Grand Manan Island

Grand Manan sits in the mouth of the Bay of Fundy with cliffs up to about a hundred metres on the western side and fishing harbours on the sheltered east. Nutrient upwelling in the surrounding waters draws whales, and the island is one of the more reliable places to see the North Atlantic right whale, a species down to a few hundred individuals; humpbacks, finbacks and minkes are also present. Dark Harbour is the centre of the dulse trade, an edible seaweed picked off the rocks at low tide and dried in the sun, sold across the Maritimes. Willa Cather spent summers here writing.

What you actually see

• The western cliffs - a hundred-metre wall along the exposed side.
• The whales - right, humpback and finback whales feeding offshore.
• The dulse harvest - seaweed picked by hand at Dark Harbour and sun-dried.
• Swallowtail Lighthouse - a light on a headland above the ferry terminal.

When to go

July to September for whales, which peak in August; the ferry runs year-round but weather cancels crossings. Fog is frequent in summer and can persist for days.

Honest expectations

Fog cancels whale trips and can sit over the island for days. Right whale sightings are increasingly rare as the population declines. The ferry books out with vehicles in summer.

Nearby

Campobello lies north; Blacks Harbour is the mainland terminal.