Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
AVALON PENINSULA
The landscape along the coastline's twisting roads is vintage fishing-village Newfound-
land. Many visitors make day trips to the peninsula's sights from St John's, which is eas-
ily doable, but there's something to be said for burrowing under the quilt at night, with
the sea sparkling outside your window, in Cupids or Branch. Four of the province's six
seabird ecological reserves are in the region, as are 28 of its 41 national historic sites.
out for free guided hikes. The ferry to Nova Scotia leaves from Argentia.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Southeastern Avalon Peninsula
This area, sometimes called the South Shore, is known for its wildlife, archaeology, boat
and kayak tours and unrelenting fog. Scenic Rtes 10 and 90, aka the
Irish Loop
(
www.theirishloop.com
)
, lasso the region.
Witless Bay Ecological Reserve
This is a prime area for whale-, iceberg- and bird-watching, and several boat tours will
take you to see them from the towns of
Bay Bulls
(31km south of St John's) and around
Bauline East
(15km south of Bay Bulls).
Four islands off Witless Bay and southward are preserved as the
Witless Bay Ecolo-
areas in eastern North America. Every summer, more than a million pairs of birds gather
here, including puffins, kittiwakes, storm petrels and the penguinlike murres. Tour boats
sail to the islands, hugging the shore beneath sheer cliffs and giving you a shrieking ear-
ful as well as an eyeful.
The best months for trips are late June and July, when the humpback and minke
whales arrive to join the birds' capelin (a type of fish) feeding frenzy. If you really hit the
jackpot, in early summer an iceberg might be thrown in too.
Tours
Tours from Bay Bulls (ie the big operators O'Brien's and Gatherall's) visit Gull Island,
which has the highest concentration of birds. Tours that depart to the south around Bau-
line East head to nearby Great Island, home to the largest puffin colony. Bauline East is
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