Churchill Polar Bears - Part 1

We recently returned from a trip to Churchill, Manitoba with Natural Habitat Adventures to see polar bears as they congregate in the area in preparation for going out on the sea ice in Hudson Bay for the winter. Dilemma: Canada is a foreign country, but we drove to Winnipeg and back. Is that foreign travel ("Horn OK Please" blog) or domestic travel ("No Turn On Red" blog)? I've made the executive decision that Canada belongs with the U.S.: drivable, English-speaking (French, as well, of course), first-world amenities.

Having family in Naperville, IL and St. Louis Park, MN made it easy to combine our tour with family time.

Tuesday, 10 October 2023

Winnipeg to Churchill

Flying charter is really fine. No security. Our bus drove up to the steps to the plane. The plane was a turbo-prop ATR-72. The plane boards through the rear; luggage is up front between the passenger cabin and the cockpit. Churchill is accessible mostly by air, 2 1/2 hours from Winnipeg. The train from Winnipeg runs 3 days a week and takes 50 hours each way. In the summer, freighters come to the port. This summer, a cruise ship came for the first time in 10 years.

Lake Winnipeg

Tundra landscape

First glimpse of Hudson Bay near Churchill.

Tundra Sights

Once we boarded the tundra rovers (photos in the next post), we did not touch the ground until we returned to town - a total of about 52 hours. We were always 6 ft off the ground - plenty of room for bears to go beneath us, and too high for them to reach the windows.

While making our way to the Great White Bear Tundra Lodge, we got to see wildlife and tundra landscapes.

Almost immediately after starting our trip through the tundra, we saw a gray wolf - a rare sight.

Polar bear #1. The blood on his legs and snout tell that he has been feeding recently.

Polar bear #2 - a "big white rock".

The same polar bear in context with the landscape.

Tundra Lodge

The Great White Bear Tundra Lodge is essentially a small train on the tundra. At one time the lodge was towed into town for the off-season, but now it is left assembled on its spot on the tundra.

The Lodge "cars" from left to right: Supply rover, crew quarters, kitchen and dining, lounge, 2 sleepers directly connected.

The hall in the sleeper cars.

Each roomette has a single bed and storage above or below. This was my room, with a lower bunk and luggage storage above.

The rooms with upper bunks have luggage storage below. Regardless of configuration, it's a tight fit!

After Dark

Sunset on the tundra.

This unusual door-hanger lets the guides know that you want to be awakened in the event of an aurora sighting.

Orion rising in the east. The stars were vivid in this dark-sky setting. (Not bad for a hand-braced 5-second exposure. Outside deck space is limited, so tripods were not allowed.)

Usually at this time of year, the sky is overcast and the aurora was not visible. But we got lucky on our first night with a great auroral display from midnight to 1:30 AM.

We shared photos. This picture was taken by a hand-held iPhone 15 Pro.

This photo was taken by a hand-held iPhone 14 Pro Max. Our iPhone SEs are not up to this quality.