Here’s the bucket list for your day ashore: the most extraordinary thing to do at each stop, and the private, small-group, or expert-led way to make it yours — your own pace, real access, none of the crowd.
In port at Sept-Iles, the bucket-list move is Sept-Îles Archipelago Zodiac Expedition. Destination Sept-Îles (Official Tourism) runs it — a private, expert-led experience at your own pace, not a 40-person coach. Below: all 6 bucket-list things to do on a Sept-Iles port day, each with the independent way to make it yours.
1wildlife
Blast across glittering boreal waters aboard a powerful Zodiac to the wild Sept-Îles Archipelago — seabird colonies, harbour seals, and the raw edge of the Gulf of St. Lawrence await. A true bucket-list encounter with sub-Arctic nature at its most untamed.
Book it withDestination Sept-Îles (Official Tourism)CAD 95–CAD 120 per person (approx.; book direct via Destination Sept-Îles)
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2adventure
Escape to the crown jewel of the Sept-Îles Archipelago — untouched Grande Basque Island, where boreal forest trails lead to granite headlands with sweeping Gulf panoramas. Swim in crystal-clear coves, then picnic in absolute wilderness.
Book it withDestination Sept-Îles (Official Tourism)CAD 30–CAD 45 per person for ferry transfer; island access included
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3food
Savour the wild, Nordic flavours of Québec's North Shore on an intimate 3-hour guided culinary walk — artisanal cheeses, smoked boreal fish, craft microbrews, and Indigenous-inspired delicacies at three handpicked local gems.
Book it withDestination Sept-Îles (Official Tourism)CAD 85–CAD 110 per person (approx.; confirm via Destination Sept-Îles direct booking)
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4culture
Step inside the oldest fur-trading post on the North Shore and meet the living culture of the Innu Nation — drum songs, traditional crafts, and stories that predate European settlement by millennia. A genuinely moving encounter with one of Canada's First Peoples.
Book it withDestination Sept-Îles (Official Tourism)CAD 15–CAD 25 per person entry; guided cultural experience approx. CAD 55–CAD 75 per person
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5scenic
Board the legendary Quebec North Shore & Labrador Railway — one of the world's great wilderness train rides — and plunge deep into boreal forest and sub-Arctic tundra that almost no road reaches. A truly rare journey through Canada's untamed interior.
Book it withTshiuetin Rail TransportationCAD 150–CAD 200 per person return (approx.; contact Tshiuetin Rail directly for current fares and schedules)
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6wildlife
Land on Corossol Island — a designated Important Bird Area and one of the Gulf of St. Lawrence's most significant seabird sanctuaries — for an exclusive, expert-led encounter with puffins, razorbills, and storm petrels nesting at arm's reach.
Book it withDestination Sept-Îles (Official Tourism)CAD 110–CAD 145 per person (approx.; specialist naturalist boat excursion, book via Destination Sept-Îles)
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