Bird Island Boat Tour
Bird Island Boat Tour
5
Full view
About
Loads of Puffins, plus seals and bald eagles - boat tours daily from early May until early Sept. Puffins guaranteed from early May until mid-late Aug. Over 45 years running. Our new tour boat, 'Puffin Express' was built in 2010. A coastal experience all in the family will love with lots of open windows for great photos and fresh sea air.
Big Bras d'Or, Nova Scotia, Canada
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Awards
Travellers' Choice
2024
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingSimilar Experiences
Bird Island Boat Tour
Booking unavailable on Tripadvisor
Want other options you can book now?
Show optionsTravellers talk about
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
363 reviews
Excellent
322
Very good
23
Average
9
Poor
4
Terrible
5
Sarah W
7 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
We did the evening photography tour, which is more expensive to have enough view room for everyone to be able to shoot not through glass. Absolutely fabulous and informative experience. Got fabulous pictures of puffins, seals, bald eagles, cormorants, great blue herons, gulls and more. Definitely well worth it, even paying for 5 of us. Highlight of our trip so far!
Written July 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robin S
6 contributions
Aug 2024 • Friends
My friend & I booked on the spur of the moment after hearing about the Puffin boat trip with Bird Island Boat Tours from others we met along the way on a trip to Cape Breton. Absolutely fantastic! The captain & the 1st mate were incredibly knowledgeable about the area, birds, sea life and the ocean. They were engaging & entertaining from the second we stepped on the boat till the time we stepped off. Their eyes were on the lookout the entire time to ensure no creature escaped our eager eyes. We saw eagles, gray seals, an abundance of other sea birds and of course puffins!
Written August 3, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Easterngoldie
Halifax, Canada140 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
We booked this tour not expecting a lot, a nice boat ride to get out of the heat and a few birds. How wrong we were.
Firstly The Captain and Ian were so patient and helpful with the cane wielding couple that came with us. They even suggested a seat that would be optimal for them. When my aunt had to go to the washroom Ian not only held her arm but waited for her and helped her back to her seat. When we docked after the trip a ride in the 4x4 was offered up to the parking lot but I declined as a walk up a flat incline was good for them.
The wildlife!!!!! Seals, birds, birds and more birds. I have not seen so many Bald eagles and Puffins in my life. Also, Ian and The Captain have a running commentary about the area, the land, wildlife and know so much detail about all of the birds. They bounce from their rehearsed commentary to bringing your attention to sightings and back again seamlessly.
I highly recommend this tour.
Firstly The Captain and Ian were so patient and helpful with the cane wielding couple that came with us. They even suggested a seat that would be optimal for them. When my aunt had to go to the washroom Ian not only held her arm but waited for her and helped her back to her seat. When we docked after the trip a ride in the 4x4 was offered up to the parking lot but I declined as a walk up a flat incline was good for them.
The wildlife!!!!! Seals, birds, birds and more birds. I have not seen so many Bald eagles and Puffins in my life. Also, Ian and The Captain have a running commentary about the area, the land, wildlife and know so much detail about all of the birds. They bounce from their rehearsed commentary to bringing your attention to sightings and back again seamlessly.
I highly recommend this tour.
Written July 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David B
Coventry, UK23 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
What a brilliant 3 hour boat ride spotting birds and seals. Things started disappointingly when Captain Vince and son Ian told the tour there was zero chance of seeing a puffin (on the island). They cannot control when puffins migrate (!) so although this was a downer this needed to be known to set expectations. The reality was that we saw bald eagles, loads of different sea-birds and so many seals. AND we did see several puffins on the water-just excellent. The amount of information Captain Vince and Ian gave us was vast but delivered so well. Their ability to spot and guide you to specific birds was exceptional. But, above all, their level of enthusiasm for a trip they will have done hundreds (probably thousands) of times was remarkable. We just had a great time on this tour and would thoroughly recommend it. (Other info - (1) the boat had seating but you were free to move around to get the best view of the birds/seals, (2) you could hire for $8 some high powered binoculars-my wife and I shared and this worked well, (3) to see puffins on the island best to do a tour mid-July or earlier if your itinerary allows- ours didn’t!).
Written August 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Colleen King
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Couples
I truly enjoyed everything about the excursion. From the comic rendition of the safety instructions given by the owners son, to the story telling capability of the Owner/ Captain. Their knowledge of the various bird species found on the islands, their habits, the environmental, the over population impacts on each was absolutely enlightening. We saw all thd species on the list except for one. We were fortunate enough to see 4 additional species that were not on the list. The number of puffins, bald headed eagles and seals were amazing. I highly recomment this outing to tourists and locals alike who may not have had the pleasure of doing so in the past. You won't regret it.
Kindest regards and Thanks
Colleen King
Kindest regards and Thanks
Colleen King
Written July 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tvplano
Plano, TX141 contributions
Jun 2022
This was our our first experience seeing puffins in their natural habitat. The biggest challenge was getting a rental car for our dates from Halifax., but it all worked out in the end. The Captain was a huge help via email, answering all my questions, months before we booked our flights. It was very easy to book our tour online. The boat was clean and comfortable. We visited mid-week, and we did the morning tour. We saw puffins, razor bills, guillemots, bald eagles, eider ducks and kittiwakes. The tour staff were diligent about keeping us informed about weather the day before the tour. The highlight of this tour was the fantastic narration by the captain. He could write a book about the birds of this area, he knows so much and he made it fun for the kids on the trip. Excellent tour, far better than other boat tours I've taken in Texas and Scotland!!
Written July 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan S
1 contribution
Jul 2024 • Friends
We had excellent views of over 100 puffins, many razorbills, bald eagles, and other birds. The views of numerous grey seals were also very good. The captain was very knowledgeable and he provided great information in a light, fun manner. The first mate, Aubrey, is an excellent speaker on the boat's PA system - he was friendly, helpful and highly knowledgeable as well! Everyone in our group of six friends was thrilled with the overall experience and the photo opportunities. My husband and I hope to return and do this trip again!
Written July 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gloria S
Los Angeles, CA20 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
Wonderful excursion! The boat is relatively small which makes for a comfortable, intimate atmosphere. The captain and co-captain were knowledgeable and entertaining. Saw lots of wildlife - including puffins, razorbills, eagles, Northern gannet, seals, and more. I highly recommend this tour, especially in the summer months when the birds are nesting.
Written July 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jill Hickey H
2 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
We live about 30 minutes from Big Bras'dor. I have been wanting to go on this bird tour for a few years now. It was our 46th anniversary on June 2 so we decided to take advantage of the 3 night deal that Mountain View Cabins had on this particular weekend and take the Bird Tour while we were there. It was a wonderful tour. We saw so many different species of birds, grey seals and of course Puffins. A great photography opportunity. The captain and his crew were very safety conscious and so knowledgeable on all the birds! It was an amazing experience. Thank you Bird Island Tours.
Jill and Bill Hickey
Jill and Bill Hickey
Written June 3, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patrick G
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Family
I was very impressed with the knowledge base on the sea birds, the environment and history of the local area by the Captain & his son. I would recommend this tour to everyone interested in seeing Puffins, gray seals, bald eagle's, gulls, garnets etc. There was a large population on Bird Island and many view points to see them.
EXCELLENT TOUR!! Thank you.
EXCELLENT TOUR!! Thank you.
Written July 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wife gets seasick pretty easily. Generally, how smooth is the boat ride in July/August, lots of up and down? Thanks
Written April 18, 2020
Hi from Cape Breton,
Most of our trips have soe wave action but not enough to make someone sick. A few days it is really calm and a lovely trip out. about 6-7 times a summer we have a rough choppy tour, not dangerous, but not easy on you timmy either. And about 4-5 times a summer we have to cancel the tour because it is too rough to go. You can contact us by phone the evening before you want to go, and we can give you a marine forecast and what we are ecpecting in our area. Just call us at 1-800-661-6680. Hope to see you in July or August.
-Sheila, Owner
Written April 19, 2020
Can anyone advise on which time of day is preferable for best viewing of puffins?
Written July 21, 2019
We went on the 1:00 tour and saw tons of birds. But because of the nature of the island, I doubt if time of day has any influence.
Written July 22, 2019
For the birds floating on the water, as close as they want the boat to get before they fly away. A lot of them are in the cliffs of the islands. The captain will get you as close as they can, but it’s rather rocky around the islands. For photos, bring something with a decent zoom on it. Sorry, I’m not a good judge of actual distance. But the birds are all over, flying, swimming, on the rocks, in the cliff faces.
Written July 27, 2018
iMak80
Toronto, Canada
Hi, would you recommend the boat tour with an infant? I would have him in a carrier.
Written June 13, 2017
Yes, you can bring a babe in a carrier . Both our boys were on the boat before their first birthday. Very safe, and they tend to fall asleep with the rocking motion.
Sheila
Written June 13, 2017
arlynbence
Orlando, Florida
Are you closer to the port in Halifax or Sydney Nova Scotia? We are going on a cruise and would love to do the tour. Also, what's the best (cheapest) way to get there from the port?
Thanks!
Written April 15, 2017
We are closer to Sydney port. But the cruise ship has already pre-booked all the seats on our tour boat for that day's tour to see puffins. And they have arranged a bus to bring you the 40 minutes out to us, and provided box lunches and binoculars. You can contact them to get on board. Or you can visit us on a future trip to Cape Breton, we will be here. We have been running boat tours here for 45 years. -Sheila
Written June 2, 2017
Hey Captain Vince & family! Like a dummy I completely forgot to add in my review that we saw PUFFINS galore - in the air, on land and in the water. Sorry. Must be the after effects of the gravol...
Written August 17, 2016
ao-at-peace mentioned cottages for rent. Where are these and can you give us info so we can find out more? thanks
Written March 12, 2015
Hi from Cape Breton, we own Bird Island Boat Tours and the cottages on the same property, Mountain Vista Seaside Cottage. Both are located in Big Bras d'Or, Cape Breton, 20 minutes from the Cabot Trail. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-661-6680. -Sheila
Written March 14, 2015
Showing results 1-7 of 7
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.