How to See Icebergs, Whales and Puffins in Newfoundland, Canada
Where · When · The Real Odds
The one thing that changes everything
Before we get into where to stand and when to show up, I want to be honest with you the way I wish someone had been with me. Seeing icebergs, whales, and puffins in Newfoundland is absolutely possible, and it is every bit as magic as it sounds, but it comes down almost entirely to timing. Each one has its own season, and those seasons only overlap for a short window in early summer.
That window is roughly the back half of June into the middle of July. The icebergs are still drifting down from the north before they melt, the puffins are settled in and nesting on the cliffs, and the whales are just starting to move in close as the capelin arrive. Come in that stretch and you give yourself a real shot at all three, which is exactly why it is such a special time to be here.
The honest part
Newfoundland is one of the only places on earth where all three of these even happen together, but nobody can promise you the full set on the same day. Nature keeps its own schedule out here, so some days you get the whole show and some days the fog rolls in and you get one. Come at the right time, give yourself a spare day or two, and let the rest be a happy surprise. Even one of the three is worth the trip.
01
Icebergs
Ten thousand years in the making
These giants break off the glaciers of Greenland and drift south for a couple of years along what everyone here calls Iceberg Alley, following the cold Labrador current down the coast. By the time one is sitting in a bay in front of you, it has been travelling for longer than you can quite wrap your head around, and no two are ever the same shape or colour.
Where to see them
Twillingate · Fogo Island · Change Islands
The northeast coast is the heart of it, and Twillingate has earned its nickname as the iceberg capital of the world. The further north you go, the longer the bergs stick around, so this whole stretch is your best bet. Fogo and Change Islands often hold onto them a little longer too.
Bonavista · St. John's & Cape Spear · St. Anthony (The Far North)
Bonavista and the Avalon get the big ones that drift furthest south, and the lookout at Cape Spear or up on Signal Hill can be brilliant. Right up north, St. Anthony holds bergs the longest of all, sometimes into August.
Season: May – August · Peak: late May to early June, fading fast through July
Tina's tips
- Use IcebergFinder.com. It tracks real sightings and satellite spots in near real time, and the Newfoundland Iceberg Reports group on Facebook is gold for day-of updates.
- If a berg is within about five kilometres of shore, you will get a great look from land, so you do not always need a boat.
- Shoot them in the morning or late afternoon light, because midday sun flattens all that texture and colour.
- If you go out on the water, keep your distance. They are far bigger below the surface and can roll or calve without warning.
02
Whales
The world's largest gathering of humpbacks
Newfoundland hosts the biggest population of feeding humpback whales anywhere on the planet, and they are the stars of the show, though you might also catch minke, fin, and the odd orca among more than twenty species that pass through. They come for one reason, a tiny silver fish called capelin, and once you understand the capelin you understand the whales.
Where to see them
Bay Bulls & Witless Bay · St. Vincent's Beach
The waters off Witless Bay, just south of St. John's, are among the best whale grounds in the world. For seeing them from land without a boat, St. Vincent's Beach is the one, because the water drops off so steeply that the whales feed shockingly close to shore.
Trinity & Bonavista · Twillingate · Cape Spear & Signal Hill
Trinity Bay is famously reliable, and the cliffs around Cape Bonavista are a dream for watching from land. Twillingate gives you whales and icebergs in the same view, and right in St. John's you can spot them from Cape Spear or Signal Hill.
Season: May – October · Peak: late June through August, best in July
Tina's tips
- Watch for the capelin roll. When those little fish come in to spawn on the beaches in late June and July, the whales follow them right up to the shoreline.
- Calm, clear days beat foggy windy ones, and early morning or late afternoon usually means flatter water and easier spotting.
- From shore, keep your eyes on the water and be patient. Someone always spots the first spout, and then you cannot stop seeing them.
- A boat gets you closest, a kayak gets you the most intimate, and honestly a good coastal hike can rival both when the capelin are in.
03
Puffins
The little clowns of the sea
The Atlantic puffin has been the provincial bird since 1992, and the best news of the whole guide is that these are the easiest of the three to see, and you do not need a boat to do it. They spend most of the year out at sea and only come ashore for the summer to nest, which is the entire window you have to catch them.
Where to see them
Elliston, Bonavista Peninsula · Free, from land
This is the one to circle. Elliston offers the closest view of puffins from land anywhere in North America, a short five-minute walk from the road, and it costs nothing. They nest on a little island just off the point and fly in so close you can almost reach them.
Witless Bay Ecological Reserve · By boat from Bay Bulls
If you want sheer numbers, this is the largest Atlantic puffin colony in North America, with well over a quarter of a million pairs. You see it by boat from Bay Bulls, and the same tours often serve up whales and the odd iceberg too.
Season: mid-May to early September · Peak: June through August
Tina's tips
- Go early morning or late afternoon. That is when they are busiest flying to and from the water to feed, so you see far more of them than at midday.
- Bring a bit of patience and a zoom lens if you have one. The nesting island sits a short distance off the viewing point, so they come and go in waves.
- Never try to touch them and keep your noise down, and while you are in Elliston, it is also the root cellar capital of the world, so it is worth a wander.
How to line up all three in one trip
Here is how you stack the odds in your favour, which is really all any of us can do. Everything below is about being in the right place, at the right time, with a little room for the weather to do its thing.
One last honest word
Seeing all three in a single day is not something anyone can promise, and any account that guarantees it is selling you a postcard. But do these six things and you have given yourself the best possible shot, and there are very few places left in the world where the shot even exists. That is what makes it worth it.
- Come in the overlap window. Late June into mid-July is the sweet spot where iceberg season is fading, whale season is building, and the puffins are already here.
- Get on the water at least once. A single boat tour, ideally from Bay Bulls, Twillingate, or Bonavista, is where your chances of all three at once are highest.
- Go north for the bergs, south for the whales. Point yourself at Twillingate and Bonavista for ice, and toward Witless Bay and St. Vincent's for the surest whales.
- Use Elliston for a guaranteed puffin. It is free, it is from land, and it takes the pressure off the one creature you can almost count on.
- Keep an eye on the capelin and the iceberg tracker. They tell you where the whales and the bergs actually are on the day, not just in theory.
- Leave a spare day. Out here the fog and the wind run the schedule, so a buffer day is the difference between a maybe and a yes.
Screenshot this: the quick cheat sheet
Everything above on one page, so you can take it with you and leave the rest for the plane ride.
| See | Best window | Where to go | From land? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Icebergs | Late May – early July | Twillingate, Fogo, Bonavista, Cape Spear. Track on IcebergFinder.com | Yes, if within ~5 km |
| Whales | Mid-June – August, best in July | Witless Bay & Bay Bulls, St. Vincent's Beach, Trinity, Bonavista | Yes, St. Vincent's is best |
| Puffins | Mid-May – early Sept, peak June–Aug | Elliston (closest in North America), Witless Bay by boat | Yes, free at Elliston |
The five things I would tell a friend
These are wild animals and ancient ice in a place that does things on its own terms. Keep your distance, leave no trace, and let the not-knowing be part of the fun. That is the real Newfoundland, and it is better that way.
- Time your whole trip around late June into July if you want a shot at all three.
- Book one boat tour, and keep it flexible so you can move it for weather.
- Do Elliston early or late in the day, and do not skip it, it is your safest win.
- Check IcebergFinder.com and ask about the capelin the moment you arrive.
- So much of the best of this is free, so save your money for the one boat and the good coffee.