Saguenay & Val-Jalbert
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Port
Saguenay, Quebec, Canada
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Activity Level
Easy
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Excursion Type
Local Sightseeing,All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$219.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 7 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals included
At the tip of a majestic fjord where the waters of the Saguenay and the St-Lawrence rivers meet lies the charming village of Saguenay.
You will visit the district of Chicoutimi -- known for its decidedly French atmosphere and a touch of the Old World -- to learn about the area's culture and history.
Discover the importance of Saguenay Fjord, deeply chiseled into the Laurentian Mountains and once a natural trading route for the First Nations people. In the 1600s, France established its first fur trading post here. Colonization of the area soon followed. While passing through the industrial region, you will see how the early 20th century brought exploitation of the river with logging, the pulp and paper industries, and aluminum production. Drive along the main street, Rue Racine, and past the Old Port.
Watch for the Little White House that miraculously survived the flood of 1996, and enjoy a 15-minute photo stop at the Pulp Mill of Chicoutimi, founded in 1898.
Leave town for a one-hour panoramic drive through farmland and along Lac St-Jean to Val-Jalbert Historical Village. Dominated by the majestic beauty of the 220-foot-high Chute Ouiatchouan, Val-Jalbert was a model working village created in 1901 around the pulp mill. After the mill's closure in 1927, time seemed to stop here, and it gradually turned into a ghost town. Classified as a Historic Monument, this vast, 452-acre wooded domain consists of many restored buildings -- the convent, the general store, the post office, the pulp mill, and the famous Rue Labreque, lined by the workers' abandoned houses. Lunch will be served in Val-Jalbert and you will also free time for exploration on your own.
Notes:
The return drive from Val-Jalbert Historical Village to the pier is approximately 90 minutes in duration.