Polar Bears & Northern Lights Holiday

Arrive Winnipeg

Arrive in Winnipeg and enjoy an orientation dinner with your fellow travellers. Get to know your group and discuss your excitement for your upcoming safari.

Winnipeg - Churchill

Fly to Churchill and explore this remote community before heading to the tundra for an evening with the bears. Originally a fur-trading post, Churchill is home to just under 1,000 people and, in late autumn, to hundreds of polar bears that congregate at the edge of Hudson Bay. Head to the tundra this evening for your first glimpse of the bears. Dinner is served aboard your enclosed Polar Rover.

Overnight: Churchill in Arctic Canada Polar Region (B, L, D)

Churchill

An exciting adventure is in store as we survey Hudson Bay, the surrounding tundra and boreal forest from a helicopter. Looking down on the vast expanse of wilderness below, we may see roaming polar bears and caribou. The helicopter descends for a landing, and we disembark to explore the tundra on foot, looking for Arctic fox and Arctic hare, and perhaps even crawling inside an unoccupied polar bear den. 

We also sample an age-old means of Arctic transportation on a dog sledding excursion, during which we learn about the life of a musher, visit the dogs, observe the team as they prepare for the run, and, finally, head out for an unforgettable ride behind an eager team of pure canine power! 

If skies are clear, we’ll visit a heated aurora dome to experience the natural wonder of the Northern Lights. The lights often begin slowly, as a faint white glow, then intensify in scope and colour as they undulate across the sky, shimmering curtains of electric green, waves of blue or even red. The Hudson Bay Inuit see the lights as the magical display of their ancestors’ souls dancing in the sky. Though we now know the Aurora Borealis is caused by the interaction of the solar wind with the earth’s magnetic field, they are no less entrancing.

Overnight: Churchill in Arctic Canada Polar Region (B, L, D)

Churchill

Unique Polar Rovers are our mobile means for a day with the polar bears. Although they accommodate an average of 35 passengers, we take just 15, ensuring everyone has a window seat - ideal for photography. Our Expedition Leaders know the best places to view the bears, which are waiting for the ice to solidify on Hudson Bay so they may begin the winter seal-hunting season. We spend hours watching them interact, delighted by their antics and rugged beauty. After dinner in Churchill, we’ll enjoy a wildlife or cultural presentation on life in the North.

Overnight: Churchill in Arctic Canada Polar Region (B, L, D)

Churchill

Once again we board our Polar Rover for a full day of wildlife watching and exploring the subarctic landscape. Our pace is leisurely as we move over the tundra, pausing whenever we see polar bears to observe their behavior and capture photos.

Tonight, if skies are clear, we’ll visit a heated Aurora Dome in hopes of witnessing the northern lights through the circular Plexiglass roof offering a 360-degree view on the night sky. The phenomenon often begins slowly as a faint white glow, then intensifies in scope and color as the lights undulate across the sky. Most frequently the aurora appears as a shimmering green curtain, though occasionally it is red or even purple. The Hudson Bay Inuit believed the lights were the mystical display of their ancestors’ souls dancing in the sky. Though we now know the aurora borealis is caused by the interaction of the solar wind with Earth’s magnetic field, they are no less entrancing.

Overnight: Churchill in Arctic Canada Polar Region (B, L, D)

Churchill - Winnipeg

With free time in town this morning, you may wish to pick up some last-minute handicrafts or souvenirs. After a farewell lunch in Churchill, we fly back to Winnipeg aboard our chartered plane, with a final dinner at our hotel tonight.

Depart Winnipeg

Today is the last day of your adventure and it is time to depart Winnipeg. After breakfast, transfer to the airport in time for your international flights home.