The Saguenay Fjord by boat
The Saguenay meets the St. Lawrence at Tadoussac, and its fjord runs about 65 miles (105 km) inland between high, dark cliffs. Most whale cruises only pass its mouth. This guide explains which boat goes inside and how to give the fjord more than a glance from the rail.
What makes it a fjord
The Saguenay River ends in a fjord, a deep valley flooded by the sea, and joins the St. Lawrence at Tadoussac. The fjord runs about 65 miles (105 km) inland from its mouth, and AML puts its cliffs at up to about 1,475 ft (450 m). The water inside is layered. Dark fresh water from the river lies on top of cold, heavier salt water that comes in from the estuary.
At the mouth, the deep Laurentian Channel of the St. Lawrence ends against a shallow sill. Cold, nutrient-rich water wells up there and feeds krill and small fish, and that food is why the whales gather off Tadoussac rather than further upriver. Which whales you will see describes the species that come to feed.
Which boat goes into the fjord
Only the Zodiac. AML's Zodiac tour, from ~$130, includes a run into the Saguenay Fjord if time and weather allow, which adds a taste of the cliffs from water level to a whale trip. The run is not promised. When the whales are far out in the estuary or the wind is up, the crew may decide to spend the time elsewhere. Treat the fjord as a bonus rather than the reason to book.
The big boat, AML's three-hour cruise from ~$130, passes the fjord mouth between Tadoussac and Baie-Sainte-Catherine, and its route takes in Pointe-Noire and Pointe de l'Islet on either side. You see the opening of the fjord and the cliffs on both banks without going inside. The Zodiac has its limits. It takes nobody under 6 and rules out pregnancy and back problems. At speed it also gets wet and cold. Zodiac or big boat? weighs the two in full.
The boat that turns into the fjord
AML's Zodiac runs 2 or 2.5 hours from Baie-Sainte-Catherine or Tadoussac and heads into the fjord when time and weather allow, from ~$130. Waterproof jacket and pants are lent for the trip.
Belugas at the mouth
The mouth of the Saguenay is the water most linked with the St. Lawrence belugas, the small white whales that live in the estuary all year. They feed where fjord and river mix. Boats do not chase them. Under the park's rules a tour boat must hold back 400 m (about 1,300 ft) from them, so on many trips they pass at a distance or not at all, though now and then a group surfaces near a stopped boat of its own accord. Our guide to the white whales explains why the rule matters for so small a population.
On land, Parks Canada's Pointe-Noire centre looks over the same stretch of water from the Baie-Sainte-Catherine side, and seeing whales from shore covers it alongside the trails in Tadoussac.
Tadoussac, the village at the mouth
Tadoussac sits on the far bank of the fjord mouth from Quebec City. The white hotel with the red roof watches over the bay, and the village keeps an old chapel. Outside the village, the dunes look out over the St. Lawrence. In the center, the village's whale museum, the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre, keeps skeletons on display.
A free car ferry crosses the fjord mouth between Baie-Sainte-Catherine and Tadoussac in about 10 minutes and runs day and night. Summer lines can be long, so leave time before a cruise. Drivers from Quebec City can sail from either wharf, and bus tour or drive yourself? compares the two.
Saguenay Fjord National Park
Much of the fjord's shoreline lies within Saguenay Fjord National Park, which is a Quebec provincial park despite the name. It is separate from the marine park on the water, created in 1998 and managed jointly by Parks Canada and Quebec.
The provincial park is for hikers, and its trails include those at Baie-Éternité, further up the fjord. It is a separate outing from the whale wharves, with its own fees and hours that we do not track. A whale cruise and a fjord hike make two quite different days, and trying to squeeze both into one leaves little time for either.
Staying longer in the region
Two trips on our list stretch the fjord into more than an afternoon. The whales-and-bears combination, from ~$155, follows a boat or Zodiac cruise with two hours at dusk watching for black bears at Ferme 5 Étoiles, a farm within a short drive of Tadoussac. You drive between the two yourself. The catch is the bears. Food is put out to bring them in, and many reviewers called the whole scene staged. A few saw no bear at all, and the mosquitoes come out at dusk, so pack insect repellent.
Quebec VIP Tours' private three-day car tour leaves from Quebec City and spends its first day on whales in the Saguenay Fjord area, then adds sea kayaking from Les Escoumins and a wilderness cruise. It is a private trip and priced like one. The catch is a record of one review, with no price on the listing until the season opens.
When to see the fjord
The cruises run from early May to late October. The fjord run depends on the day's weather more than the month, so a calm forecast counts for more than the calendar. From late September the Charlevoix drive up turns to fall colors, and the air on the water gets colder. The best months for whales goes month by month, and what to wear on the river covers the chill of a Zodiac at speed.