Canada
Bonaventure Island
A bird-covered granite plateau rising from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
Bonaventure Island emerges as a rust-colored cliff face topped with meadows and rimmed by boulder beaches. The boat ride delivers you to a small dock where the sound of 120,000 nesting seabirds creates a constant overhead symphony. This is an island shaped entirely by its avian residents—gannets claim the clifftops while the interior trails weave through colonies that have transformed the landscape into a living ornithological theater.
What draws people here
- —massive gannet colonies covering the eastern cliffs in white
- —hiking trails that wind through active seabird nesting grounds
- —dramatic red sandstone cliffs dropping straight into dark water
- —the cacophony and spectacle of one of North America's largest bird sanctuaries
Island character
nature•wildlife•islands
Island rhythm
morning
Gannets call from their clifftop nests as morning mist lifts from the water, revealing the full scope of the colonies.
afternoon
Hikers move carefully along designated paths while thousands of birds dive-bomb the surrounding waters for fish.
night
The last boat departs as seabirds settle into their nests, leaving the island to its wild residents until dawn.
Best ways to experience Bonaventure Island
- 01walk the perimeter trail along clifftops through dense gannet colonies
- 02hike inland paths between different seabird nesting areas
- 03climb to elevated viewpoints for panoramic views of the bird colonies below
- 04follow the shoreline trail around the island's granite and sandstone edges