The Whales of Tadoussac (Les Baleines de Tadoussac) – A En-Dorsal

On the southern side of the Saguenay Fjord lies a land of calm bays looking out at a glorious landscape of tall rock walls. This land is rugged, and possibly because of this, its sea-life has been conserved.

This article should be read in conjunction with the nearby one of the Saguenay Fjord National Park.

Note: Another popular viewing location for the whales is the nearby town of Tadoussac

Table of Contents

• Where to See the Whales?
• What Time of Year is Best?
• What Vessels Sail Up to the Whales?
• Village-Vacances Petit-Saguenay (Petit-Saguenay Vacation Village
• The Fjord
• Whales of Tadoussac (Les Baleines de Tadoussac)

Where to See the Whales?

The Whale’s preferred feeding ground is at the mouth of the Saguenay River, where the fresh water from the “Fjord” meets the brackish water of the St. Lawrence River, itself meeting the Atlantic.

As previously mentioned there are a few places that run the Whale Watching tours, my favourites of these the Village-Vacances Petit-Saguenay where you can jet up to the Village of Tadoussac

What Time of Year is Best?

The whales are best viewed in late august and fall (September and October), although the season starts in may and late June and July can also be impressive depending on the availability of food.

What Vessels Sail Up to the Whales?

There are two option, the first Zodiac inflatable rafts that carry 12 to 24 passengers. THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST OPTION. The boat hovers on the waters surface where you will be exposed to sea spray but also be the closest possible to whales

Other option include an inflatable, 60-passenger vessel and larger 200- to 600-passenger boats. The larger the boat however the further you will be from the whales.

Village-Vacances Petit-Saguenay (Petit-Saguenay Vacation Village

This vacation village on a small bay on the Saguenay river was, where I launched from the first time, for Tadoussac whale watching. I strongly recommend it as due to its distance from Tadoussac, you will tour the fjord on you way out.

For more info you can consult the tour operator here.

You will have to strap on a wet suit and you will launch from a tidal beach.

By the time you come back in the afternoon, the tide will have receded leaving you to wade ashore in its rock filled shallow waters.

The Fjord

The magnificent ride down the Fjord will give you a chance to observe the native wildlife including the occasional whale, seals variety of birds, including some arctic ones from time to time.

The scenery in this part of the river is amazing.

Eventually you will reach the mouth of the river.

Here the walls give way to the town of Tadoussac.

Whales of Tadoussac (Les Baleines de Tadoussac)

Your boat will head out to the Phare du Haut-Fond-Prince lighthouse. Built in 1964, it is iconic due to its strange round shape. It was built at this location to warn ships of the ever changing tides that can come up to 6m at this location.

As you leave the mouth you should be able to see Pointe Noire historic site in the distance.

Now that you have long left the river and are into the deep St. Lawrence water the whales should emerge. You will catch them coming up for air from their feeding.

Here you will experience of gamut of Rorcal whales (minke whales, humpback whales, fin whales and blue whales). These large marine mammals come here to feed over the summer and fall (May to October) while the beluga whale lives in the St. Lawrence year round. Whales feed on Phytoplankton and zooplankton,in which this area is rich in.

I have shared a few short videos of the whale watching with you below!

The most exiting part of my journey was actually seeing belugas in person. There are only 900 of these majestic mammals left in the St. Lawrence so it was a thrill to actually see them, something I though impossible to experience outside of an aquarium!