On the November long weekend, my good friend Melinda and I went to Churchill, Manitoba, on a charter flight with about 120 other explorers of all ages. It was Part 2 of Melinda's 40th Birthday Canadian Adventure Trip!
We had looked (and looked!) for a reasonable way to get to Churchill, Manitoba to see the polar bears, but it's just not that easy a place to get to! First, there are no roads to Churchill. You either have to take a slow train or an expensive flight. Second, it's a small place and there aren't very many lodging options. Third, because it's hard to get to, there isn't a lot of information available for this unique destination.
One evening while doing more research, I came across this article - the most useful and condensed information I found: http://www.travel4wildlife.com/how-to-get-to-churchill-cheap-fast/
We had pretty much given up on our plans for this cap to Melinda's 40th birthday year, but then out of nowhere came surprise information - from my dad of all people! The phone call went something like this:
Dad: Are you still looking for a way to get to Churchill to see the polar bears?
Me: Yes (hesitantly).
Dad: Well, there's an ad in the paper (Saskatoon StarPhoenix) this week.
Me: Really???
Dad: There's a charter flight from Saskatoon on the November long weekend.
Me: Really???
Dad: It's expensive!
Me: I'm sure! How much?
Dad: $2,000!
Me: Ouch! For how long?
Dad: One day.
Me: One day???
Dad: It's a special one-day charter flight. Everything's included - the flights, three hot meals, approximately six hours of polar bear viewing...
Me: Wow!
And so began our journey. The company that operates the charter flights is Classic Canadian Tours, which is based out of Calgary, Alberta. Once on the ground and out to the tundra in Churchill, we were well looked after by Frontiers North Adventures - the company that does the polar bear safaris via tundra buggies.
Our one-day charter flight to Churchill was the stuff dreams are made of! There were no bright or shining lights, no movie stars, no glitz, no glam. What there was though can be summed up as an amazing opportunity that many do not get or take. You knew you were a part of a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!
To read the full description of our special day, check out my guest post for Jenn Smith Nelson's Travel & Happiness blog: https://travelandhappiness.com/guest-post-polar-bear-safari/
Our low point of the day was when our tunda buggy's drive shaft pulled apart when we tried to navigate a giant pothole (or slush pond, however you look at it) a little differently than the other tundra buggies had. Oops... We were down/stranded for about 1.5 hours.
Our high points definitely outweighed our low point though. We saw 18 polar bears in total including a mama and her cub. And, because we lost time with out breakdown, we got to stay out on the tundra longer than the other groups had and watch the sun set and moon rise over Hudson Bay. Now that was a wow!
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| Do you see all three polar bears in this photo? |
After all is said and done though, the easiest, cheapest and warmest way to see polar bears is simply by viewing this live polar bear cam. Enjoy!
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