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Once a humble fishing community, PERCE is a prime holiday spot, thanks to the tourist potential of the gargantuan limestone rock that rears up from the sea here facing the reddish cliffs of the shore. One of Canada's most celebrated natural phenom-ena, the Rocher Perce - so named for the hole at the western end - is nearly 500m long and 90m high, and is an almost surreal sight at dawn, when it appears bathed in an eerie golden iridescence. The town is now replete with tacky gift shops and rather pedestrian restaurants and bars; off-season, when much of the resort closes down, Perce maintains a delightfully relaxed and sleepy feel. At low tide it's possible, if you hurry, to walk around most of the rock - ideally wearing waterproof shoes with good treads - starting from the lookout beyond the red-roofed houses at the end of rue Mont-Joli. Access to the rock now costs $1 - allegedly for upkeep of the belvedere and stairway leading to the stone beach. One of the most spectacular longer-range views of the monolith is from the top of Mont Sainte-Anne , which rises directly behind Perce town; the path is signposted from behind the church on avenue de l'Eglise, and the walk takes about an hour each way. A separate trail leads to the Grotto , a lovely spot with waterfalls and statues of the Virgin Mary nestled into the mountain's crevasses. Apart from the rock, there's precious little to see in Perce, though the Centre d'Interpretation du Parc de l'Ile-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Perce (early June to mid-Oct daily 9am-5pm; free), some 2km to the south of the centre (exit Hwy 132 at route des Failles and turn left along route d'Irlande), has some enjoyable displays on the area's flora and fauna. In the middle of town, in the old Charles Robin Company building formerly used for processing and storing fish, the Musee la Chafaud , 145 Hwy 132 (daily: 10am-10pm; $5), displays traditional and contemporary art and occasionally gets high-calibre exhibitions. A small room downstairs has some old pictures of Perce. A few kilometres west of Perce, La Vieille Usine de l'Anse-a-Beaufils (daily 10am-10pm) showcases a wide range of local art in a renovated fish-packing plant that fronts a decent beach. Otherwise, Perce makes a useful base for visiting several natural attractions, including the Grande Crevasse , a volcanically formed split in a rocky outcrop that's just a few millimetres wide but several hundred metres deep. The clearly marked path takes about an hour to walk in each direction and begins behind the Auberge de Gargantua , a first-class restaurant on route des Failles. From the wharf in the centre of Perce, frequent boat trips (1hr 30min to 3hr; $20-30) go around the nearby Ile Bonaventure bird reserve (daily: June & Sept to mid-Oct 8.15am-4pm; July & Aug 8.15am-5pm), whose precipitous cliffs are favoured by gannets in particular, as well as kittiwakes, razorbills, guillemots, gulls, cormorants and puffins. You can also arrange to disembark at the island's tiny jetty, where all of the lengthy walking trails lead to the clifftops above the gannet colonies, and one includes a visit to Le Boutillier , a restored nineteenth-century fisherman's home. The wharf is also the departure point for whale-watching excursions - between May and October the blue and humpback whales are often in the area, and you may also see porpoises, seals and the rarer white-sided dolphins. Zodiacs speed out with Observation Littoral Perce (tel 782-5359), but as they fill up quickly, you may have to opt for a larger glassed-in boat with Les Croisieres Julien (tel 782-2161 or 1-877/782-2161). Trips last from two to three hours and cost around $40 and should be reserved in advance at the various ticket kiosks lining the main drag.
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