Churchill Wild’s Premier Polar Bear Tours – Face to Face with Arctic Giants

It was our third trip to Churchill, Manitoba – The Polar Bear Capital of the World. The date was October 28th when we flew into Winnipeg the night before setting off on a polar bear safari to our remote lodge on Hudson Bay. The last time we visited Seal River Lodge with Churchill Wild, it was freezing, this time around, it was a balmy zero degrees Celcius (32F) in Winnipeg. The weather outlook for Churchill was around minus 10 degrees. Perfect weather for polar bear tours. This was going to be a good week.

Polar Bear Tours Churchill Wild

We thought we were the cool people taking our third trip to see the polar bears with Churchill Wild. That is until we met another couple from Switzerland who had been nine times a man from China who was visiting for the sixth time. Polar Bear tours are addictive. Once you’ve seen a polar bear in the wild, the experience stays with you and you want to go back again and again.

Polar Bears in Summer

We had visited Churchill once in the summer and another time in the winter. Churchill Wild has added many polar bear tours to their arsenal with polar bear safaris such as their den emergence tour to see female polar bears and their newborn cubs, the cloud wolves of Katai, and the summertime trips to see birds, bears, and belugas.

Summertime tours are quite different from the winter. Seeing polar bears with the green tundra landscape contrasting their white coats is a sight to behold. We took our summertime tour with Churchill Wild at Nanuk Lodge which was just as spectacular. Walking with Polar Bears – The Greatest Arctic Safari / Read more: Kayaking with Beluga Whales in Churchill

Arctic Gear Provided

After landing in Winnipeg on our flight from Toronto, we picked up our luggage and walked across the street to The Grand Hotel where Churchill Wild safari guests spend the night before flying out the next morning.

Everyone who books a polar bear tour with Churchill Wild is given a parka, snow pants, and boots to help brave the Northern Canadian cold. Weather can be unpredictable and it can easily go down to minus 40 Celcius with the windchill. When visiting Churchill for polar bear safaris, it’s important to layer.

Make sure to pack, mittens, balaclava, hats, warm socks, and a thermal layer of merino wool. We have an entire post about layering for cold weather and you can watch our video from the last time we were in Churchill with -45 degree weather. Read our full article: 5 Winter Layering Tips to…