At Land's End, Newfoundland

Canada Photography Landscape Atlantic Ocean icebergs Newfoundland

At Land's End, Newfoundand

Canada is a country that allows you to experience nature in many forms. Newfoundland, or "The Rock" as Newfies call the island fondly - is famous for its rugged coastline, gigantic icebergs, a number of Atlantic Puffin colonies and an incredible opportunity to see migrating whales. While there's no dearth of vantage points along the 29000 Km long coastline to appreciate the vastness of the Atlantic ocean, I had always imagined the puffins, the whales and the icebergs to be wonders you only get to see on a David Attenborough show.

We went on a few short hikes during our stay. The waves at work for a million years have eroded the land to create finger like indentations and towering sea stacks completely separated from the cliff are a common sight across the province. We followed the trail along the shore line and every so often came to a narrow strip of land jutting out, nothing between us and the horizon except the endless blue water.

One such hike was at Sleepy Cove, in Twillingate. We reached and immediately caught sight of several massive icebergs at various distances from the shore as if someone had very carefully placed them there. On the trail, we got to see them up close from various angles and we stopped to ponder on the fact that we could only perceive about ten percent of its real size, the rest of it hidden from us under the water. Later when we came back to the cove to catch the sunset, it was hard to not feel overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of nature in front of us.

The peninsulas in NFLD are marked by tumultuous weather. As we drove into Eliston to visit the Puffin colony, the fog rolled in. We stood there, transfixed, for more than an hour watching thousands of Puffins going about their busy day, on a rock a few hundred feet away. Often, they swooped in and sat on the cliff edge close to you.

The waters around Newfoundland form a feeding ground for several species of whales who feed on capelin fish spawning on the beaches in summer. At the tail end of our trip, we were finally able to see a few whales as we walked around Cape Bonavista Lighthouse, cherishing our last few hours by the ocean. Judging by the crowd on the cliff, it seemed to be a popular time of the day to whale watch as they came by the shore to feed. Every few minutes, we would hear a "blow", jerk ours head to the direction it came from and catch a glimpse of a Fin-back whale coming up to breathe. We sat there for a long time, eagerly waiting for the next fleeting view of a fin or a tail disappearing into the water.

Four months have passed as I write this and yet, I cannot entirely communicate how surreal it was to witness these moments with my own eyes. A few photographs from the trip below, that may do a better job explaining.

(Photos taken around Newfoundland, July 2023)