Our Newfoundland Side Quest to Photograph Atlantic Puffins
From Churchill to St. John’s
Renting a Car in Newfoundland
If you are planning a trip to St. John’s, book your rental car first.
Newfoundland is an island. Cars are limited. Demand is high. In peak season, availability disappears fast. The good news is that most reservations are fully cancellable.
We were told this tip earlier in the trip by fellow travellers and it saved us. Do not leave it to the last minute.
Why Start in St. John’s
If you are heading to the Bonavista Peninsula for puffins, whales, or quiet coastal villages, St. John’s is the logical starting point. I mean technically it may be the only starting point! From here, it is roughly two and a half to three hours to puffin territory.
Newfoundland 101
- It’s an island. Newfoundland is off Canada’s east coast and, together with Labrador, forms the province of “Newfoundland and Labrador”
- It has its own time zone. Newfoundland Standard Time is 30 minutes ahead of Atlantic Time, the only half-hour offset in North America.
- It’s bigger than you think. The island covers 108,000 km², about the same size as Cuba or slightly bigger than Iceland.
- The capital is St. John’s. Nearly half of all Newfoundlanders live in and around this colourful capital on the Avalon Peninsula. Whatever you do, don’t call it St. John.
- It joined Canada late. Newfoundland became Canada’s 10th province in 1949.
- The coastline is huge. More than 17,500 km of rocky coves, fjords, and fishing villages.
- Iceberg Alley. Each spring, icebergs drift past the coast from Greenland. Unfortunately we visited in early August, so no icebergs.
- Wildlife central. Summer brings puffins, whales, and seabirds in abundance.
- It’s culturally unique. Strong Irish influence has produced an interesting accent which is fast and clipped, and has a unique rhythm. Think Cajun accent in Louisiana, but this sounds Irish-ish Canadian.
- Quirky town names. Newfoundland is famous for its quirky and often eyebrow-raising town names like Dildo, Spread Eagle, and Conception Bay.
Where We Stayed in St. John’s
We bookended our Bonavista Peninsula side quest with nights in St. John’s using points.
Our first stay was at the Sheraton Newfoundland. It is an older property, but our room had a small round window with a surprisingly lovely city view.
Our final night was at the Courtyard St. John’s, a smaller hotel right on the main street. The location made it easy to wander through town one last time before flying west again. We booked a senior rate room and wound up kind of in the basement 😂
The city itself felt a little like Portland, Maine, if you pushed it a lot farther away and gave it a stronger accent.
Where to See Puffins in Newfoundland
- Witless Bay, just 30 minutes south of St. John’s, is home to over 260,000 pairs of puffins, but viewing is boat-based.
- The Bonavista Peninsula, three hours north of St. John’s, is home to the top land-based viewing spots (the Elliston Puffin Site and Cape Bonavista Lighthouse).
Do Not Hit the Road Hungry
St. John’s gave us a comfortable landing point. A rental car. A place to reset. And a launch pad to the cliffs and colonies that had brought us east in the first place.
Next up: the puffins of Elliston on the Bonavista Peninsula.
We’re Andy and Jennifer—two former corporate executives who chose long ago to prioritise experiences over stuff while pursuing our passions for travel and photography. From the Arctic to Antarctica, and most places in between, we’ve captured the world through our lenses and love sharing those stories. Our careers gave us the means, but our purpose is inspiring others to explore and helping people create images they’re proud of.
