SUNDAY DECEMBER 23 - MONTREAL AIRPORT (P.E. Trudeau Airport )
ACTIVITIES: EXPLORE THE CITY & SHOPPING
 Arrival at the airport. Welcome to the world's second-largest French-speaking city after Paris. For your first night we have chosen a comfortable downtown hotel, the Delta Montréal***. Your Authentik travel book will be waiting for you, with all the details of your adventure including a road map indicating your route, as well as a personalised roadbook, a host of practical tourist information, a toll-free assistance number, vouchers, etc. We wish you a great stay in the land of snow and winter sports!
Did you know that Montreal is the world's largest underground city? Your hotel is located right next to an entrance to this impressive underground world, with its thousand and one shops - perfect to get your shopping done and to purchase your winter equipment. Take advantage of Canada's lower prices on winter gear!
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN MONTREAL
Attend a Montreal Canadians hockey match
Guided tour of Montreal
Biodome (eco-museum)
Try the local cuisine
Authentik Advice: Do not transfer on to another destination directly after your arrival. The flight from Paris to Montreal, for example, is 8 hours long, and what with the 6-hour time change (at 5 pm in Canada it will feel like 11 pm), you will welcome a good night's sleep in Montreal.
MONDAY DECEMBER 24 - MONTREAL / LAURENTIANS (150 KM)
ACTIVITY: SNOW TUBING AND CHRISTMAS EVE CELEBRATION
 The morning is yours to enjoy in the city before picking up your vehicle and heading for the beautiful snowbound peaks of the Laurentians, located 150 Km north of Montreal (1.5 hrs). The scenery is picture-postcard perfect as you approach the mountains. Enjoy an afternoon of snow tubing at the La Reserve ski resort, not far from Montcalm Outfitter - you are sure to create family memories that will last a lifetime.
You will be spending the next few nights at the comfortable Montcalm Outfitter***, a hotel in the heart of the forest, nestled in an isolated valley on the shores of a frozen lake. 4-course dining in the sumptuous dining room and your choice of a room in the hotel or in the chalet.
DESCRIPTION OF THE OUTFITTER
Auberge - click here
Chalet - click here
 This evening, get ready to experience a typical Canadian family Christmas. You will have a special guest, as Santa Claus is coming to town! In fact, you can arange for Santa himself to give your presents to your loved ones. Then get your toes tapping to the traditional songs of a Quebec folk musician. Finally, you will celebrate this festive occasion with a typical Christmas Eve dinner - sample the famous stuffed turkey with cranberries, meat pie with homemade ketchup, sausages in bacon, fancy sandwiches, fruit punch, Christmas log... And all in the middle of the unique untamed Canadian wilderness.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
TUESDAY DECEMBER 25 - LAURENTIANS
ACTIVITY: DOG SLEDDING
 This morning you will have the chance to learn to drive your own team of at least 4 dogs, in complete safety. During the ride, the richness and splendour of the vast snow-covered landscape will unfold before your eyes. You will cross frozen lakes, climb mountains and discover, along the way, the habits of the wild animals of the forest, such as the beaver's dam.
On your return to Montcalm Outfitter, enjoy supper with a local flavour, then make the most of the facilities available to you - relax in the sauna, the swimming pool, the games room or even the pub where you can engage in a game of pool for the whole family.
* EXTEND YOUR DOG SLEDDING ADVENTURE (optional)
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 26 - LAURENTIANS
ACTIVITY: SNOWMOBILING
 Today is a day for the "big folk". Enjoy a snowmobiling adventure while your children aged 5 and under spend the day with an activity leader (children must be 6 years old to snowmobile in Canada). You meet your guide, who will provide you with your snowmobile and protective clothing against the extreme cold. Once you have been briefed on snowmobiling safety and driving techniques, you will set out to discover this winter wonderland. And you are off on the most Authentik snowmobile excursion in Canada! Set out to tackle the panoramic trails of the legendary Mont Tremblant National Park.
Dinner and a good night's sleep at Montcalm Outfitter.
* EXTEND YOUR SNOWMOBILE ADVENTURE (optional)
THURSDAY DECEMBER 27 - LAURENTIANS
ACTIVITY: DAY OFF
Breakfast. Today is a rest day. What could be better than the wide open spaces of Canada to recharge your batteries and escape the stress of urban life?
 To this end, you are invited to visit Montcalm Outfitter's thalassotherapy center (spa). Magnificently situated on the banks of a frozen river, the spa will pamper you in ways you have only dreamed of. Will you dare to jump into the icy river after a session in the Finnish sauna? You will certainly come out reinvigorated!
And for sliding enthusiasts, feel free to head to La Reserve Ski Resort. The mountain, located 5 minutes from Montcalm Outfitter, offers 19 ski trails over a maximum vertical drop of 305 metres. Whether you are a skier or a snowboarder, adult or child, beginner, intermediate or advanced, you will find something to suit your style. Dinner and a good night's sleep at Montcalm Outfitter.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES AT MONTCALM OUTFITTER
Thalassotherapy... Canadian style!
Downhill skiing or snowboarding
Horseback riding in the forest
Helicopter ride over Mont Tremblant
FRIDAY DECEMBER 28 - LAURENTIANS
ACTIVITIES: ICE FISHING & MEET AN INDIAN
This morning you will experience an Inuit tradition, ice fishing. You will cast your lines in a frozen pond, trying to tempt the trout just like the Eskimos of the Far North. Trout is on the menu for lunch, in a magnificent and well-heated wood cabin.
 In the afternoon you will set out by snowshoe to meet a member of the Algonquin nation. He will welcome you into his traditional dwelling, sharing his traditions and customs with you and your family. You will experience a healing circle ceremony; sample native herbal tea and bannock; learn about aboriginal spirituality, Algonquin history and the nomadic lifestyle; listen to singing and drumming, tales and legends.
He will also take you to meet an animal that is sacred to local aboriginal culture: the bison, earliest guide of the North American First Nations people. Have your camera ready to capture the magic of this day which will certainly take its place among your most cherished memories!
Return to Montcalm Outfitter for supper.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
A Night with the Algonquin
SATURDAY DECEMBER 29 - LAURENTIANS / MONTREAL
ACTIVITY: MEET A TRAPPER
 The day begins with a short trek in a horse-drawn sleigh, leading to the trapper's house where you will find a team of Huskies waiting to take you dog sledding. To the sound of impatient barking, the trapper settles you in behind your team and you leave together on the snow-bound trails. What a magical experience! You will have the impression that you have been transported back in time, to live an adventure with a capital "A".
Your exploration of the land of ice and snow continues with this legendary North American breed of hunter, the Trapper. He will present his lifestyle, the fur trade, and the survival techniques used by 18th-century trappers in this hostile land with its rigorous climate. You will travel by sleigh back out of this culturally rich and authentic site. Time for a glass of Caribou, a traditional Quebec drink, safe and warm with your friendly hosts.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY ALONG THE WAY
Lunch in an authentic Sugar Shack
Return to Montreal at the end of the day. Tonight's accommodation: Delta Montréal.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES BEFORE DEPARTURE
A night in a country home
Skiplane flight
SUNDAY DECEMBER 30 - MONTREAL AIRPORT (P.E. Trudeau Airport )
Breakfast. Your last morning to enjoy Canada - you will have time for last-minute shopping in the nearby boutiques and shopping malls, an impressive network comprising more than 2000 businesses of all kinds. In the afternoon, you head to the airport to return your rented vehicle and check in your baggage. You return home full of lasting memories of the Canadian winter.
Authentik Advice: Count on an extra day for the return trip. For example, if you leave on Day 8, you will arrive in France on Day 9. The return flight is 6 hours long, to which you have to add the 6-hour time change. If you leave at 3 pm, you will arrive in France the next morning at 3 am.
 
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Snowmobile Quebec & Weather
