For many places in North America, polar bears can only be seen in zoos. However, in Churchill, Manitoba, visitors can not only have the chance to see polar bears in real life, they can also gain a more thorough understanding of how these animals live by watching them in their natural habitat.
Featuring a rich cultural and natural history, Churchill, Manitoba is famous for being a favorite spot for polar bears! Called the polar bear capital of the world, Churchill offers a multitude of exciting tours where visitors can see these magnificent snowy creatures right before their eyes.
Guided Polar Bear Watching Tours
Arguably the best way to make sure a trip to Churchill includes polar bear sightings is to select one of the many multi-day guided polar bear watching tours. While these tours can be on the pricier side, they offer the easiest and most comprehensive way to guarantee guests can spot polar bears.
Great White Bear Tours
For almost thirty years, this family-owned business has shown thousands of visitors the delights of polar bear watching. Great White Bear Tours offers the greatest variety of late Fall/ Winter polar bear watching trips.
With over forty departure dates to choose from this October and November, Great White Bear Tours offers several different variations of polar bear watching tours so guests can hone in on exactly what they want. With tours like “Special Photo Departure†and “Women-Only Departureâ€, guests can select the best tours for themselves.
Trip Pricing:
- 6-Day Itinerary: $6995 (+internal air)
- 7-Day Itinerary: $7695 (+internal air)
- 7-Day Special Photo Itinerary: $8495 (+internal air)
- Deposit: $500 per person
- Internal Air: $995 per person (listed separately on the invoice)
Single Occupancy Room:
- Additional $995 for 6-day trips
- Additional $1095 for 7-day trips
- Note: these tours are limited to sixteen people.
- Book reservations ahead of time here.
Lazy Bear Expeditions
With glowing online reviews, Lazy Bear Expeditions could also be a great choice for that next great adventure. What’s unique about the Lazy Bear company is that in addition to Winter tours, they also offer Summer tours for watching the polar bears, in which they guide guests to the coast of Hudson Bay where the bears tend to hang out.
Lazy Bear Winter Tours
- When: October: 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, and 30 | November: 2, 5, and 8
- Pricing: $6,495.00 per person (including airfare) | Single Occupancy Room: Additional $1,500.00 for October 6, 9, 12 and November 11 & Additional $2,000.00 for October 15 through November 8.
- Duration: five nights
Lazy Bear Summer Tours
- When: July: 15, 19, 23, 27, and 31 | August: 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20
- Pricing: $5,495.00 per person (including airfare) | Single Occupancy Room: Additional $1,050.00
- Duration: six nights
Additionally, Lazy Bear also provides accommodations at the Northern Wilderness Lodge. Guests can really get an authentic wilderness experience by staying in the Lodge’s cozy, warm log cabins.
- Amenities: Wi-Fi, coffee, cable television, accessible rooms
- Address: 313 Kelsey Blvd, Churchill, MB R0B 0E0, Canada
Other Activities in Churchill
If guests are not interested in doing any of the multi-day guided polar bear watching tours, Churchill has plenty of other ways guests can enjoy their vacation.
Frontiers North Tundra Buggy Day Tours
Claiming to be the safest way to view the polar bears, these quick tours can be a great way for guests to save a little money while also gaining the flexibility to pursue other activities during the week. By choosing to take a buggy tour versus committing to a multi-day excursion, guests can essentially get the best of both worlds- they can see some polar bears without the heftier price tag.
Visitors can learn all about the area and the polar bears from knowledgeable drivers on any of these full-day adventures:
- When: October: 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 26, and 28 | November: 1, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 14, and 16
- Time: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Pricing: Adult: $519 per person, Children (12 and under): $419 per person
- Note: Light meals and refreshments are provided
Itsanitaq Museum
With a comprehensive collection of Canadian Innuit artifacts and carvings, some over three thousand years old, the Istanitaq Museum can be an excellent complement to a polar bear-watching vacation. The museum also has a gift shop for guests who want to pick up a few souvenirs to take back home with them!
- Pricing: free, with suggested donations
- Hours: 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, closed on Sundays
- Address: 242 La Vérendrye Ave, Churchill, MB R0B 0E0, Canada
In conclusion, it’s not often the average person gains the chance to see actual polar bears in real life. The polar bear-watching tours of Churchill, Manitoba (the polar bear capital of the world) offer guests a variety of ways to see these wonderful animals in safe and exciting environments.
Always be sure to check availability and alerts ahead of time and build a detailed itinerary before going! Every second of a trip to Churchill should be accounted for because guests won’t want to miss out on all of the fun things to do!