The Gros Morne boat tours ended on as much as a high as it started. The Newfoundland music could be heard from the shoreline as our crew from Bon Tours entertained us with traditional Newfoundland songs, such as I’s the B’y. It was the perfect way to end a perfect day as our family circled around and sang along.
What made it such a perfect day? Here’s some of the highlights:
Entertaining
From the second we got our seats our hosts were welcoming us and making us feel right at home. They also were quick witted and entertaining, even through the safety introduction. “If you don’t know how to tie knots, just keep tying more knots.” The kids thought the hosts were hilarious (so did we) and they loved the special attention that they got every time the hosts passed us.
Auto Focus Binoculars
The quality of the binoculars was awesome and they were autofocusing which was perfect for kids. They also reminded us that they were auto focused as “we do have a bar on board” a perfect combination of entertainment and reminder of all the services that the boat had.
Minke Whale
Within ten minutes of our Gros Morne boat tours beginning, we had a Minke whale sighting. This whale is hard to spot because as soon as it’s up it’s gone down again! We ended up seeing three different Minke whales on the tour.
Tiny Towns and History
The towns that dot the coastline are rich with history dating back centuries. Rising up as fishing towns, these active communities are still thriving every day, living off the land or off a growing industry… tourism! I loved all the stories that the locals shared as well as the historical anecdotes and points of interest along the way.
Bald Eagles
We “met” a mom and dad bald eagle pair as they were guarding over their nest. Beautiful and huge! Did you know that bald eagles are territorial in nature and they are white, not for our eyes, but so that other eagles know to stay away? This is typical in bald eagle territory, except for in British Columbia where the eagles have more than enough food and share as they feast on salmon.
Geology
Check out this amazing geological feat… this rock used to be parallel to the ground and was pushed up by another plate and is now a rocky mountainside. Each millimeter represents 100 years, so you can image how much time and history is represented in this landscape!
Biology
Everywhere we turned we were learning about the biology that makes up the National Park. One interesting story was about a time when the blue whales stayed too close to shore and the ice froze over, leaving them trapped. This brought an unfortunate end where 9 whales lost their lives, which was a huge loss to the community as that represented 10% of the local blue whale population.
Closing Songs
As our tour was coming to a close, the crew turned into our on ship entertainment as the band broke out into traditional Newfoundland songs! It was quite a shock but we quickly adjusted and found ourselves singing along! They were only able to sing a few short jigs because as soon as we reached the dock they had to put back on their crew hats and assist with the docking of the boat.
If you go:
- Dress warm
- Bring a good camera
- Bring money for the bar / treats
- Buy a CD to remember the music!
- Tip well! These hosts were some of the nicest hosts we’ve ever had!
Is this a sponsored post?:Â Yes, however we take the responsibility of shared posts VERY seriously and only work with partners we can wholeheartedly recommend and services we would purchase ourselves.
Read more about our East Coast Adventures here:
Cape Spear National Historic Site
Signal Hill National Historic Site
How to Explore St. John’s in One Day
Hunting for Icebergs in Newfoundland
Terra Nova National Park
Gros Morne National Park
Butterflies, Bugs and Bees – Hands on Experiences at Newfoundland Insectarium
Silver Dart Lodge
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
PEI National Park
Stepping Back to Simpler Times at Shaw’s Hotel
Learning the Lobster Trade with Top Notch Charters
What Brings You to PEI May Not Be What Keeps You There…
East Coast Road Trip Summary
