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Luxury travel blog » Places » North America » Canada » Manitoba » Adventure Canada! Things to do in Churchill

Adventure Canada! Things to do in Churchill

September 30, 2014 by Carol Perehudoff 6 Comments

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Is Churchill, Manitoba, the Polar Bear Capital of the World? Well, ask the polar bears not me. They might name a chunk of ice somewhere in the frozen arctic, but people call Churchill the Polar Bear Capital, and at least in the fall, when hundreds of furry whites descend on the shores of Hudson Bay, waiting for the ice to freeze so they can roar off to hunt seals, the tiny outpost of Churchill is Adventure Canada Central, the party capital of the polar bear world.

Churchill is the polar bear capital of the world

Polar bear capital of the world

Churchill has more to offer than polar bears – although admittedly polar bears are a pretty big draw

There are more things to do in Churchill than you might realize. It’s not just the polar bear capital of the world, it’s the beluga capital, the tundra crawler capital, the outdoor fashion capital (and you thought Paris, right?) and the sled-dog-and-northern-lights-combo capital (the Yukon and Nunavut may disagree). But that’s how you feel when you are up there, as if every type and stripe of adventure is at your wooly mittened fingertips.

Town of Churchill Canada

Churchill, where overcrowding is not a problem

So Let’s Get to It

Without further ado (though I do enjoy a little ado) here are some of the best things to do in Churchill and some of the best ways to experience adventure travel in Canada.

Tundra vehicle in Churchill Manitoba

Tundra!

Adventure Canada in Churchill:  Polar Bear Tours

Polar bear safaris are the big draw of Churchill. Where else can you stare down a polar bear from the comfort of your mobile-home-sized Arctic Crawler? Certainly not in downtown Toronto.

Canada adventure in Churchill with polar bears

Mother with cub at Hubbard Point

 

What happens on an Polar Bear Tour in Churchill?

Besides watching bears? You’ll trundle over the tundra with a guide, driver and fellow travellers sporting knit caps. You will also hone your detecting skills by trying to spot the difference between a white snowy horizon, white polar bear fur, white arctic hare fur, white arctic fox fur and of course, the elusive white snowy owl feather.

Experience Churchill wild with polar bears

Dancing with the bears (Photo provided by Canadian Tourism Commission)

 

Polar Bear Safari Tip #1: The top season for polar bears is October and November. Book early. Book now.

Polar Bear Safari Tip #2: The Tundra Crawler has a bathroom so drink as much coffee as you want in the morning. Yay!

Polar Bear Safari Tip #3:  You can do tundra tours in summer as well – you’ll likely see the odd bear, it just won’t be a huge polar bear fiesta like it is during fall. See how close I got to a polar bear on a day-long boat trip to Hubbard Point in the photo below.

Wandering Carol on the tundra pointing to polar bear

Follow my finger. See a little white dot? That’s a bear.

Adventure Canada in Churchill: Kayaking with Belugas

The highlight for me during my Churchill kayaking excursion was looking down under my right armpit and seeing a baby beluga whale staring up at me. (It also made me thankful I’d put on deodorant.)

Another highlight was hearing a loud rude sound behind me. “It wasn’t me!” I said quickly to Jenn, my kayaking partner. (Hopefully she believed me.) Be forewarned, belugas have quite a repertoire of sounds, and they’re not afraid to use them.

Kayaking with Belugas Tip: the more you sing, the more belugas will like you. Feel free to hum, chirp or make your own rude sounds.

Getting ready to kayak in Churchill Manitoba

Should we tell them it’s better in water?

Adventure Canada in Churchill: Snorkelling with Belugas

Snorkelling in Churchill is the ultimate summer adventure even if you don’t see any whales. Even if the person beside you sees four. Check out my Beluga Snorkelling in Churchill article for that tale, but let’s just say that this is the closest you will ever get to these friendly white whales without actually marrying one.

Snorkelling with Belugas Tip #1: Up to 57,000 belugas congregate around the southwestern coast of Hudson Bay during summer, so it’s (almost) guaranteed you’ll see one.

Snorkelling with Belugas Tip #2: Belugas are a lot friendlier than polar bears. Don’t swim with bears.

Beluga whales swimming in Churchill

Beluga fun!

Adventure Canada in Churchill: Dog Carting

Locals Gerald and Jenafor Azure from Bluesky Expeditions love their sled dogs. And, as I learned while visiting their dog yard, their sled dogs love them.

Churchill wild, dog carting with Big Sky Expeditions

Gerald Azure – dog’s best friend

And I love Gracie

Personally, my animal crush was on Gracie, a shy, sweet sled dog as white as a beluga who was abused by a previous owner. The poor little battered soul is just starting to come out of her shell dog house so please go there and give her a hug for me. (And hey, Scarlett, pretty as you are I cannot believe you nipped Gracie in the bum.)

Adventure Canada in Churchill with dog carting

Gracie

 

Dog Carting in Churchill Tip #1: This dog carting excursion is more than getting in a cart and going for a ride, you’ll get to know the dogs, learn about dog sledding traditions and eat bannock with cloudberry jam.

Dog Carting Tip in Churchill #2: The dog carting part is really really fun.

Dog carting in Churchill Manitoba Canada

Mush!

 

Dog Carting in Churchill Tip #3: Wear bug repellant.

Dog Carting Tip in Churchill #4: Don’t wear your bug jacket if you don’t want to scare the dogs and the others in your tour group.

Bug jacket and sled dogs in Churchill

Bug jacket fashion

Adventure Canada in Churchill: Dog Sledding

Substitute snow for ground, a sled for a cart, ditch the bug repellant and see above.

Experience Churchill wild with nightlife

Churchill nightlife

Adventure Canada in Churchill: See the Northern Lights

Ah. The fabulous northern lights. Get a clear view at Bluesky Expedition’s site out of town … or glance up as you’re walking home from the bar.

Adventure Canada in Churchill northern lights

You light up my life! Photo provided by CTC

 

Adventure Canada in Churchill: Visit the Prince of Wales Fort

This short boat trip crosses the Churchill River Estuary (which is so wide I actually thought it was Hudson Bay) to the historic Prince of Wales Fort.

The stone fort was built by the Hudson Bay Company in the 1700s, an endeavour that took 40 long years. Today, it stands a poignant symbol of the fur trade, of the struggle between the French and English … and a reminder of how long house renos can take.

Prince of Wales Fort near Churchill Canada

Prince of Wales Fort

Prince of Wales Fort Excursion Tip: The boat ride itself is an excellent opportunity to spot whales and to practice your beluga serenading skills.

Bear jail in Churchill Manitoba

Polar bear jail!

Adventure Canada in Churchill: Go to Bear Jail

Yes, there is a bear jail in Churchill for badly-behaved bears that get too fond to urban life. You can view the jail from outside, but the only way you’ll get inside is by donning a polar bear suit and growling at strangers.

FYI: The bears are released when Hudson Bay freezes over. And, unlike Hell, Churchill freezes every fall.

Bear trap in Churchill near the bear jail

Gonna catch me a bear. (No, I’m not.)

Adventure Canada in Churchill: Listen to Bear Bangers

OK, bear bangers are not actually gunshots (but probably maybe sometimes they are). They’re firecracker shells shot when bears get too close to 1) town 2) people. You’ll hear these loud bangs surprisingly often and, once you get over the urge to cover your ears and run for cover, they’re an excellent way to tell where the big furry snouted wildlife is hanging out.

Lazy Bear Lodge dining room in Churchill Manitoba

Lazy Bear Lodge dining room

Experience Churchill Wild … By Eating It

Northern specialities include arctic char and caribou. Wild salmon is also a popular menu item.

Churchill wild means food

Wild salmon, anyone?

 

Dining in Churchill Tip: Pastries at local restaurant Gypsy’s highly recommended.

Gypsys in Churchill Manitoba

Eat pie here

 

Adventure Canada in Churchill: Sleep through it

Lazy Bear Lodge was my one stop shop for sleeping, dining, tour arranging and tea drinking. It’s a family built lodge crafted from timber logged about 70 km east of Churchill and brought in by snowmobile, trailer and and/or truck. It’s quite wonderful in a rustic I’m-way-up-north sort of way.

Adventure Canada where to stay in Churchill

Room at Lazy Bear

 

Adventure Canada in Churchill: Visit Miss Piggy

This Curtiss C-46 freight plane, affectionately named Miss Piggy, took off from Churchill with a heavy load, couldn’t hold altitude and made a forced landing near the airport in 1979. But don’t worry, everyone onboard survived.

Miss Piggy plane wreck in Churchill

Miss Piggy

Moral of the story: That’s what you get for being a piggy. (That donut I had last night doesn’t count.)

Experience Churchill wild with Miss Piggy plane wreck in Churchill Manitoba

Flight delays expected

 

Exploring Miss Piggy Tip: Clamber up on the wing so you can officially say you’re riding piggyback. (Though maybe not. As you can see, Miss Piggy is on her last legs … er, wings.)

Adventure Canada in Churchill: Express Your Inner Self

For some, arctic chic comes naturally. Hipster/journalist Marck from Mexico City manages the getting-down-with-the-Tundra-nerd-look to perfection.

Experience Churchill wild through fashion

I look goooood

 

Others, not so much …

Boat adventure in Churchill Manitoba

Yes, but we’re warm

 

And our final Adventure Canada Experience in Churchill: Watching a Girl with a Bird on her Head

Girl with bird on her head at Big Sky Expeditions in Churchill

Happy!

 

Now that, my friends, is true patriot bird love. Only in Churchill – a unique Canadian destination where animals and adventure rule.

 

Learn more:

For more information on visiting Churchill visit Travel Manitoba

Read about my Ultimate Beluga Adventure.

For more about travel to Canada visit Things to Do in Canada

Churchill experiential adventure: Lazy Bear Lodge offers a 5-night Polar Bear Adventure from $4345 CAN including airfare from Winnipeg.

 

Filed Under: Manitoba, Soft adventure

About Carol Perehudoff

A former freelance travel columnist for the Toronto Star, Carol has won more than 20 writing and blogging awards and honours. A spa and luxury travel expert, she's written for top travel publications around the globe.

Comments

  1. Carol Perehudoff says

    November 13, 2014 at 9:00 am

    Hey Green Global Travel, Agreed. I would love to be in Churchill now – it’s high bear season!

  2. greenglobaltravel2 says

    November 9, 2014 at 8:51 pm

    Those polar bears are precious! Thanks for sharing :)

  3. Leigh McAdam (@hikebiketravel) says

    October 1, 2014 at 11:13 am

    You’ve covered all the bases Carol – and it looks like a first rate experience from start to finish. I would love to follow in your footsteps – hopefully via a one way ride on a VIA Rail train. Your sense of humour rings through and I love it.

  4. Don Palmgren says

    October 1, 2014 at 11:08 am

    Carol, you’re looking so good these days. Wish we had gotten a second gin and tonic up by the cathedral in Prague.

  5. Wendy Fedec says

    September 30, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    Very interesting blog! You’re so much more adventurous than I am!

  6. Jenn Smith Nelson says

    September 30, 2014 at 4:22 pm

    True bird patriot love hahahahaha! <3 it.

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