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A bird lover's paradise, Bonaventure Island is about 4 km² (1,000 acres) off the coast of Percé that's most famous as a nesting ground for about a dozen species of migratory sea birds. Here you'll find cormorants, puffins, murres, and most famously of all, the world's largest and most easily accessible colony of northern gannets, at 100,000 birds strong. After a short boat ride, you'll disembark at L'Anse à Butler on the west side of the island, and you'll see in front of you a cluster of old clapboard houses: before it was a protected natural haven, Bonaventure Island was the site of a small but thriving community of fishermen, and the ancestral family homes they left behind have been fully restored using authentic vernacular construction methods and architectural features. Then you can feel free to amble around at your leisure: the island boasts a variety of landscapes and scenery including lovely fields, secluded picnic spots, and scenic vistas looking back onto the shore or out over the open ocean, and you'll be serenaded at all times by the plaintive songs of the birds. These are the sights, sounds, and smells (for better and for worse — the wildflowers' scent is lovely; the bird droppings, not so much) of the Gaspé Peninsula of yesteryear. Before you leave Bonaventure Island, don't forget to stop at the restaurant at the side of the dock for some of their famous fish soup.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Rocher Percé
This giant stone monolith is a natural wonder that, for travellers, has become almost synonymous with the Gaspé Peninsula itself. From a distance, they say Percé Rock looks like a ship under sail, but come a little closer and you'll see a 20-metre (66-foot) natural arch puncturing the rock through its base — hence its name, which translates to "pierced rock". A few metres (feet) outward from the main portion you'll see The Obelisk (L'Obélisque), a lone sea stack that used to be the base of a second arch, which collapsed after a small earthquake in 1845. Most people visit Percé Rock by boat. Prior to 2019, it was permissible to walk there from the shore at low tide; however in order to protect the nesting birds surrounding the rock, this is no longer allowed. The closest and best viewpoint of the rock from shore is from the cemetery directly across from it. If the booth is attended, there is a $2 charge, otherwise it is free.
Phare du Cap-Blanc
This picture-perfect lighthouse stands 7 m (24 feet) in height, and was built in 1915 to replace an earlier structure from 1874. Though it's no longer operational, the light from this octagonal, stubby, red-and-white beacon once shone for 24 km (15 miles), warning ships away from the rocky shoals off White Head (Cap Blanc) south of Percé. The land where Cap-Blanc Lighthouse stands is today part of the Camping du Phare à Percé campground; while the grounds are nominally closed to visitors, campground staff tends to be tolerant of folks who stop by for brief snapshots.
This family-run business operates 3-hour whale-watching cruises in a large, comfortable ship: if you're prone to seasickness, this is the option for you. Website in French only.
Musée le Chafaud
The stunning scenery of the Percé area has inspired a boatload of landscape artists over the year, and their works are displayed at this museum on the ground floor of an old 19th-century waterfront warehouse once owned by the Charles Robin fishing company. Le Chafaud's permanent collection includes mostly paintings, but also some engravings, photographs, and pen-and-ink drawings. Travelling exhibitions are frequently hosted as well.
Club nautique de Percé
The Percé Yacht Club is the Gaspé Peninsula's foremost epicentre of scuba diving. Founded as a not-for-profit organization with a mission of educating visitors about the diverse and fragile aquatic ecosystem of Bonaventure Island and Percé Rock National Park, the club offers dives at a dozen sites along the north and east shore of Bonaventure Island. Half- and full-day excursions unveil a great variety of spectacular submarine sights such as majestic rock formations, huge undersea caves, and a burnt-out fishing boat that wrecked in 1984 — not to mention sea life like sponges, lobsters, sea anemones, and harbour seals. If you don't have your PADI certification, $300 will buy you a full-day certification course with a test dive — that price includes equipment, transportation to and from the dive site, the National Park entry fee, and your provincial certification card — but if you want to fast-track it, there's also a half-day "Introduction to Deep-Sea Diving" course for $150 that suffices for a dive alongside a certified instructor. Your second dive is $75 if you choose the latter option. Website in French only.
Take your pick: two-and-a-half hour whale-watching cruises are offered in the comfort of the climate-controlled Capitaine Duval II, or you can charter a Zodiac for a more wet-and-wild, up-close-and-personal experience (waterproof gear is provided for your convenience). Knowledgeable bilingual staff.