Havre-Saint-Pierre?

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What?  You haven’t heard of Havre-Saint-Pierre?  Don’t feel bad.  I hadn’t either until it was on the itinerary of an expedition cruise we were taking with Hurtigruten.  It is always exciting to get a new itinerary and start researching the ports of call and what adventures are waiting to be had at each one.  Finding new places is part of the fun of traveling.

 

Havre-Saint-Pierre is located in Canada in the Province of Quebec.  Its position on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence gives it a much harsher climate than one would normally expect from its location just below the 50^th parallel.  But what makes Havre-Saint-Pierre so special?  Let me count the ways.  First, let's talk about the language.  Yes, it is part of Quebec so they speak French (in case the name didn’t give that away); however, they speak a dialect of French that is more Acadian in nature than Quebec French.  Since I don’t speak French, the difference was not noticeable.

 

Second, the area around Havre-Saint-Pierre has been blessed with an archipelago of islands that have these amazing limestone rock formations.  These islands have been turned in to the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve.  It has taken thousands of years for these rock formations to be created and they are quite spectacular.  My only regret is I didn’t manage to get a great shot of these rocks.  I have a few that are from a distance but you can’t quite get the scope of their size or magnificence.

 

Third, until relatively recently, the major form of transportation was dogsled.  I kid you not.  They used dog sleds for generations.  From dogsleds, they moved on to snowmobiles.  It wasn’t until Highway 138 connected Havre-Saint-Pierre to the rest of the province that motor vehicles became more widely used.

 

Last but not least, Havre-Saint-Pierre is near Canada’s only titanium mine.  They have a museum near the port that tells part of the story regarding the discovery of titanium in the region.  It was first known as the “coal that would not burn”.  Once you see the metal in its natural form that you can understand the name.  The museum was a fun visit.  It was entirely done in French; however, they gave us booklets that were in English so we could understand what each display was about.

 

All in all, Havre-Saint-Pierre was a wonderful find and if you get the chance to explore the Mingan Archipelago National Park, you should take it.  Need help planning your adventure around Havre-Saint-Pierre, contact us your Havre-Saint-Pierre experts.  We would love to help you plan your next adventure!