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A large blue-tinged iceberg on a calm grey sea off Twillingate, Newfoundland

Sample journey · 9–11 days

Newfoundland: icebergs, whales and the outports

St. John's, Witless Bay, Trinity, Twillingate, Fogo Island & Gros Morne

Photo: Richard Lee / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Newfoundland isn't the Maritimes but a world of its own: an island set apart from the mainland by a strait, with its own accent, its own humour and its own time zone, half an hour off Atlantic time. Its east coast is known as Iceberg Alley: in spring and early summer the current carries pieces of Greenland's glaciers down this shore, some of them bigger than a church. At the same time humpback whales gather below the cliffs and countless seabirds come in to nest, while in the fishing villages, the outports, brightly painted fishing stages stand on stilts above the water.

This route crosses the island from east to west: St. John's, the seabird islands of Witless Bay, historic Trinity and Bonavista, Twillingate for icebergs, Fogo Island and its artists, and finally the fjords and mountains of Gros Morne. It suits active travellers and couples who like coastal paths, small boats and talking to people: most drives are two or three hours, the longest about five, and the stays are simple, welcoming houses by the water rather than big hotels.

The route

The journey

  1. St. John's
  2. Cape Spear
  3. Witless Bay
  4. Trinity & the Bonavista peninsula
  5. Twillingate
  6. Fogo Island
  7. Gros Morne National Park
  8. Deer Lake
  1. The view from Signal Hill over the narrow entrance to St. John's harbour and the city beyond

    01Days 1–3 · St. John's & Cape Spear

    Painted houses and the first signal

    Two nights in St. John's, one of North America's oldest harbours. In the morning, a walk among brightly painted wooden houses climbing steep streets from the harbour, then Signal Hill: here in 1901 Marconi received the first wireless signal across the Atlantic, and from the top you look down on the narrow mouth of the harbour. For stronger walkers, the North Head Trail along the cliffs, usually an hour to an hour and a half. The next morning, Cape Spear, the easternmost point of North America, where the province's oldest surviving lighthouse stands above the sea and in summer whale spouts are sometimes seen offshore. Evenings are for a city of harbour brewers and musicians: traditional Irish and Newfoundland music plays almost every night, and it's the best way to hear the island's voice.

  2. Three Atlantic puffins swimming on dark blue water off Bay Bulls, Newfoundland

    02Days 3–4 · Witless Bay

    Seabird islands and humpbacks

    On the third day it's about half an hour south to the Southern Shore and a night in a fishing village. In the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, hundreds of thousands of seabirds nest on four islands: one of North America's largest Atlantic puffin colonies, along with murres and kittiwakes. Landing isn't allowed, but a small boat comes close enough for puffins to wheel around you, and in summer (roughly June to August) humpback whales often feed in the same water, chasing shoals of the little fish called capelin. Minke whales sometimes appear too. The next morning, a coastal path along the cliffs if the weather allows, then about three hours north to the Bonavista peninsula. Those who prefer less driving can stay in St. John's and come out to the boat from there.

  3. Trinity's quiet harbour at dusk, with painted houses on the hillside and wooden floats

    03Days 4–6 · Trinity & the Bonavista peninsula

    The old fishing harbours

    Two nights in Trinity, one of the island's best-preserved historic villages: white clapboard houses, church spires and a quiet harbour where salt cod was once traded with England. In the morning, the Skerwink Trail, a loop of about five kilometres past sea stacks and coves, often counted among the finest coastal walks in Canada. The next day, Bonavista: the lighthouse on the cape where, by tradition, John Cabot made landfall in 1497, the Dungeon, a collapsed sea cave, and Elliston, where only a few metres separate you from puffins nesting on a sea stack. Along the way, old root cellars dug into the hillsides and fishing stages on stilts. In summer, evenings in Trinity often bring local theatre about the village's history, played out in the streets themselves.

  4. Green headlands and rocky islets in a blue sea at Twillingate

    04Days 6–7 · Twillingate

    The iceberg capital

    About three hours north lies Twillingate, a cluster of islands joined by causeways and bridges that calls itself the iceberg capital of the world. In spring and early summer (roughly May to June) icebergs often ground just a few hundred metres offshore in shallow water, and a small boat lets you see them close up, as close as safety allows, since icebergs crack and roll. How many there are varies greatly from year to year: dozens one year, only a few the next, so they're never guaranteed. In the afternoon, Long Point Lighthouse on high cliffs, where whales are also seen in summer, and a path along the island's shore. One night here: in the evening local kitchens often serve cod tongues and partridgeberry pie, simple food but deeply Newfoundland.

  5. An old white fishing dory on the rocky shore at Joe Batt's Arm, Fogo Island, with a red fishing shed behind

    05Days 7–9 · Fogo Island

    The island that chose to stay

    About an hour's drive to the Farewell terminal and a ferry of roughly three-quarters of an hour bring you to Fogo Island for two nights. When the cod fishery closed in 1992, many Newfoundland villages emptied; Fogo's communities chose to stay and find their own way, through small-scale fishing, crafts and contemporary art. Today artists' studios on stilts stand along the coast between the old fishing villages, and at Joe Batt's Arm people still fish from traditional boats. The days are slow: the path up Brimstone Head, from which icebergs are often seen in early summer, walks between villages, furniture and quilts by local makers, and in the evening conversations with the people who know the island best. The ferry is the only way on and off, so we plan it ahead and leave time for changes in the weather.

  6. Clouds rolling over the steep cliffs of Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne National Park

    06Days 9–11 · Gros Morne National Park

    Fjords and the Earth's mantle

    The longest day of the journey: the ferry back and about five hours' drive across the middle of the island, past lakes and forest, to Gros Morne National Park on the west coast. Two nights here, by Bonne Bay. The park is on the UNESCO World Heritage list for its geology: in the Tablelands the Earth's mantle has been pushed to the surface, tawny, almost bare rock that looks like another planet. The next day, a walk of about half an hour across the bogs to Western Brook Pond and a boat between rock walls almost 600 metres high in this glacier-carved fjord, cut off from the sea as the land rose. For strong walkers, the Gros Morne Mountain trail, long and demanding, a full day. On the last morning it's about an hour to Deer Lake airport.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Icebergs close to shore

    In spring and early summer, Greenland icebergs off Twillingate and Fogo, in a good year.

  2. 02

    Puffins and whales

    The seabird islands of Witless Bay, and humpbacks that often feed right beside the boat in summer.

  3. 03

    Living outports

    Trinity, Bonavista and Fogo: the island's old culture, still very much alive.

  4. 04

    Western Brook Pond

    By boat between rock walls in a fjord the land itself cut off from the sea.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • More slowly

    One more night in Trinity and Gros Morne would leave each day for one thing, and the longest drive could be broken with a night near Gander or the centre of the island.

  • By season

    Mid to late June often brings icebergs, whales and puffins together. July and August are warmer, with more whales but usually fewer icebergs.

  • With Labrador

    From Gros Morne the Viking Trail leads north to L'Anse aux Meadows, the only confirmed Norse settlement in North America, and a short ferry to the Labrador coast.

  • Rarer stays

    Fogo Island and the Bonavista peninsula have a few remarkable places to stay; they're small, so they're planned well ahead.

Practical considerations

  • Iceberg season is roughly May to June, whale season roughly June to August, puffins roughly May to August. Iceberg numbers vary greatly each year, and wildlife is never guaranteed.
  • Summer here is cool, and fog and wind are common on the coast, so warm, waterproof layers are worth packing even in July.
  • The journey is planned as a self-drive: roads are mostly good but distances are long, and moose are a real hazard on the roads at dusk, so we drive in daylight.
  • The Fogo ferry and the boats to the icebergs and seabird islands depend on weather and season; we check schedules and reservations before you travel.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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