Bonaventure Island & Percé Rock by Boat

Go see one of the most accessible gannet colonies in the world

Take the boat trip to Bonaventure Island for great views
Take the boat trip from Perce to Bonaventure Island for great views

If you are a bird lover, then put the boat trip to Bonaventure Island in Quebec on your wish list. The island is home to an astounding 200,000 seabirds, of which 116,000 are gannets.

The gannet colony on Bonaventure Island is one of the largest and most accessible in the world. On the boat ride out to Bonaventure Island you’ll also get a chance to get some photos of Percé Rock – likened to a “ship under sail from a distance.

Unfortunately Mother Nature did not cooperate on the day I visited Bonaventure Island. It was a day of thick fog, rain, thunder and lightning. Still I’m very glad I had booked a day in my schedule to go.

Percé Rock comes into view
Percé Rock comes into view
Percé Rock in the fog
Percé Rock in the fog

Bonaventure Island via an informative boat trip

There are a number of companies in the town of Percé offering boat tours. Most take you by Percé Rock – a monster sized natural arch and one of the largest in the world.

Then they continue on a tour around Bonaventure Island – a 4 square kilometre speck of an island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. You’re supposed to see (and we did a bit) thousands of birds nesting on the cliffs – and loads of grey seals swimming or basking on rocks – before being discharged on the dock of Bonaventure Island.

Then you can take as much time as you like to explore the island – as long as you’re back for the last boat at 5 PM.

Our boat offered the chance to sit up on deck exposed to the elements or below where the rain couldn’t get you. I was looking for the whole experience and opted to enjoy what view I could. The entire trip is narrated in French and English with descriptions and names of birds given that you pass by.

Did you know gannets lay only one blue egg?
Did you know gannets lay only one blue egg?
Masses of nesting gannets on the cliffs
Masses of nesting gannets on the cliffs

Parc national de l’île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé

Once you get to the dock on island a very different – almost civilized world greets you.  Bonaventure Island was inhabited until as recently as 1971.

At that point the Quebec government evicted the remaining 35 families living on the island and in 1985 it and Percé Rock became Parc national de l’île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé.

This is what you see when you get off the boat; café on the right and hiking info straight ahead
This is what you see when you get off the boat – café on the right and hiking info straight ahead

What should you do once you’ve landed on Bonaventure Island?

Once you’ve landed you have to decide how you want to spend your time.

If it’s a nice day then perhaps one of the longer hikes might be in order. None are that difficult or require much hill climbing but you do have to be mindful of the fact that the boats return every hour on the hour.

A description of the hikes on the island
A description of the hikes on the island
No matter what you have to hike across the island to see the gannet colony
No matter what you have to hike across the island to see the gannet colony

A hike on the Sentier des Colonies trail

Since I didn’t have a lot of time – and thunder was crashing overhead – I chose to hike the Sentier des Colonies, the easiest and most accessible of the trails.

I ended up doing a round-trip hike in just over an hour – though I was moving. The hiking trail takes you through lush forest on a gradual climb to reach one of the high points on the island.

You’ve arrived when you see a shelter and you can barely hear yourself think for all the noise the gannets make.

Stand behind a rope barrier, mere feet away from the gannets. It’s a magical place. I certainly felt privileged to get so close to the birds.

If the weather had been better there would have been tremendous appeal in watching the comings and goings of the birds for an hour or more. As it was I enjoyed observing a bird with a six foot wingspan find a landing spot on a crowded piece of real estate.

Gannets have a six foot wingspan
Gannets have a six foot wingspan
Gannets are very handsome birds
Gannets are very handsome birds
The miserable looking brown blobs are the baby gannets
The miserable looking brown blobs are the baby gannets

It was pouring rain when I was in the viewing area so I didn’t linger. But by the time I got back to the area near the boat dock the rain had stopped.

It gave me a chance to get my bearings on Bonaventure Island. I was actually a bit surprised to see Percé Rock off in the distance.

While you’re waiting for a return boat, stop in at the café for refreshments. Finish your stay on Bonaventure Island, admiring the wildflowers, listening to the birds and enjoying the landscape. 

Masses of pink wildflowersin late July
Masses of pink wildflowers if you visit in late July
The former inhabitants of the island sure had a great shoreline to enjoy
The former inhabitants of Bonaventure Island sure had a great shoreline to enjoy
Perce Rock comes into view from the boat dock
Percé Rock comes into view from the boat dock on Bonaventure 

Costs to book a Bonaventure Island trip

Most of the boat trips in 2023 costs around $45 for an adult. While they can be reserved, you can also arrange one when you arrive in Percé. Check out Tourisme Perce for more information.

Further reading on places to visit in Quebec

Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards.

A boat trip to Perce Rock & Bonaventure Island in Quebec to see tens of thousands of gannets & other seabirds

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