Bonaventure Island & Percé Rock by Boat
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 allowed a day in my schedule to visit.
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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 the boats 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) 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.
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.
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 on Bonaventure Island 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 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 on Bonaventure Island.
I ended up doing a round-trip hike in just over an hour – though I was moving fast. 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.
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.
Costs to book a Bonaventure Island trip
Most of the boat trips in 2025 costs approximately $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
- A Coastal Hike in Forillon National Park, Quebec
- Hiking to the summit of Le Mont Albert in Quebec
- A Road Trip Around the Gaspe Peninsula
- A Lighthouse Stay in Quebec’s Mingan Archipelago
- Quebec Road Trip: Quebec City to Havre-Saint-Pierre
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One of my best memories of July 1992 was circumnavigating the Gaspe Bay peninsula, with a good friend. Bonaventure Island and the yellow tufted gannets was always on my “ bucket list” to spend a day ✨?✨?✨?
@Robert Bonaventure Island is a real gem. Totally loved it.
Hello, thinking of going to do a boat tour and to see the gannets, and just wondering what company you took and if you would recommend?
Thanks!
@Kari Would 100% recommend doing the tour and I don’t think there are big differences between operators. Just try and pick a nice day to do it.
Yet another place that is on my travel wish list – I don’t know how I’m going to make it to them all!
@Lisa Getting to Bonaventure Island takes some dedication since it’s on the Gaspe Peninsula but it’s a trip I know Emma would love.
This looks like a wonderful excursion. I love your photos of Perce Rock and the restaurant on Bonaventure Island. Those gannets have interesting heads, and I think the fog added to the atmosphere.
@Michele Yes, yes and yes. A very interesting excursion and I’m glad the fog lifted at the end so I could get my bearings.
What a great trip, and I am amazed at the price. Those birds are gorgeous and is the island!
@Nancie I agree re the price. I think $20 for the boat trip and a chance to spend the better part of the day on the island is a steal of a deal. It’s perfect for budget travelers.
Bonaventure Island looks so mysterious in the fog. That’s an amazing number of birds! Love the photo of the restaurant – did you eat there?
@Cathy There’s always a bright side to bad weather – and that is the mood and atmosphere that it lends to a landscape. I snacked at the restaurant and must say I liked the view from the place.
What a beautiful and scenic place, those Gannets are quite striking.
I would like to invite you to come link up with us for Travel Photo Mondays, the link is up for the whole week, hope to see you there next week.
@Noel I’m just a little disappointed that I couldn’t get some really great gannet shots. It wasn’t worth ruining a camera.
Even with the fog the landscape and bird life looks beautiful.
@Mette The island had a magical feel to it – and in places there were hillsides of gorgeous wildflowers.
That looks so wonderful. Makes me miss the east coast. We used to travel to eastern Canada a lot when we lived in NY. Would love to go back. Great photos.
@Billie The bulk of the license plates I see are from Ontario and Quebec but I have met a lot of people from Calgary too and the off American though their visits are way down from what they used to be.
The gannets are beautiful, so is Bonaventure Island. Too bad the govt kicked out the residents. Must have been hard for them to move.
@Marcia I imagine getting kicked out of any place is really hard when it’s not your doing. It was all done to set up the park and ultimately protect it for future generations but that doesn’t make it any easier.
It’s too bad you didn’t have the perfect weather but what a great adventure and trip. I can’t believe how many birds there are on the island. Did it smell with all the birds there? I’m glad you got some relief in the weather at the end to see the gorgeous coastline. I don’t think I’ve ever seen gannets before – they’re beautiful.
@Mary Every so often while on the boat we’d get an overpowering scent of bird poop but on the island – perhaps because of the way the wind was blowing I smelled nothing.
whatever the weather it looks like a great place to visit. I have always liked the idea of living on an island – but I don’t think it will ever happen – sigh – oh well – I can visit through fabulous blogs like yours.
Have a great week – thanks for the tour – and for stopping by my blog today.
@Jill Bonaventure Island has a long history of human habitation starting with the Mi’kmaq who settled the land hundreds of years before the Europeans arrived. In the 1750’s Channel Island immigrants began arriving. The Acadians also came, British Samericans, Scottish settlers …the list goes on.
Hi Leigh, I have not heard of Bonaventrue Island. It looks so beautiful even in the rainy weather. I love your photos – the charming houses, the scenic landscape, the gannets, etc. I’m curious why the government evicted the residents – was it for their own safety or was it because the government wanted to make the island into a park?
@Marisol I’m disappointed in my bird shots but it was raining so hard that I didn’t want to chance ruining my camera. The eviction was because they wanted to make the island a park.
This sounds like a perfect outing even in bad weather! It would be fun to see the same terrain in a sun lit backdrop to see the difference.
@Jackie I’m glad I went and considering the things I’ve done in the last few weeks I’ve been really lucky with the weather. But even 15 minutes of sunshine or no rain would have made my bird watching and photographing a lot more fun and easier.