| Duration: | 6 Day(s) - 5 Night(s) |
| Tour Category: | Seasonal Events Tours |
Overview
Experience polar bears in their natural habitat on an incredible 5-night tour into the Canadian wild. Fly from Winnipeg to the remote town of Churchill, your Hudson Bay base. While here pay a visit to the local Eskimo Museum, go dog-sledding, and enjoy multiple polar bear-viewing adventures. Set out in a specially-designed tundra buggy to witness these magnificent creatures feed and frolic and to learn about their daily lives, as well as ways climate change is affecting them. Keep an eye out for foxes, ptarmigans, and snowy owls as well.
5-night tour from Winnipeg to Churchill
See Polar Bears in the Wild
Explore the charming town of Churchill on guided tours of historical and cultural attractions like the Eskimo Museum and Parks Canada Interpretive Centre
Travel across the subarctic tundra on board a specially designed Tundra Buggy
Experience more of Manitoba’s outdoor culture on a dog-sled ride
Enjoy accommodation at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Winnipeg and charming local inns in Churchill
Meals and round-trip flight to Churchill included
Inclusions:
5 nights accommodation
Meals as per itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
Round-trip flight between Winnipeg and Churchill
Churchill and area sightseeing tour
Entrance to Eskimo Museum
Slide presentation by local photographer
Two days of the Tundra Buggy Adventure
Dog-sled excursion
Parks Canada Interpretive Centre tour
Exclusions:
Gratuities (recommended)
Airport pickup & drop-off (the Four Points hotel is adjacent to Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport)
Departure Point
Four Points by Sheraton Winnipeg International Airport hotel
Return Details
Returns to the original departure point
What To Expect
Arrive at the Winnipeg Airport and spend your first night at the Four Points by Sheraton Winnipeg International Airport. Depart for Churchill in the morning and spend the next several nights at either the Polar Inn, the Iceberg Inn, the Aurora Inn, or the Tundra Inn. Most meals are provided at a variety of Churchill restaurants, with the exception of 2 picnic-style lunches aboard the Tundra Buggy and one dinner aboard a plane. After booking, you'll receive confirmation and details on hotels and dining options from your guide.
Please see the Itinerary section below for details on each day of the tour.
Itinerary
Day 1: Winnipeg
When you arrive at Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, make your own way to the Four Points by Sheraton airport hotel, which is adjacent to the airport; a free hotel shuttle is available.
This evening, meet your tour guide and fellow participants at a 30-minute meet-and-greet session at the hotel, during which you can ask any questions you have. (The exact location of the meeting will be provided before your arrival.) Then hit the sack, because your adventure starts bright and early tomorrow morning!
Overnight: Four Points by Sheraton Winnipeg International Airport
Day 2: Winnipeg – Churchill (B, L, D)
Wake up and enjoy a quick breakfast at the hotel before your early morning 2-hour charter flight from Winnipeg to Churchill. After landing, head straight into a sightseeing tour of the city and surrounding area (your luggage will be taken to your hotel). See historical attractions and other points of interest like Cape Merry, the Port of Churchill, and Manitoba Conservation's Polar Bear Holding Facility (some sights are dependent on the weather).
Next, have lunch at a local restaurant, and then visit the Churchill Eskimo Museum, home to an impressive collection of about 1,000 intricate Inuit carvings. You can also check out arrowheads and other artifacts, plus bigger displays like kayaks and a stuffed polar bear.
After the museum, enjoy a few hours of free time to explore Churchill on your own, do some shopping if you wish, or just relax at the hotel before dinner, which takes place at a local restaurant. When dinner is over, attend a presentation by a local nature photographer, who will share great shots of the native wildlife for which Churchill is so famous.
Overnight: Local inn in Churchill
Day 3: Tundra Buggy Adventure (B, L, D)
After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the Tundra Buggy Launch Area to board your Tundra Buggy. A large, specially designed, all-terrain vehicle, the buggy effortlessly transports you over the vast landscape of the Churchill Wildlife Management Area, a 2.1-million-acre (850,000-hectare) piece of subarctic wilderness that’s home to a variety of plants and animals like foxes, hares, snowy owls, and ptarmigan, plus, of course, the polar bears that you’ve come so far to see.
As you drive through the open tundra, learn about Manitoba’s polar bears — who come here every autumn — from your expert guide, and hear a bit about how the bears’ lives are influenced by environmental factors like tides and ice formation. Then get ready to have your breath taken away when you first catch a glimpse of a polar bear in its natural environment. The buggy will get you as close as possible to the bears when they are spotted, and if you’re lucky, a curious bear may even come right up to the vehicle.
During your tour, enjoy a picnic-style lunch, which usually includes a sandwich, soup, cookie and coffee, tea, or soft drinks.
When you return to the Tundra Buggy Launch Area, you’ll be driven back to Churchill for dinner at another Churchill restaurant.
Overnight: Local inn in Churchill
Day 4: Tundra Buggy Adventure (B, L, D)
Same as Day 3 — another opportunity to spot polar bears and other local wildlife!
Overnight: Local inn in Churchill
Day 5: Churchill – Winnipeg (B, L, D)
After breakfast, experience more of northern Manitoba’s great outdoors on an exciting dog-sledding tour. With an experienced musher (the one ‘driving’ the sled), take a 1-mile (1.6-km) ride through the boreal forest with a team of hard-working sled dogs. Then relax over lunch at a local restaurant in Churchill.
This afternoon, enjoy a guided tour of the Parks Canada Interpretive Centre, run by the country's national parks agency. Located at the train station, this small museum and nature center features exhibits on the area’s history, culture, and wildlife.
After the tour, it’s time to head to the airport for your charter flight to Winnipeg; a light dinner will be served on the plane (typically something like a salad, chicken breast, pasta salad, and a roll). When you arrive at the airport, check back into the Four Points by Sheraton. The rest of the night is yours to spend as you wish.
Overnight: Four Points by Sheraton Winnipeg International Airport
Day 6: Depart Winnipeg
Depart Winnipeg at your leisure. There are no included activities, meals or guided elements today.
Additional Info
Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
There is not a minimum age, however, bringing young children is not encouraged. The days on the buggy are quite long and it can get quite cold and uncomfortable for a child on the buggy even though it is heated
Accommodation: Standard hotel rooms including a private bathroom; guest rooms have either 1 queen bed or 2 double beds, depending on the number of guests; maximum of 4 guests per room
Luggage: On the flights to and from Churchill, baggage is restricted to two pieces of luggage totaling 70 lbs (31 kg) per person
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at the time of booking
You will receive a detailed itinerary with tour times and specific restaurants 90 days prior to departure
The Tundra Buggy is equipped with washroom facilities and a propane fireplace
Dress code: It's recommended that you bring layers as it can get very cold
A maximum of 22 people per tour
Not wheelchair accessible
