Our next step was Bonavista where we again had a wonderful AirBnB right on the water. This time it was the ocean expanse in front of us. We enjoyed some wonderful sunsets, explored the rocks and tidal pools, and watched the rain roll in. A few times in the evenings we also saw a whale swim by.
Elliston Puffin Colony
There are two puffin colonies in the Bonavista area. The more prominent one was just outside the village of Elliston. We ended up going there a few times. We all went together and had a pretty good viewing from one peninsula point across to the little island they nest on. On a following day while our family was doing a longer hike, Julia’s sister family were in the area and a shop keeper told them that a few of the puffins were on the peninsula side and therefore you could get a lot closer to them. My family tried to go back to see them up close, but by the time we got there they were back to being only on the island. So the pictures below are from a few different days.
The village embraces the tourist appeal of the puffin colony.
Some of the puffins when they were on the peninsula. These photos aren’t taken with a zoom lens and are about as close as you can get if you stayed really still and let them move around.
Skerwink Trail
The hike our family did was about 1/2 hour south of Bonavista. It went up through the woods to some cliff lookouts over a couple of different bays. It was a beautiful hike and we saw lots of whales off in the distance.
Beautiful coastal and cliff views with many interesting rock formations.
Some interesting forests with balsam fir (with pine cones that grow upwards) to moss covered trees.
One of the viewing points we were watching whales from (a guy hiking behind us took that picture of us at the point and sent it to us when he caught up).
Another great viewing point where we had a break for a snack.
Lots of blow spouts, back and tale viewings but unfortunately no spectacular breaching/jumping displays.
Yup, the North Atlantic is cold! I definitely wouldn’t want to be in a boat wreck in these waters.
Bonavista Lighthouse
There is another puffin colony close to the Bonavista lighthouse. It is on a rock outcrop a little bit further out into the ocean and therefore a bit harder to see and not as popular. However, it was still fun to see before the rains rolled in.
