Guide
Change Islands
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A half day, if the boat allows it. Change Islands is the quieter stop on the Farewell ferry run: a pony sanctuary, a museum, a lookout, a couple of places to eat and somewhere to stay.
Check the timetable first. Some crossings go straight to Fogo without calling here, so a day trip depends on the schedule in force when you travel.
The places and the ferry links are below.
Where to go, and how to get there
Change Islands Historical Museum
A community museum near the north end of the settled stretch. Confirm opening with the museum before you plan a day around it. The distance below reaches the Farewell terminal; add the crossing.
On the drive YQX → Change Islands — 86 km to the end of that drive, then a ferry
This spot itself:Directions →Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · WazeSquid Jiggers Lookout
A marked viewpoint next door to the museum. Most day visitors come ashore for these two.
On the drive YQX → Change Islands — 86 km to the end of that drive, then a ferry
This spot itself:Directions →Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · WazeNewfoundland Pony Stables of Change Islands
The island's best-known draw, and what the province markets Change Islands on. The Newfoundland pony is a heritage breed and the sanctuary here is central to it. Check visiting arrangements before you sail; do not just turn up.
On the drive YQX → Change Islands — 86 km to the end of that drive, then a ferry
This spot itself:Directions →Other map apps
Apple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze
Before you go
These change, so we link to the people who keep them up to date.
Is the boat actually running today?Check on the day, every time
A schedule says when a sailing is meant to go, not whether it is going. Wind, ice and mechanical trouble cancel these runs. The province publishes live ferry status separately from the timetable; open this link the morning you travel.
Check it now →Ferry sailingsChange through the year
Change Islands is the first call on the Farewell run and Fogo is the second, so which sailings stop here decides whether a day trip is possible. Confirm the current schedule before anything else.
Check it now →Getting on the boatStanding advice from the province
Boarding is first come, not reserved. The province's notice states that vehicles travelling to Change Islands are loaded first and encourages them to arrive thirty minutes before departure. The next sailing may not call here at all.
Check it now →Road conditionsYear round, matters most November–April
The drive to Farewell is the exposed part, not the crossing. Check before leaving Gander.
Check it now →
Questions people actually ask
Is Change Islands worth going to?＋
It is a quiet outport island with a heritage pony sanctuary, a community museum, a couple of places to eat and somewhere to stay. It does not fill a day with attractions. Come for a quiet, little-visited island and the crossing. For more to do, Fogo is on the same service.
Can I do it as a day trip from Gander?＋
Only if the schedule allows it. It is 86 km to the Farewell terminal, then a crossing each way, and a day trip needs two sailings that both call here and fit together. Boarding is not reserved: the province says vehicles for Change Islands load first and asks them to arrive thirty minutes before departure. Plan the drive back from a confirmed sailing and add that buffer.
How does it compare to Fogo Island?＋
Same drive to the same wharf, then it depends on the sailing. Some crossings run Farewell to Change Islands to Fogo; others go straight to Fogo. Fogo has the inn, the reputation and far more to do. Change Islands is quieter.
Where do I stay?＋
Accommodation on the islands is limited (an inn and a small campsite are mapped), so book well ahead or plan to sleep on the mainland. Twillingate and Lewisporte both have real accommodation within reach of the Farewell terminal; see the bases guide for the distances.
Every figure on this page was checked against its source on August 29, 2026.