Churchill & Polar Bears

On November 2023 I had the chance to visit one of the most eccentric town: Churchill also known as Polar Bear Capital and Beluga Town!

Churchill is a town located near the Houston Bay in Canada. Approximately 900 people live in Churchill. Its climatic condition makes it hard to live all year round!

Churchill has one gas station, one grocery shop and a few restaurants and hotels for the tourists. Be aware to book your trip way in advance (at least for polar bear season..!)

People come from around the world to this town to see beluga in the summer polar bears in the fall and northern lights in the winter! Pretty cool!

How to get there?

To get to Churchill there is not that much option as there is not road to it.

The best option to visit Churchill is to go to Winnipeg in Canada and then you have two options:

• The train: This option is cheaper but it takes up to 2 days one way to get to the town. I’ve met a lot of people that chose that option and likes it. However, there is no internet on the train so take a book, download some shows, catched up on photo editing etc! The train station is in town and it is easily walkable to your hotel.
• Fly: The only airline going to Churchill is call CalmAir. It will take approximately two and a half hour to get there. It is the fastest option. Once you get to the airport you will need to take a taxi. if you did not book it in advance (I did not!) it is ok, you will just have to wait a bit as there is only one taxi in town!!

Where to stay?

There is a few option when you are in Churchill, it will depends of availability! There is a few hotels downtown. On my side I stayed at the Polar Bear Inn and Suite. They were clean, breakfast was included which is nice before expeditions. Their is other hotels around and I also heard that airbnb are also a great options!

What tour to do?

You will see there is a lot of options in Churchill here are the one I did:

• Discover Churchill: You will go in a 4*4 car with really nice guides that know the areas and back road. Those guys are from Churchill and it is always nice to be with locals. They are also passionate in photography and bears!
• Great White Bear Tour: Tundra buddy: with this tour you are going into the National Park. This is also a Churchill family own company. On my tour the son’s wife was doing the tour and she was great, knowledgeable and really nice! Also a big plus is that they do not book at full capacity which leave some space in the buddy to move etc.
• Frontier North: My least favorite. While the guide was awesome, knowledge and nice he had a lot to do: Drive, tell us story, manage respectful tourist .. The bus was completely full. Unfortunately even with a great guide the experience was so so on my side.

In all cases the guides were amazing and really informative! I have learn a lot and are grateful for that experience and shared of knowledge! I think that going in the tundra is really worth it. If I go back I will do another day in the National Park as it is a way to observe bear from close and see them in a different environment. However have a tour around the town is also great for photography (be at eye level), see other species such as red fox, cross fox, artic fox or snow owl!

 

Where to Eat:

You do not have that many choice in Churchill, but let’s be honest you are not going there for the food! On my side I went to the Lazy Bear, the Tundra Pub and the Dancing bear! You can find classic American food.

What to see:

Well depending on the season you have different options!

• Summer: You can observe some belugas as a large population is coming near the coast of Churchill with their babies. During that season you can also observe a varieties of birds and some polar bears.

  

• Autumn: This is prime polar bear season!! A lot of bear are waiting for the ice to form which allow visitors to observe their behavior with each other. Polar bears – like all bears – are loners but in Churchill you can see them interact with each other, sparring, comparing themselves in order to get ready for the winter on the ice. You can also see different species of foxes in town as well as some birds such as the snow owl.
• Winter: No bear in town! However the winter is the perfect opportunity to observe the auroras as Churchill can see them more than half the year! This show will let you speech less!
• Spring: People coming during springs are here to find bear cubs and their mom coming out of their den before joining the ice.

As you can see Churchill offers nature and wildlife lovers diverse activities!!

Would you go?

 

You can find my Churchill video on Youtube here

Find some of all photographs here