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Traveller’s Story
We visited Bonavista Peninsula in mid-June, 2013. When planning our trip,
we made a list of things we hoped to do on our week-long visit, including
spotting an iceberg, hiking, and seeing puffins. On the drive from Clarenville
to Bonavista, we checked off seeing icebergs as we saw several as we
travelled along the road by the coast.

Cape Bonavista Eastern | Story Exchange FPO
We visited Cape Bonavista Lighthouse where we saw more icebergs, as well
as cows and horses grazing in fields right beside the road. It was amazing
to see them pastured right on the coast, with icebergs in the background.
Unfortunately, no puffins in that area.

We travelled down a dirt road to Dungeon Provincial Park, which is a natural
cave in the rocks where you can watch the waves come in from the ocean.
Then it was on to Elliston, which is where we were told we had a good chance
to see puffins. We saw root cellars, small dories, and a beautiful Fishermen’s
Memorial, but no puffins.
Skerwink Trail

Our research showed a hiking trail about a thirty-minute drive from Bonavista,
so we set out to explore the Skerwink Trail. It is a 5.3-km trail that loops from
Port Rexton to east Trinity Bay. The trail was well maintained and provided
lots of scenic coastal vistas. We saw moose tracks, but no moose (and no
puffins). We stopped in Elliston to look for puffins on our way back to
Bonavista, but no luck.

Finally, Puffins!
Our last day in Bonavista was windy and rainy. We decided to drive to Elliston
one more time, in search of the elusive puffins. We were determined to find
them, so continued driving to the small community of Maberly. Lo and behold,
we saw a sign saying Puffin Viewing Area. I braved the wind and rain and
travelled the wet, grassy path to where I saw an island, covered in puffins!
We checked all the boxes for our trip. I would love to return to Newfoundland
and Labrador to explore further.

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