The herd of caribou grazing contentedly on partridge berries in the tundra-like landscape of the vast Avalon Wilderness Area in Newfoundland and Labrador certainly couldn’t care less that an esteemed travel magazine ranks their home as a top tourist destination.

But for their human neighbours, buffeted recently by a destructive hurricane, a “thumbs-up” from The National Geographic Traveler magazine came as welcome news during an otherwise dismal autumn tourism season.

In a survey of travel writers, the Avalon Peninsula was chosen as the world’s most highly rated coastal destination, trumping better-known locations such as Australia, Wales, New Zealand, Italy, Hawaii and Canada’s West Coast.

Once you have driven around the Avalon, it’s easy to see why travellers fall in love with the region. Separated from the rest of the Rock by a narrow, foggy isthmus, the Avalon boasts a wide variety of landscapes, vegetation, weather patterns and settlements.

There’s the cultural centre of St. John’s, of course, with its patina of historical row housing and the bustling George Street bar scene. But, although the city and its growing suburbs are the economic engine driving the province’s economy, St. John’s is not the reason for the Avalon’s enhanced status.

Driving south, there are whale- and bird-watching centres in towns such as Bay Bulls. From there, you can visit the excavated ruins of a 17th-century settlement in Ferryland — a community that also offers picnic lunches at an old lighthouse. The whales cavorting in the sea nearby are free of charge.

Farther south, the communities become sparser and the terrain changes from dense forest to treeless scrubland. Hunting cabins and telephone lines are the only hint of civilization until you come upon a federal government radio-transmitting station near the barren, salt- and windswept outpost of St. Shott’s.

Nearby, on the Avalon’s southernmost shores, are several kilometres of sandy beaches, where huge waves roll ashore. This is Trepassey, an economically distressed town that once boasted a huge fish-processing plant. It comes as a surprise to find that the home Amelia Earhart had lodged in prior to crossing the Atlantic by air in 1928 remains standing.

The trees return as you travel northwestward, along St. Mary’s Bay. Farther west is the Cape St. Mary’s seabird colony. Thousands of gannets vie for nesting space during the summer months, creating a crescendo of noise that is unforgettable.

The Avalon’s designation as a prime destination has come too late to save the late-season tourism trade, which was wrecked by hurricane Igor in September. Although roads and other infrastructure generally had been restored within days of the storm, many people had cancelled their trips to eastern Newfoundland. But Newfoundlanders are hardy. There is always next season. IE