Maine’s Acadia National Park

DAYS 1-2 – PENOBSCOT BAY / CAMDEN The coastline’s long, rocky estuaries, sheltered coves and salty water provide ideal conditions for oysters, and local friends in Edgecomb have been perfecting the cultivation process for over thirty years. Hear how, and learn the art of oyster farming and tasting, when you visit their artisanal farm just in time for lunch. Later, sail one of Maine’s signature schooners in one of the world’s most photogenic bays. Penobscot is known as “the jewel of the Maine coast”, and with your captain and crew, you’ll navigate past rocky shoreline and sculpted narrows, over glassy open waters. Watch out for puffins, seals, porpoises and whales as you sail along. Did you know that Mainers make wine? Visit vintners at their 200-year-old timber barn on a Lincolnville hillside, home to the Cellardoor Winery. Your hosts welcome you to the estate on a private tour of their five-acre vineyard and state-of-the-art facility. Along the way, they’ll share how they make their award-winning wines. Then, they’ll host you to a wine tasting, paired with locally-grown produce.  

DAYS 3-5 – ACADIA NATIONAL PARK Just north along the Atlantic coast is Mount Desert Island. Following the coastline of pink granite cliffs, you get a great introduction to how wild and scenic it is. So wild in fact that you might spot a Maine moose during your walk. The farther north you find yourself, the more likely you’ll spy the Aurora Borealis. And in the continental U.S., you can’t go much farther north than Maine. The tiny towns and vast wilderness mean little light pollution, so even if the dancing green waves of the Northern Lights don’t make an appearance tonight, you’ve got the shimmering quilt of the Milky Way overhead. Maine has 3,478 miles of coastline, so lighthouses are a must, and the state has 65 scattered strategically along the coast. The Bass Harbor Head lighthouse is a legendary Acadia—and Maine—landmark, and you’ll see it perched on craggy coastline, looking out to the endless Atlantic from the very southernmost tip of the island, as you enjoy a scenic walk rich with songbirds, including warblers and kinglets, as well as tide pools, formed in pink granite and home to vibrant algae, barnacles and marine snails. Paddle sea kayaks to an island onto Frenchman Bay to see jellyfish, seals, porpoises and humpback whales.

Travel + Leisure has awarded Classic Journeys the #1 World’s Best Tour Operator multiple times and says, “Classic Journeys provides unbeatable access to experiences around the globe.” Here’s what that access means for you.

• Experience the world on foot and at eye level. Each day, join your guide on the most cinematic footpaths in the region.
• Exceptional full-time local guides who become your well-connected friend. Our amazing guides are with you throughout each day of the tour, share their lifelong connections as well as engaging anecdotes about the history and culture of the region.
• Small groups that provide you unrivaled access. An average of fewer than 10 guests per departure means we can offer you special access to sites like Stonehenge so you experience the stone circle when it’s closed to the general public, a guided visit to Zion Narrows that other companies cannot arrange because of larger group sizes, and vineyard walks with a count and countess in Tuscany.
• Award-winning hotels are waiting for you at the end of every day. Luxuriate in the finest and most distinctive accommodations in the region you’re exploring, including rainforest lodges, 16th century villas, and award-winning properties that show up on World’s Best and Gold lists.
• Eat like (and with) the locals. Food is a foolproof way into the hearts, homes and history of the places you visit with us. From gourmet picnics to coveted local restaurants, our meals offer you opportunities to explore native food traditions and fine dining.
• Handcrafted itineraries with all activities included. With our long-term friendships, we know our walking tour regions more personally than anyone else. So you get thoughtfully curated itineraries that combine explorations of the villages, organic farms, archeological sites and the people who know them best.
• Sustainable travel that supports the places you’re visiting. We put our local currency into the pockets of the people who live where we travel. It’s your guarantee that you’ll have authentic, up-close experiences on your trip. Best of all, our person-to-person approach helps sustain their ways of life.