SUNDAY DECEMBER 23 - MONTREAL AIRPORT (P.E. Trudeau Airport )
ACTIVITIES: EXPLORE THE CITY & SHOPPING
Arrival at the Montréal airport. Welcome to the world's second-largest French-speaking city after Paris. For tonight's accommodation 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)
Local haute cuisine (lunch or supper)
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! It will also give you the chance to do some last-minute winter shopping in the largest underground city in the world...
MONDAY DECEMBER 24 - MONTREAL / MAURICIE NATIONAL PARK(200 KM)
ACTIVITY: CHRISTMAS EVE CELEBRATION
 After breakfast, you pick up your 4WD vehicle (or get on the bus, depending on the option chosen) and head for Mauricie National Park. For the next few days you will be staying at the comfortable Auberge du Trappeur. This small inn on the edge of Mauricie National Park has an old-fashioned charm, a dining room with a fireplace and a boutique offering souvenirs of Native and Quebec art. Here you will participate in winter activities such as snowmobiling, dog sledding, snowshoeing... A dream location, situated at the heart of Canada's wild open spaces.
 After a typically French Canadian welcome cocktail with your friendly hosts Annie and Mario, you will attend an authentic First Nations ceremony, and participate in a torchlight walk through the forest across the immense carpet of snow. Now, that is the magic of a Canadian Christmas!
A traditional meal will be served at the Auberge, for a true Canadian Christmas Eve celebration. Through their lively traditional music you will discover the culture and the legendary high spirits of the proud and friendly French Canadian people. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
TUESDAY DECEMBER 25 - MAURICIE NATIONAL PARK
ACTIVITY: 1/2 DAY OF DOGSLEDDING IN THE FOREST
 Breakfast. Today you will experience winter in its most pristine beauty - by dog sled. At the reins of your team of Siberian Huskies, you will glide through the incredible stillness of the boreal forest. Dogsledding creates an almost palpable bond between yourself and the animals; you will feel at one with nature. An excellent way to observe the fascinating snowy landscapes. Dinner by the fireplace and sleep at Auberge du Trappeur.
* EXTEND YOUR DOG SLEDDING ADVENTURE (optional)
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 26 - MAURICIE NATIONAL PARK
ACTIVITY: MEET AN AMERINDIAN
 Breakfast. This morning you will meet an Amerindian and learn about the lifestyle of these people who have been living here since time began... Your host will take you inside his "long house", a typical native home, an important place for sharing knowledge and ancestral wisdom. This unique experience will certainly prove to be one of the high points of your adventure on Canadian soil.
The rest of the day is yours to enjoy. What could be better than the wide open spaces of Canada to recharge your batteries and to escape the stress of urban life? After all, you are on holiday! Possible activities: cross-country skiing and nature walk in the forest. Meals and sleep at Auberge du Trappeur.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN THE AREA
Skiplane flight
THURSDAY DECEMBER 27 - MAURICIE NATIONAL PARK
ACTIVITY: INITIATION TO SNOWMOBILING (1 HOUR)
 Breakfast. Today will be your initiation to snowmobiling, as you set out to discover the winter wonderland. Let your sense of adventure lead you to the heart of an area that is still wild and almost untouched. Pay attention, because it is not unusual to spot wildlife.
* EXTEND YOUR SNOWMOBILE ADVENTURE (optional)
FRIDAY DECEMBER 28 - MAURICIE NATIONAL PARK
ACTIVITIES: 1/2 DAY OF SNOWSHOEING WITH A TRAPPER
Breakfast. Like the coureurs de bois of the last century, you set out on snowshoes to explore the surrounding snowy countryside, land of vast wild spaces.
 You will spend the morning with a real trapper, who will teach you about trapping, the importance of the trapper in Canada's history, and the trappers' lifestyle. You can choose to cook your own lunch outdoors over a wood fire, or at Auberge du Trappeur, before pursuing your snowshoeing expedition. During this day of winter adventure, you will get a taste of various aspects of forest life, and immerse yourselves in the beauty of nature and tradition. Supper and a good night's sleep at Auberge du Trappeur.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 29 - MAURICIE NATIONAL PARK / MONTREAL AIRPORT (200 KM)
Breakfast. Your last chance to enjoy the tranquility of the winter wilderness before leaving for the Montreal Airport to return your rented vehicle and board your return flight, your heart bursting with snowy memories of Canada.
OTHER OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES BEFORE DEPARTURE
A night in a country home
A night with the Algonquin
Lunch in an authentic Sugar Shack
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
