Our Churchill polar bear tour begins in Winnipeg.
Once a center of fur trade and Canadian Pacific Railway boomtown, today Manitoba's capital is its cultural and commercial center at the eastern edge of Canada’s vast prairies.
Transfer to the historic Fort Garry Hotel, grande dame of Winnipeg hospitality and one of the city’s most prestigious landmarks. Meet your Expedition Leader at a welcome dinner this evening.
In the Arctic frontier outpost of Churchill, hotels are small and simple. While they would certainly not be considered fancy, they are clean, comfortable and conveniently located in the center of town. Every room has its own private bathroom with a shower. Due to hotel space being scarce, we use a variety of local properties.
Hotels:
Seaport Hotel
Churchill Hotel
Polar Inn
Not all itineraries include Tundra Lodge.
Fly by chartered plane to Churchill this morning.
This hospitable frontier town, originally a Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post, is our base for adventure. On the 6-day trip we head to the tundra this evening for our first glimpse of the bears, though we often see them from the bus as we leave the airport, even before boarding our Polar Rover.
Our 7-day trip opens with an evening presentation on polar bears and the northern environment by our professional naturalist staff.
Custom-built Polar Rovers are our mobile means for spending time among the bears.
Though they can accommodate up to 35 passengers, we take a maximum of 17, ensuring everyone a window seat and plenty of space. Our Expedition Leaders know the best places to observe polar bears, which congregate in the region each fall as they wait for Hudson Bay to freeze, signaling the start of the winter seal-hunting season.
As we watch them interact, we're delighted by their antics and rugged beauty. From the warmth of our big vehicle, we may see mothers with cubs, young males play-fighting, or a lone bear ambling over the tundra in solitary majesty.
Our Expedition Leader interprets all we observe, explaining the bears’ behavior and how they thrive in such a harsh environment. In the evenings, we meet for dinner and presentations on wildlife and local cultures.
Enjoy a day of polar bear viewing.
On the 7-day trip, we tour historic Churchill, then head out to the tundra for evening bear viewing and dinner aboard the Rover. During the day we may explore the coast road on a drive to Cape Merry, often spying Arctic fox and Arctic hare. Keep a close eye out for them, as their winter-white coats offer excellent camouflage later in the season when the ground is white. If the skies are clear, our nighttime tundra excursion might reveal one of nature’s most exhilarating experiences—a chance to view the northern lights away from the glare of town. Though never predictable or promised, the auroral display often starts as a pale glow in the northern sky, then the lights begin to flicker and dance in shimmering curtains of color, most typically green but occasionally red or violet. On the 6-day trip (your nighttime tundra journey takes place on Day 2), there’s free time in Churchill or an opportunity for an optional helicopter excursion over the vast expanse of frozen tundra before boarding the flight back to Winnipeg.
Our return flight to Winnipeg is scheduled to depart in the mid- to late afternoon, to offer as much time as possible for exploring Churchill today. A highlight this morning is an authentic dog sled ride. We meet a local musher and his team, spending time with the lively and affectionate dogs before taking turns riding behind them on an exhilarating trot through the boreal forest. If time permits, you may be able to pick up last-minute locally made handicrafts or take an optional helicopter tour over the tundra before we depart. We'll have a farewell lunch together before flying back to Winnipeg, where a final reception concludes our adventure together.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for flights home.
n the 6-day trip, our sled dog excursion takes place on Day 5 with a return to Winnipeg that afternoon, and flights home scheduled for Day 6. On the 7-day trip, the nighttime tundra trip occasionally alternates between Day 4 and Day 5. Itineraries may vary slightly, but inclusions are the same.
