|
DAY 1 - MONTREAL AIRPORT (P.E. Trudeau Airport )
ACTIVITIES: EXPLORE THE CITY AND SHOPPING
 You will be met at the airport by your friendly "Authentik" guide, who will accompany you to your hotel in downtown Montreal, the Delta Montreal****, in the heart of the city, where you will spend a quiet night adjusting to the time change. And if you arrive at your hotel before 3:00 pm, you can leave your luggage in a room at the hotel. Downtown Montreal is home to the world's largest underground city, lined with thousands of shops, ideal for last-minute shopping for winter equipment.
In the evening, you are invited to enjoy a welcome cocktail while your guide presents the program for the next few days. On the bus ride back to the hotel, you will get to enjoy a view of the night lights of downtown Montreal.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN MONTREAL
Attend a Montreal Canadians hockey match
Biodome (eco-museum)
Try the local cuisine
DAY 2 - MONTREAL / LAURENTIANS (125 KM)
ACTIVITIES: ICE FISHING, ALGONQUIN CULTURE AND BISON
 After breakfast at the hotel you set out for the beautiful Laurentians, 150 Km north of Montreal. As you approach your destination, the winter landscape takes on a postcard beauty. Upon your arrival, your adventure begins with an Inuit tradition, ice fishing.
After cutting a hole in the ice on a frozen lake, you sink your line, and attempt to entice the trout... You will be able to enjoy your catch, cooked over a fire, with potatoes and vegetables and followed by a maple dessert.
 Your adventure will continue with a memorable meeting with T8aminik Rankin, former Grand Chief of the Algonquin Nation.
This great man will accompany you as you strap on a pair of snowshoes for a walk through the forest. From this moment on, you will lose all sense of time, leaving the stress of urban life far behind you! Along the way, you will observe Quebec's only herd of wood bison. As old as the mammoth, the wood bison is one of the few mammals to have survived the last ice age. In your way you will be contributing to the survival of this endangered species, Canada's largest terrestrial mammal and ancient guide to the First Nations people.
You will also participate in a Healing Circle ritual, hear traditional songs and drumming, visit different First Nations dwellings and sample bannock (traditional bread) with a cup of Aboriginal herbal tea, all in the purest Algonquin tradition with T8aminik Rankin.
Tonight you will be staying at Montcalm Outfitters , situated in an exceptional natural setting. Dinner with a local flavour in the dining room, with an unrestricted view of the frozen lake and the white forest.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Hockey Bottine
DAY 3 - LAURENTIANS
ACTIVITIES: DOG SLEDDING, SNOWSHOEING AND "COUREUR DES BOIS"
 Over breakfast, your first reflex is to look out the window and admire the splendour of the winter landscape. Today
you will experience winter in its most pristine beauty - by dog sled.
To the sound of the barking of dogs impatient to be off, the musher (dog sled guide) settles you into your own sled and you set out with him along the snowy trails. The feeling is magic - it is like going back in time to live an adventure with a capital A. You will navigate about 20 km of trails by dog sled, across an immense white wilderness of mountains and valleys. The views will take your breath away!
Like a real "coureur des bois" (trapper) of the last century, you explore the vastness of this snowy land, experiencing different aspects of forest life. For lunch, you will help to light a campfire on the snow like in the olden days. On the menu, game sausages roasted on the fire with vegetables in foil. After warming yourself up with a tea, coffee or hot chocolate, you will continue your journey through the snow-laden pines. Your naturalist-guide will show you how to recognize animal tracks in the snow, and will explain trapping techniques, survival fishing, identification of wild plants, and more...
At the end of the day, you make your way to the snowmobile park to pick up your saddlebags and "extreme cold" gear (ski pants, jacket, winter boots, gloves), which you will need for tomorrow's tour. Dinner and a good night's sleep at Pourvoirie Montcalm. Don't forget to pack your saddlebags for tomorrow's snowmobile trek before you go to bed!
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Evening with folk singer
DAY 4 - LAURENTIANS / MASTIGOUCHE WILDLIFE RESERVE
ACTIVITY: SNOWMOBILE (160 KM)
You meet your snowmobile guides over a buffet-style breakfast, followed by a short bus ride. You pick up your snowmobiles, then your guides will explain snowmobiling driving techniques and safety tips before you set out to discover the vast white wilderness in the most authentic snowmobile trek in Canada!
Your trek starts out on a marked trail across a large frozen lake before turning onto the panoramic trails of the legendary Mont Tremblant National Park. The trails are wide enough to allow you to enjoy the spectacular views while navigating the curves. Surrounded by majestic mountains, frozen lakes and pine forest as far as the eye can see, you will know the feeling of being in the heart of Canada's great northern wilderness. Take the time to take a few photos before heading towards a typical snowmobile rest stop, where a hearty meal awaits you.
In the afternoon, you continue your exploration of this northern landscape. You may be lucky enough to meet a deer, as there are a lot of them in this region. At nightfall you reach the extremely authentic Mastigouche Outfitter, setting for many films including "Grey Owl". It also served as a well-known private hunting and fishing club from 1875 - 1930. In the evening, comfortable in the lounge-bar, share your stories of the day's adventure with local snowmobile enthusiasts.
Or you can choose to end this memorable day with a caribou (Quebec cocktail) around a campfire. And if nature is generous, you may get to experience the splendour of the Aurora Borealis.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN THE MASTIGOUCHE WILDLIFE RESERVE
Campfire and Caribou
DAY 5 - MASTIGOUCHE WILDLIFE RESERVE / LAURENTIANS
ACTIVITY: SNOWMOBILE (175 KM)
After breakfast, take the reins of your iron horse and continue your exploration of this beautiful land of snow. You will be impressed by the quality of the trails in this region, referred to as the Mecca of snowmobiling by several specialized snowmobiling magazines. From village to village you will make your way to St-Côme for lunch in a typical village restaurant. If you visit in February, you will be able to admire the ice sculptures lining Main Street, created by local artists. 
On the return trail to St-Donat-de-Montcalm, you will discover the magnificent Ouareau Forest, and cross a hanging bridge over the tumultuous Ouareau River. This bridge, nicknamed the "Golden Gate" by American visitors, is an excellent place to stop and take some photos. After the bridge, only 30 km will remain of your unforgettable trek!
Once you have returned your gear, you will return to Montcalm Outfitters, for an excellent dinner featuring local cuisine. This evening, enjoy the outfitter's facilities including a heated pool, spa and massage, sauna. If you have a video camera, you can relive your snowy adventure on the pub's TV screen over a game of pool...
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Scandinavian Baths and Thalassotherapy
DAY 6 - LAURENTIANS / QUEBEC (370 KM)
ACTIVITIES: MORNING OFF AND SUGAR SHACK
After a buffet-style breakfast, the morning is yours to enjoy the facilities of Montcalm Outfitters, or just to relax and enjoy the view. You can cross country ski, skate on the lake, snowshoe, swim in the heated pool, have a sauna, use the game room or the exercise room... What could be better than Canada's wide open spaces to get away from the stress of urban life? You leave at the end of the morning for Quebec City, birthplace of North America's French civilization.
 For lunch, you stop at an authentic Sugar Shack to experience a quintessentially Canadian tradition. On the menu, crisp fried pork rind
( "oreilles de crisse"), dumplings in maple syrup, etc, as well as live folk music and a guided tour of the maple lot. And if you feel up to the challenge, you can participate in the Lumberjack Contest!
On the way to Quebec City, admire the splendour of Canada's winter landscape during a skiplane ride. You will be spending the next two nights in Quebec City at the Château Laurier***. You have the evening to yourselves to try out one of Old Quebec's many restaurants. And if you are in the mood for exploring the city's lively night life, your invaluable guide will be able to advise you on the many possibilities.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Lumberjack Games
Skiplane flight
DAY 7 - QUEBEC
ACTIVITY: GUIDED CITY TOUR AND AFTERNOON OFF
 After breakfast, your guide will take you on a sightseeing tour of Quebec City and its main attractions, such as the Breakneck Steps ("Escalier Casse-Cou"), the famous Château Frontenac, Terasse Dufferin, Place d'Armes, Parliament Hill, Place Royale, etc... You can make the spectacular ferry crossing of the icy St. Lawrence River. Be sure to bring your camera along - all of these activities will provide many excellent photo opportunities!
Celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Québec City!
Thrill-seekers can experience something out of the ordinary with a hot air balloon flight over the majestic St. Lawrence, or go sliding down the vertiginous slopes of Valcartier Vacation Village. And for drinks, you can make your way to the Ice Hotel for vodka served in a glass sculpted out of ice! During your tour of the Ice Hotel you will visit impressive rooms sculpted by professional artist. Don't forget your camera!
This evening, you are cordially invited to savour a delicious dinner in the panoramic Astral Restaurant. The view of Old Quebec is quite magical, with its night lights softened by the blanket of snow...
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
A night at the Ice Hotel or Tour of the Ice Hotel
Ice Safari in a hot air balloon
Sliding at Valcartier Vacation Village
Crossing the icy St. Lawrence River
DAY 8 - QUEBEC / MONTREAL AIRPORT
ACTIVITY: SHOPPING AND TIME OFF
Breakfast and last-minute shopping in the stores and boutiques of Old Quebec, an impressive network of more than 500 businesses of all kinds. For lunch, it is left up to you to choose your restaurant. In the afternoon you will head to the airport for your return flight home, your heart full of memories of the land of snow and winter sports.
Or for those wishing to experience a real cultural immersion, you can spend one last night "chez l'habitant", in a country home. This will provide a direct contact with the French Canadian people, allowing you to experience first-hand their customs and their traditions.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES BEFORE DEPARTURE
A night in a country home
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.
 
|
Snowmobile Quebec & Weather
