downtown and the Corner Brook Stream Trail, and stock up on groceries and snacks for the road days. There's no fixed start time — this night is just a staging point before the trail begins.
🚌Deer Lake Airport to Corner Brook: shared shuttle/taxi ~£30-40 total, or rental car pickup. (Original tour charges ~£55/car private transfer.)
🛏Budget guesthouse or motel in Corner Brook, e.g. a downtown B&B / Glynmill Inn area budget double (~£45-70/room shared)
- →Pick up rental car at Deer Lake airport (if self-driving)
- →Explore Corner Brook town and waterfront
- →Buy road supplies and confirm ferry/boat bookings
Corner Brook to Port au Choix via Gros Morne
Gros Morne NP & Port au Choix, NL
Drive north on Route 430 through Gros Morne National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site of fjords, barren tablelands and coastal mountains. Stop at the Discovery Centre and pull into viewpoint turnouts along the way (Bonnie Bay, Lobster Cove Head lighthouse). In the afternoon reach Port au Choix, a fishing community with an excellent Parks Canada archaeology site explaining the Maritime Archaic and Dorset peoples who lived here for millennia. Overnight in or near Port au Choix.
🚌Self-drive ~270 km / 3.5 hr on Route 430. Fuel ~£25-30 for the day. Alternatively seasonal coastal bus links are very limited — a car is strongly recommended.
🛏Budget motel/guesthouse near Port au Choix (e.g. Sea Echo Motel equivalent, ~£60-80/room shared)
- →Drive Route 430 through Gros Morne National Park (UNESCO)
- →Gros Morne Discovery Centre & Lobster Cove Head
- →Port au Choix National Historic Site (Parks Canada, ~£7 entry)
Port au Choix to L'Anse au Clair via Red Bay, Labrador
Strait of Belle Isle & Red Bay, Labrador
Drive north to St. Barbe and take the ferry across the Strait of Belle Isle to Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, then continue to L'Anse au Clair in Labrador. From here visit Red Bay National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the site of a 16th-century Basque whaling station — the visitor centre and reconstructed chalupa whaling boat are the highlight. This is prime iceberg-watching water in early summer. Overnight at L'Anse au Clair.
🚌Self-drive ~130 km to St. Barbe, then Strait of Belle Isle ferry (Blanc-Sablon route). Foot/vehicle ferry crossing ~£15-20 per person each way (vehicle extra).
🛏Budget hotel/inn in L'Anse au Clair (e.g. Northern Light Inn equivalent, ~£70-90/room shared)
- →Strait of Belle Isle ferry crossing (book ahead)
- →Red Bay National Historic Site (UNESCO) — Basque whaling history
- →Iceberg spotting along the Labrador coast (June-July)
L'Anse au Clair back to St. Anthony & L'Anse aux Meadows
St. Anthony & L'Anse aux Meadows, NL
Return across the Strait of Belle Isle to the Northern Peninsula and drive to St. Anthony. The big stop is L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site (UNESCO) — the only confirmed Norse settlement in North America and the true 'Viking' anchor of this trail, complete with reconstructed sod longhouses and costumed interpreters. Explore St. Anthony itself and the Grenfell Historic Properties if you have time. Overnight in St. Anthony.
🚌Self-drive ~150 km plus the return ferry crossing (~£15-20 per person).
🛏Budget motel/inn in St. Anthony (e.g. Haven Inn equivalent, ~£65-85/room shared)
- →Return ferry to Newfoundland
- →L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site (UNESCO, ~£9 entry)
- →St. Anthony waterfront & Grenfell interpretation centre
St. Anthony whale watching, then drive to Cow Head
St. Anthony to Cow Head (Gros Morne)
Start the day with a whale-watching boat trip out of St. Anthony harbour (weather permitting, June-Aug is peak season for humpbacks, minkes and often icebergs). Then drive south down the Northern Peninsula back into Gros Morne National Park, settling in at Cow Head at the park's northern end. Overnight here for two nights.
🚌Self-drive ~320 km / 4 hr south. Fuel ~£30.
🛏Motel & cabins at Cow Head (e.g. Shallow Bay Motel equivalent, ~£70-90/room shared, 2 nights)
- →Whale-watching boat tour from St. Anthony (book direct, ~£40-55)
- →Scenic drive back down the Northern Peninsula
- →Evening in Cow Head / Shallow Bay beach
Gros Morne — Bonne Bay boat tour & the Tablelands
Gros Morne National Park, NL
A full day inside Gros Morne. Take a scenic boat tour on Bonne Bay (or, if you booked it, the Western Brook Pond tour — note the 3 km / 45-min walk each way to the pier and that it often cancels in weather). In the afternoon drive up to the Tablelands, the orange peridotite massif that looks like Mars and is a UNESCO-listed geology site, with short self-guided trails. Keep an eye out for bald eagles and moose along the fjord road.
🚌Short self-drive hops within the park. Fuel ~£15.
🛏Motel & cabins at Cow Head (second night)
- →Bonne Bay scenic boat tour (~£30-45) or Western Brook Pond tour
- →The Tablelands viewpoint & short trails (free)
- →Possible 'Screech-In' ceremony at a local pub (~£10-15)
Cow Head to Deer Lake — depart
Gros Morne to Deer Lake, NL
Final morning drive south through Gros Morne National Park to Deer Lake. Drop the rental car at Deer Lake Regional Airport (or the town depot) and catch your onward flight. If your flight is later, the park visitor centres and Rocky Harbour make an easy last stop on the way.
🚌Self-drive ~110 km / 1.5 hr to Deer Lake. Fuel ~£12. Rental car return.
🛏None (departure day)
- →Final drive through Gros Morne National Park
- →Optional stop at Rocky Harbour / park visitor centre
- →Return rental car, depart from Deer Lake
Self-launched vs. Atlantic Tours & Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Atlantic Tours & Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£625 | £2,350 |
| Duration | 7 days | 7 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,725 per person (73%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Atlantic Tours & Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£625
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Newfoundland & Labrador Viking Trail — Self-Launched from Corner Brook cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £625 per person for 7 days in Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Atlantic Tours & Travel?+
Yes — Atlantic Tours & Travel charges around £2,350 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £625 — a saving of roughly £1,725 (73%) per person.
How long is the Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada trip?+
This itinerary runs 7 days, covering 7 day-by-day stops through Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, hiking trip through Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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