A photography road trip along the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River (Tadoussac / Bergeronnes / Les Escoumins) has turned into an annual event. This will be the third year I have  taken a Tadoussac vacation and spent some time exploring the area.
Truck all packed and ready to go.
got the truck all packed up and I left the next morning, Friday June 19 at 4:30 AM. The beauty of leaving that early is there was no traffic at all until I got to Quebec City. A bit of construction there slowed me down for a few minutes but nothing to complain about. Almost no waiting time at the Tadoussac ferry which was great, last year I had to wait about 90 minutes before getting on the ferry.
The ferry at Tadoussac
Finally arrived at the Paradis Marin campground around 10:30 AM.  I was early enough to be able to pick just about any camp area I wanted and I get the one I was hoping for.  Great view of the river and the whales feed right off shore.
View from my campsite at Le Paradis Marin
Although I spend quite a lot of time with my camera when on these road trips it’s also about slowing down and relaxing.  I really enjoy creating awesome food while I am camping.  I love to cook and take advantage of these trips to create new recipes.  It’s also really nice watching the other people eat burnt hot dogs while you prepare gourmet food with nice wine! 😉
One of my inventions
Chorizo and scallops reduced with white port
Gourmet Camp Food Photo Gallery (Click to view)
One of the really nice things about this area is the scenery. Â There is something about being on the edge of a large body of water that makes things magic. Â The views, the sunsets and in this area the whales and other sea life coming in to feed right off shore.
Saint Lawrence River from Le Paradis Marin campground
Sunset at Le Paradis Marin
During a rainy day I did not go out whale watching and decided to take a drive up along the Saguenay fjord.  I followed all kinds of roads and thanks to my 4X4 truck managed to climb up a Hydro access road to the top of the mountain where there was some nice views.
Saguenay Fjord Photo Gallery (Click to view)
Once back to the campground I set of to explore the area at low tide. Â Some very interesting areas to discover along the interface between water and land.
River bed exposed at low tide near Grandes Bergeronnes.
Low Tide near Le Paradis Marin – Photo Gallery (Click to view)
I went out on 3 different zodiac trips (one of which was fogged out) to do some whale watching and while this year I did not see any Humpback Whales I did see some spectacular Minke Whale feeding behaviour. Â The Minke’s were jumping almost completely out of the water while feeding. Â I saw a few fin whales as well.
Minke and Fin Whale Photo Gallery (Click to view gallery)
I always look forward to these trips, very relaxing and very rewarding!
Miscellaneous Photos (Click to view gallery)
More info about the area can be found at the Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay website.
I'm a web technology guy, a photographer, wine lover, and BBQ aficionado. I also like to hunt with gun or bow, I tie my own flies and love to fish!
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Wow – awesome photos and copy Ray!
Thanks Diane! It’s a really picturesque area!
These photos are spectacular Ray! This is definitely going to have to be a place we go visit….the views are stunning. (And a rule for family vacation is NO ELECTRONICS!) We get pictures by buying those old-fashioned disposable cameras so no one is tempted to do more than take snapshots. And this recipe is something we’ll definitely try….we love chorizo and scallops. Thanks for sharing the pics and recipe. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the photos! The recipe is and easy and delicious one!
Wow!! This does look like a magical place, especially with those blues and purples in the sky. Oh and those whales!! I didn’t realize how high a whale could jump. I would love to visit this place one day, its so beautiful!
It’s a really beautiful place to visit! Thanks for dropping by!
Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Anna Marie!
Thank you for sharing these. Made my decision on whether or not to hit that part of Canada easy.
Glad they helped! It’s a great place to visit.
Great photos Ray, the sky shots are beautiful and the whales seem to be really close to shore (not sure if that’s a photographer trick?!)
We’re going to head over from the UK next March, do you know if there are whales hanging around throughout the year?
Hi Tom,
Yes whales are there all summer. Different species tend to be there at different times. A lot of the whale shots were done from zodiac. There are several companies which offer these whale tours.
Ray
Those photographs are fantastic, and it seems like the trip was awe-inspiring. Thank you for the motivation! 🙂
Thanks for visiting!