What is a CapeRace Trip- A Vacation Package?

Just what is a CapeRace Adventure?

It's all about Choice and Chance-- A brand new approach to nature and culture-based meaningful travel

CapeRace is a new concept in nature and culture-based travel. We call this new concept "Guidance without the Guide". It's not a "tour".  A CapeRace Adventure is not about churches and stained glass windows or lifeless museums with do-not-touch rules. It’s not about everyone hanging onto the rope.You won’t see a tour leader at the front of the line with a flag. It's not a "tour".  

Explore & Engage

So what is it? It’s about people and places. It’s about yakking with a local over a few beers while staring out at a magnificent seascape, or listening to a fiddler in an ageless, timeless pub. It’s about unraveling stories and belly laughs. It’s about fresh air and expansiveness, great hikes and walks, whales, birds and icebergs. It’s about returning to simpler times. It's about you making all the decisions. We’ve waived the no touch rules. We present lost in time experiences at lost in time places. With a CapeRace Adventure everything is by chance, and it is this randomness that keeps things real.   It's a self-guided, self-catered trip with a twist. Keep reading....

 

 

Robert Reid, US Travel Editor, Lonely Planet, after a stay with CapeRace  "... Newfoundland is a special place. It's a gift to travelers, willing to look. In St John's, you experience Newfoundland first, city second -- the culture and kindness is found everywhere. Heart's Delight was the definitive experience. ..."  See the Lonely Planet's video of a CapeRace Trip>>

Book an Adventure

How it All Works- Guidance without the Guide

CapeRace offers the Eco-Cultural Experience™, where you are provided with the keys to three coastal homes, an unlimited km/mi vehicle, and a bookstore-quality guidebook written specifically for your trip.  With three different homes as your basecamps, you use the guidebook to plan your own adventure and craft your own interactions.  It's "Guidance without the Guide"  

The custom written guidebook holds the the clues and hints on how to meet the most interesting people and see the most dramatic and breathtaking landscapes. Shortly before your departure we ask you thirty questions.  Using your response, the guidebook is edited and demand-printed specifically for YOU and your traveling friends.  We connect you with the fierce heart of Newfoundland: the individual characters that know the land and want to share their stories.

Instead of finding crowds-- find character:

  1. The traveler is given an unlimited milage vehicle and a key that fits the locks of three newly restored coastal homes for their exclusive use. Each in their own breathtaking location, the coastal homes represent a different take on Newfoundland lifestyle, both old and new.

  2. We provide the traveller with self-published bookstore-quality guidebook. Based on the premise that the best travel experience occurs when travelers meet locals on their own accord, we write the guidebook in a way that changes the odds and nature of chance meetings. Once the traveler's pre-departure survey is complete, the base guidebook is customized and demand-printed to suit their specific profile. Upon return, if they would like to share their own secret discoveries, we write them back into the base book- this keeps everything fresh and new for the next travellers.

Since the guidebook is fluid and customizable, we can move destinations and people in and out of the guidebook, creating a less-concentrated travelers footprint that is less intrusive and widens the economic benefits. This is our key to responsible, sustainable travel, and is what catches National Geographic's attention. The guidebook creates that sense of adventure sometimes lost in large-scale tourism, that opportunity to find one’s inner extrovert and truly connect and invest in a place on a micro and meaningful scale. And at days end, the travelers return to their coastal home, one that immerses them historically and literally in local communities. A coast is more than a shoreline: it’s the people and history that been built out of the ecosystem there. Our guests can participate in the budding economic restoration, and subsequent preservation of the Newfoundland coast and its towns. 

Where are the coastal homes located?

CapeRace has six coastal homes that are used for different trips.  The Eco-Culture Experience trip utilizes three.  One located in the Battery neighbourhood of St. John's at Signal Hill, the second in the small quiet town of Heart's Delight at Trinity Bay and the third located on the Bonavista Peninsula, either at the Mockbeggar neighbourhood in the town of Bonavista, or in the small town of Elliston.

When is the best time to go to Newfoundland?

Details on when to travel and what to wear can be found here>>

Frequently Asked Questions  FAQ

Details on the CapeRace Travel Concept can be found here>>

See What the Press has said about Us

CapeRace has had significant press coverage>> in respected national and international publications.  Be careful.  There are spoilers.

Adventure Package Details

See this season's trip offerings here>>

 

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A 10 Day Exploration Adventure on the Avalon & Bonavista Peninsulas. Discoveries are yours to create at your own pace, on your own time. We call it "Guidance without the Guide"

 
  • 10 days from St. John's to Bonavista. Self-drive-Self-cater.
  • 3 nights stay at each of St. John's on the Avalon Peninsula, Heart's Delight on the Baccalieu Trail, and Bonavista on the Discovery Trail
  • Exclusive use of  three coastal homes
  • Full-size VAN with UNLIMITED mileage included
  • One copy of the "Traveller's Diary" Custom Guidebook
  • Trips initiated at St John's, concluded at Bonavista
  • Departures every four days April through October
  • $2699 CDN per person-- Under 21 years of age, $600 CDN per person
  • Multi-family rates available
  • Payments accepted by VISA, Mastercard or certified cheque; taxes extra

Ask a Question about this trip>>

 

Jonathan Tourtellot, Fellow, National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations: "...Things you (CapeRace) have done involving people are truly trailblazing. I don't know of anyone, anywhere that has figured out such a great way to get tourists in contact with local people..."  

 

Robert Reid, US Travel Editor, Lonely Planet, after a stay with CapeRace:  "...Newfoundland, there is no other. It's a gift to travelers, willing to look. In St John's, you experience Newfoundland first, city second -- the culture and kindness is found everywhere. Catching a real-live kitchen party in Heart's Delight was the definitive experience. Newfoundland is a special place..."   


Book an Adventure

 

It's about Exploration--10 Days of Spontaneous Events & Unique Discoveries-Our Best Seller

You determine your own pace for exploring Newfoundland's Avalon and Bonavista Peninuslas. Our role? Set you up with the keys to your own vehicle and exclusive access to three incredible coastal homes located in St. John's, Heart's Delight, and Bonavista—all under three hours apart. This is the trip that National Geographic experienced and reported on>>.  It is our best-seller.

Unscripted Experiences--Adventure through People 

We'll also give you a customized bookstore-quality guidebook written and demand-printed specifically for your trip—the self-directing Traveller's Diary.  This book is your key to connecting with the people and adventures that make Newfoundland’s coast unique.  We are the only travel company that transparently initiates real connections with the local community in a self-guided travel format. The Traveller's Diary sends you to the places and people that we know are the heart of Newfoundland.  

The flexible self-driving, self-guiding, self-catering circuit-tour gives you the opportunity to experience cultural and ecological discovery at your own pace, on your own terms and on your own time. The award-winning Eco-Culture Experience™ is a great match for adventurous spirits and is the perfect way to a TRUE Newfoundland visit.  It's a real distinctive travel experience--a way to satisfy curiosity and spontaneity through nature, culture and chance.

Trip Highlights

Where to start? With a self-guided package you determine your specific day to day itinerary so it's hard to predict what will be a highlight for you--however-- provincial entry surveys indicate most people come to Newfoundland for the wildlife and seascapes, and the exit surveys indicate their highlight was interaction the local people. Our best effort at predicting your highlights can be found here>>.  Be sure to browse the entire Activities secition to get a feel for the trip.  

Trip Itinerary

Day 1-- St. John's:  Arrive in St. John's, sometimes described as where "San Francisco meets Dublin". Spend three nights at Hipditch House, a newly-restored coastal home located in one of the oldest neighbourhoods in St. John's-- The Battery. Hipditch House shares the property line with Signal Hill National Historic Park.Take a daily hike to Signal Hill via the North Head Trail, located literally on your doorstep.  For 3-4 days explore North America's oldest city, England's first colony. Sample the rich Celtic music scene, dine on local cuisine, and hike/walk the extensive coastal trail system located within city limits.

Day 4--Heart's Delight, Trinity Bay: Arrive at Heart's Delight, a quiet former fishing village located directly on the Baccalieu Trail. Spend three nights at the ocean-front EJ Sooley House, a restored traditional fisherman's house built in 1930 located on the banks of Trinity Bay. For 3-4 days explore over seventy small outport communities along 240 km of coastline. Drive the Cape Shore Trail to Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve where 60,000 nesting Gannets settle on a 300 foot cliff.

Day 7--Bonavista, Bonavista Bay: Arrive at Bonavista, a bustling town located on the Discovery Trail. Spend three nights at the historic The Thomas Mouland House, a newly restored oceanfront located in the central Mockbeggar neighbourhood, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the town. For 3-4 days explore the Discovery Trail visiting outport communities of Trinity, Kings Cove and Maberly. Take in local theatre, walk and hike coastal trails, visit abandoned communities by boat.

Day 10: Depart Bonavista for St. John's Airport.

 

See the Lonely Planet's video's from a CapeRace trip>>

See National Geographic's videos from their Eco-Culutre Experience trip>>

See what previous CapeRace Travelers have to say >>

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions>>

 

All tours and activities taken outside of the CapeRace Cultural Adventures Inc. tour are undertaken at the risk and expense of the traveller. The tour is a cultural adventure that will take you to remote areas which may not offer all of the conveniences/services found at home. Personal insurance is mandatory—and not included.  Be sure to ask lots of questions if you have critical needs or certain services that are generally available in urban centers.  Not suitable for any type of Recreational Vehicle (RV) travel.  See our 2012 Terms & Conditions & Cancellation Policy

A 7 Day Eastern Exploration Adventure from St. John's to Bonavista. Satisfy curiosity and spontaneity through nature, culture and chance.

 

  • 7 Days from St. John's to Bonavista. Self-guided-Self-cater.
  • 2 nights stay at each of St. John's on the Avalon Peninsula, Heart's Delight on the Baccalieu Trail, and Bonavista/Elliston on the Discovery Trail
  • Pricing based on "exclusive use" of three properties 
  • Unlimited km full-size car 
  • One copy of the "Traveller's Diary" Custom Guidebook
  • Trips initiated at St John's, concluded at Bonavista
  • $2190 CDN per person-- Under 21 years of age- $400 CDN per person
  • Multi-family rates available
  • Payments accepted by VISA, Mastercard or certified cheque; taxes extra
  • Departures every four days April through October

Ask a Question about this trip>>

 

Jonathan Tourtellot,  Fellow, National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations: "...Things you (CapeRace) have done involving people are truly trailblazing. I don't know of anyone, anywhere that has figured out such a great way to get tourists in contact with local people..."  

 

Robert Reid, US Travel Editor, Lonely Planet, after a stay with CapeRace:  "...Newfoundland, there is no other. It's a gift to travelers, willing to look. In St John's, you experience Newfoundland first, city second -- the culture and kindness is found everywhere. Catching a real-live kitchen party in Heart's Delight was the definitive experience. Newfoundland is a special place..."   

Book an Adventure

(Spring 2012 will see the introduction of a new short trip called Eco-Culture Experience™-LITE. Based on the award-winning Eco-Culture Experience™ trip, it is essentially the same experience with a shortened stay duration by one day at each location, the vehicle is a car with a per-km package, and you will stay at different houses but of similar decor, quality and location).


It's about Exploration--7 Days of Spontaneous Events & Unique Discoveries- New for 2012

You determine your own pace for exploring Newfoundland's Avalon and Bonavista Peninuslas. We set you up with the keys to your own vehicle and exclusive access to three incredible coastal homes located in St. John's, Heart's Delight, and Elliston/Bonavista—all under three hours apart. This trip is based on the adventure that National Geographic experienced and reported on>>.

Unscripted Experiences--Adventure through People 

We'll also give you a customized bookstore-quality guidebook written and demand-printed specifically for your trip—the self-directing Traveller's Diary.  This book is your key to connecting with the people and adventures that make Newfoundland’s coast unique.  We are the only travel company that transparently initiates real connections with the local community in a self-guided travel format. The Traveller's Diary sends you to the places and people that we know are the heart of Newfoundland.  

The flexible self-driving, self-guiding, self-catering circuit-tour gives you the opportunity to experience cultural and ecological discovery at your own pace, on your own terms and on your own time. The award-winning Eco-Culture Experience™ is a great match for adventurous spirits and is the perfect way to a TRUE Newfoundland visit.  It's a real distinctive travel experience--a way to satisfy curiosity and spontaneity through nature, culture and chance.

Trip Highlights

Where to start? With a self-guided package you determine your specific day to day itinerary so it's hard to predict what will be a highlight for you--however-- provincial entry surveys indicate most people come to Newfoundland for the wildlife and seascapes, and the exit surveys indicate their highlight was interaction with local people. Our best effort at predicting your highlights can be found here>>.  Be sure to browse the entire Activities secition to get a feel for the trip.  

Trip Itinerary

Day 1-St. John's: Arrive in St. John's, sometimes described as where "San Franciso meets Dublin". Spend two nights at Hare's Ears Cottage, a newly-restored coastal home located in one of the oldest neighbourhoods in St. John's-- The Battery. Hare's Ears shares the property line with Signal Hill National Historic Park.Take a daily hike to Signal Hill via the North Head Trail, located literally on your doorstep. For 2-3 days explore North America's oldest city, England's first colony. Sample the rich Celtic music scene, dine on local cuisine, and hike/walk the extensive coastal trail system located within city limits.

Day 3-Heart's Delight, Trinity Bay Arrive at Heart's Delight, a quiet former fishing village located directly on the Baccalieu Trail. Spend two nights at the ocean-front WB Sooley House, a restored traditional fisherman's house, located on the banks of Trinity Bay. For 2-3 days explore over seventy small outport communities along 240 km of coastline on a peninsula that forms the north side of Conception Bay and the south side of Trinity Bay on the Avalon Peninsula. Drive the Cape Shore Trail to Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve where 60,000 nesting Gannets settle on a 300 foot cliff.

Day 5-Elliston, Bonavista Peninsula: Arrive at Elliston, a quiet outport located on the Discovery Trail, just 4km from Bonavista. Spend two nights at the historic Anchor House, a newly restored oceanfront home that shares 600 ft of CapeRace coastal waterfront property. For 2-3 days explore the Discovery Trail visiting outport communities of Trinity, Kings Cove and Maberly. Take in local theatre, walk and hike coastal trails, visit abandoned communites by boat.

Day 7: Depart Elliston for St. John's Airport.

 

See the Lonely Planet's video's from a CapeRace trip>>

See National Geographic's videos from their Eco-Culutre Experience trip>>

See what previous CapeRace Travelers have to say >>

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions>>

 

All tours and activities taken outside of the CapeRace Cultural Adventures Inc. tour are undertaken at the risk and expense of the traveller. The tour is a cultural adventure that will take you to remote areas which may not offer all of the conveniences/services found at home. Personal insurance is mandatory—and not included.  Be sure to ask lots of questions if you have critical needs or certain services that are generally available in urban centers.  Not suitable for any type of Recreational Vehicle (RV) travel.  See our 2012 Terms & Conditions & Cancellation Policy

Be a tourist in your own home town. Get away with friends & family - Great music - Great food

  • Two night extendable packaged getaways from St. John's
  • Choose from one or two side-by-side outport coastal homes
  • Large oceanfront decks with spectacular views
  • 4-12 person capacity, exclusive use
  • Live east coast music available
  • Fresh crab, lobster, cod (in-season) and other catering services available 
  • 1.25 hour drive from St. John's
  • Available March-June & September-December
  • $125 cdn per person based on 4 person occupancy per house. Exclusive use.
  • Payments accepted by VISA, Mastercard or certified cheque; taxes extra
  • Deposit of 50% required for reservation

 

 

Robert Reid, US Travel Editor, Lonely Planet, after a stay with CapeRace:  "...Newfoundland, there is no other. It's a gift to travelers, willing to look. In St John's, you experience Newfoundland first, city second -- the culture and kindness is found everywhere. Catching a real-live kitchen party in Heart's Delight was the definitive experience.


Book an Adventure

Show your Mainlander Friends how we do it

Great for birthday celebrations, anniversarys, business retreats or simply a short family get-a-way. Package includes exclusive use of one or  two side-by-side furnished three bedroom coastal homes. We'll send over musicians that play to a quiet family gathering or small group-- or to a crowd looking for a full blown traditional Newfoundland kitchen party that will keep your group dancing all night.  Let us entertain your visitng  friends from the mainland with local music, local food and of course, local fun. If you ask, we'll even stock your fridge. In season we can organize a beachfront lobster boil for 12 or simply make sure your family or group has access to lobster, fresh cod, or crab. In the spirt of CapeRace- You call the shots and we deliver. Watch for the Lonely Planet's test drive to be broadcast this spring.

 

 

 

 

 

All tours and activities taken outside of the CapeRace Cultural Adventures Inc. tour are undertaken at the risk and expense of the traveller. The tour is a cultural adventure that will take you to remote areas which may not offer all of the conveniences/services found at home. Personal insurance is mandatory—and not included.  Be sure to ask lots of questions if you have critical needs or certain services that are generally available in urban centers.  Not suitable for any type of Recreational Vehicle (RV) travel.  See our Terms & Conditions & Cancellation Policy

Day-Trips from St. John's... Engage your emotions & enjoy a unique sense of place...

“The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see...” G. K. Chesterton

 

We believe memorable heart-felt and life-changing travel experiences occur off the beaten path and with a sense of the unknown and discovery. In Newfoundland, unscripted experiences and adventure through people is the best way to satisfy your travel curiosity.

Our day trips are true to life and our guides have an inate sense of  spontaneity. Newfoundland is best experienced with an unplanned and flexible approach to ensure time is available for the unexpected.

We take you to the perfect spots that emanate an unusual sense of place, where nature, culture and chance all combine to keep your adventurous spirit busy and engaged.

Book an Adventure

 

Guided Tour of St. John’s and Surrounds

St. John’s is the oldest city in North America. Take a trip to scenic Cape Spear, the most easterly point in North America; walk the short coastal trails around Cabot Tower at Signal Hill. Shop on historic Water Street with persons in the know and explore hidden alleyways and restaurants. Dine at a local restaurant. Details>>

Coastal Walking & Hiking

St. John’s is the only city in the world that has world-class walking and hiking trails right in the city. Our guide will take you on a 2 hour walk through spectacular coastal seascapes and small coastal villages. Visits to Signal Hill, the Battery, Quidi Vidi with a stop for lunch.  Details>>

Bird Spectacular

Watch 60,000 nesting birds while standing on the edge of a 350 ft cliff.  Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve is the most accessible seabird rookery and the third largest nesting site colony of northern gannets in North America.  The stunning, majestic scenery of the Cape is perfect for a relaxing walk or a challenging hike.  Known as one of Newfoundland  and Labrador’s top destinations. Stop for lunch. Details>>

A Day Around the Bay

A bus ride takes you outside of St. John’s to the “Outports”, small fishing villages that dot the spectacular coastline. Stop at historic Cupids & Brigus en-route to the quiet coastal village of Heart’s Delight. Enjoy a Newfoundland “Scuff & Scoff”-- a Newfoundland kitchen party with the local community, local musicians & local seafood. Enjoy the fresh air as you walk the coastline on ancient fisherman’s trails around the original house-retreat to a warm kitchen with great music and smiling faces. Details>>

Book Your Trip