This post is a long time coming! On Canada Day Weekend (yup, months ago) my friends and I took a road trip to the west coast of Newfoundland. We mostly just chilled in the RV, played lawn games, and had some drinks, but we did find the energy to venture up to Western Brook Pond to do the boat tour through the world-famous, breathtaking fjords. I was slightly under-prepared so, unfortunately, the photos are only iPhone photos!
We booked our tour through BonTours, which is the only tour company operating in Western Brook Pond. It was about $65 per person and we did not have to make a deposit to book our tour in advance. I would definitely suggest you book the tour ahead of time as it can be quite busy in the summer.
To access the tour, you’ll need to walk about 3km from the parking lot to the dock. It’s a relatively easy walk and takes about 30-45 minutes depending on your fitness level. I suggest bringing a bottle of water and a snack as the food at the tour facility is quite pricey.
The boat tour was fantastic. It’s about two hours long. We stood at the front of the boat the entire time so our views were fantastic. There is seating on top of the boat, at the back, and inside. The tour guide was great. He was friendly and informative. On the way back, he even played a few local tunes and everyone sang along.
There are so many remarkable facts about Western Brook Pond. What particularly stands out in my mind are the tales of huge chunks of the cliffs falling into the water, once even causing a 100-foot tsunami. The pond also carries extremely low levels of electrical charge compared to other bodies of water, meaning it is unable to support much marine life and therefore the water is pristine.
I know my pictures aren’t much. You might even be wondering after reading this post, “why would I bother going all that way for a boat tour in a little pond?”
Well, words and photos will NEVER demonstrate the magnitude of the fjords. To give you an idea, the CN Tower is 553 meters tall, and the tallest rock face in Western Brook Pond is 600 meters. It’ll blow your mind!
Have you been to Western Brook Pond? My goal is to snowmobile it next, and hopefully hike it someday. Let us know what you thought of the experience in the comments below or by reaching out on social media, @twowildtides!
Check out our other adventures on the west coast of Newfoundland:
