Witless Bay Ecological Reserve
North America's largest Atlantic puffin colony. In summer, take a boat from Bay Bulls to see puffins, whales and icebergs.
The reserve is made up of four small islands off the bay. In summer, about 260,000 pairs of Atlantic puffins nest here, along with hundreds of thousands of pairs of Leach's storm-petrels, black-legged kittiwakes and common murres. Visitors cannot land on the islands. Instead, they take a sightseeing boat from the town of Bay Bulls for about 2 hours at sea, where humpback and minke whales can also be spotted. In spring, icebergs drift by. Bay Bulls is about 30 km from downtown St. John's, and some boat operators offer pickup service.
Opening hours
Cruises about May–Sep
Nearby sights
- La Manche Provincial Park
- Ferryland Head Lighthouse
- Colony of Avalon
- Petty Harbour
- Bowring Park
- Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site
- George Street
- Memorial University Botanical Garden