Churchill polar bear expedition: Canada

October 2024 – 7 days

Register now at tours@newscientist.com and we will contact you later this year with full tour details.

Travel to Churchill, situated in northern Canada, to see the world’s greatest concentration of polar bears. Learn more about their evolutionary history and learn about the role ecotourism plays in the protection of polar bears and Arctic biodiversity.

Begin in Winnipeg, the capital of the Canadian province of Manitoba, before heading north to Churchill, located on the shores of Hudson Bay. You will spend the week exploring the area in search of a variety of wildlife species, including the most well-known local resident, the polar bear. A unique part of this tour is the exploration of Churchill's tundra area using a Polar Rover vehicle, a tundra buggy aimed to have minimal impact on the wildlife’s natural surroundings. With huge windows and a see-through steel outdoor viewing deck, it allows closer access to the bears and other wildlife. 

You will be accompanied by experts who will take a deep dive into the life and natural history of the polar bear through a series of talks, walking seminars and fireside chats, covering the following topics:

• The geology of the Canadian Arctic landscape
• The role of epontic communities and the role sea ice plays in the Arctic
• A deep dive into the life and natural history of Ursus maritimus – the polar bear
• Adaptations of flora and fauna to arid, Arctic ecosystems
• The evolutionary history of polar bears, including the many unique adaptations that distinguish them from their grizzly bear cousins
• The role of protected areas and ecotourism in the protection of polar bears and Arctic biodiversity
• Understanding landscape-level phenomena, including arctic mirages, “sun dogs” and the northern lights

DAY 1: WINNIPEG ARRIVAL

You will begin your adventure in Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba. On arrival into Winnipeg airport, you will be met by your expedition leader and transferred to your hotel.

Depending on your arrival flight time, you may have time to explore Winnipeg, which is home to many cultural attractions and is known for its ethnic diversity. Alternatively, you can relax at your hotel.

This evening, meet with your expedition leader and the rest of the group for a welcome meeting, where the plan for this week will be discussed. You will then get kitted out for your adventure in your cold weather gear. Afterwards, head out for dinner.

DAY 2: FLY TO CHURCHILL

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Winnipeg airport to board your privately chartered flight to Churchill.

The town of Churchill is situated in northern Manitoba on the edge of Hudson Bay. Established in the early 18th century, Churchill grew into a prosperous trading post, but declined in the 19th century when it was bypassed by faster overland routes. Today, the community is made up of a mix of Inuit, Cree and non-Indigenous people. It has only recently found a new role as the "polar bear capital of the world". Each autumn, the area’s polar bears venture onto the newly frozen pack ice to hunt for seals. 

This evening, head out into the tundra for your first glimpse of polar bears aboard custom-built Polar Rovers vehicles. These are heated and wheelchair accessible, and they have reclining seats, easily opening windows and an outdoor, grated, see-through deck. They have also been fitted with comfortable washrooms that have flushing toilets.

After time exploring the tundra, you will return to your hotel for a fireside talk with your expedition leader introducing the area and the wildlife that call this part of the world home. You will also have the opportunity to learn more about local residents' relationships with the polar bears, and how they have learned to live in relative harmony through the town's polar bear holding facility, aka "polar bear jail".

DAYS 3 TO 4: POLAR BEAR VIEWING 

During both days, you will head out in the Polar Roamer vehicles during daylight hours to explore the tundra in search of polar bears.

Polar bears are known to congregate in this area each fall as they wait for Hudson Bay to freeze, signaLling the start of the winter seal-hunting season. Your expedition leader will know the best places to observe them without disturbing their natural environment. 

While you are out exploring the tundra from the Polar Roamers, your expedition leader will give talks from the vehicle that explain the bears’ behaviour and how they thrive in such a harsh environment.

In the evening, you will gather for dinner and presentations on wildlife and local cultures.

DAY 5: EXPLORING CHURCHILL AND EVENING ON TUNDRA

Today, you will follow the coastal road on a drive to Cape Merry. Keep an eye out for Arctic foxes and Arctic hares, which can be spotted enroute. Look closely for them, as their white winter coats offer excellent camouflage later in the season when the ground is covered with snow.

If the skies are clear, your nighttime tundra excursion might reveal one of nature’s most exhilarating experiences: a chance to view the northern lights away from town. Though never predictable, the auroral display typically starts as a pale glow in the northern sky.  The lights often begin to undulate in shimmering curtains of colour, most typically green, but occasionally red or violet. 

DAY 6: DOG SLEDDING AND FLY TO WINNIPEG

This morning, you will have the opportunity to enjoy an authentic dog sled ride, a highlight for many! Join a local musher and their team, spending time with the lively and affectionate dogs before taking turns riding behind them on an exhilarating trot through the boreal forest.

Enjoy a farewell lunch together before flying back to Winnipeg via your private charted flight. From here, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Winnipeg for your final talk. 

Enjoy a farewell dinner at your hotel in Winnipeg with the group and your expedition leader. 

DAY 7: WINNIPEG DEPARTURE

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home.