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Fogo & Change Islands

Brimstone Head, Fogo, a piece of rocky landscape jutting into the sky. The Flat Earth Society believes this is one of the four corners of the Earth. Standing at the top, facing the Atlantic, you can see why. It's a site well worth the venture; a place that draws people in – especially during the music and fun of the unique, annual, summer Brimstone Head Festival.

Fogo Island, the largest island on Newfoundland and Labrador's vast coast is home to 11 communities – each with its own distinctive flare and allure. The town of Tilting was first settled by the Irish back in the 18th century and is now a National Historic Site of Canada. Here, you can wander through the tall, lush grasses and run your fingers over the red paint of old fishing rooms. It's an inspirational and historic place that has been restored and maintained to its original splendour. Creative traditions of music, dance and storytelling run strong throughout the island, which is also home to a renowned annual theatre festival hosted by World’s End Theatre Company.

Unsurprisingly, the town and the island attracts acclaimed artists from far and wide, particularly drawn to the region’s residency programs and the chance to work in incredible, modern studios built into Mother Nature’s architecture of sea and stone. The artists’ residency initiative is part of the Shorefast Foundation’s ongoing project to revitalize and preserve Fogo Island’s cultural traditions through modern projects encompassing art, heritage, geotourism and entrepreneurship. The foundation has already succeeded in putting Fogo Island on the international map – the cutting edge design of the studios has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian and World Architecture News. A luxury hotel called The Fogo Island Inn is also under construction, expected to be complete in the spring of 2013.

In Tilting, at the Lane House Museum and The Dwyer Premises, learn about our heritage and the fishing industry. Then, investigate the drying racks at Keefe's Stage. Set up your tent and sink your toes in the white sand of Sandy Cove Beach. Walk the trails throughout the island and catch a glimpse of caribou herds grazing along the rolling hills. Stay, hike and enjoy the festivities you'll only find at the edge of the earth!

Across the glistening waters of Notre Dame Bay stand the beautifully formed shores of Change Islands. Humpback whales migrate through these waters and icebergs drift along the currents down Iceberg Alley. As seabirds soar overhead, you can relax in the salty ocean breeze and look out over the sights on the ferry ride from Farewell.

Change Islands has one small community, the Town of Change Islands, nestled along a narrow tickle and causeway. It's part of The Great Fogo Island Punt Race To There and Back, an annual boat race that spans 10 km across the open Atlantic Ocean. On Change Islands, meander around historic buildings, over granite outcroppings, and past the greenest grasses and gardens. Small community charm and rich fishing culture combine with a prominent sense of history to make this place a tourist and artist's paradise. It's also home to a Newfoundland pony refuge.

On these islands off an island, we've retained our culture and much of our ancestors' dialect. We've treasured our land and nurtured our history to create a place all our own.

Getting Here:

The ferry service that runs from Farewell on Route 235, a northeasterly point in central Newfoundland on the Road to the Isles scenic driving route, sails visitors to Change Islands in 25 minutes. The crossing from Farewell to Fogo Island is approximately 50 minutes.

Location data provided by the operator. Please confirm location
before departure. Also see offshore area disclaimer.

The offshore lines appearing in the map above which purport to delimit the offshore area of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador have no legal effect. Apart from the boundaries established pursuant to the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act, which include the line established pursuant to the 2002 award of the arbitration tribunal concerning the delimitation of portions of the offshore areas between Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, there are no agreed boundaries between the offshore areas of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada, the Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island or Quebec or the Nunavut Territory, and no such boundaries have been established under statute, regulation or agreement. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has made these facts known to Google.

Directions

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Driving distances and calculations derived using Google Maps. Actual driving times may vary. GPS coordinates have been provided by tourism operators. Please confirm location with operator before departure.

Helpful Links

Official Fogo Island Website

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