Northern Lights and Polar Bears – 8 days

Today marks the beginning of the Northern Lights adventure! Arrive in Winnipeg and transfer on own to check-in at the Inn at the Forks hotel which is just a short taxi ride away from the Winnipeg airport. Meet and greet event at the hotel’s lounge.

Overnight.

After a wonderful and hearty breakfast, visit the Manitoba Museum and Planetarium and participate in an introductory photography clinic and receive tips on how to best capture the aurora and perfect northern lights images with your own cameras in a night setting. After lunch, take part in an interactive program run by museum interpreters that showcases the Inuit people’s traditional way of life. At the end of the day, shuttle back to the hotel.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Transfer by a hotel shuttle to Winnipeg airport for a 2-hour flight to Churchill. Upon arrival, proceed for a short interpretive tour of the town before checking into your Churchill Hotel, Tundra Inn. In the afternoon the Guide hosts an introductory photography clinic to help set up your cameras in preparation for the night of northern lights viewing and photography. Enjoy dinner at a family run Churchill restaurant before you are transferred to the Tundra Buggy Launch Site to enjoy an evening out on a Tundra Buggy to gaze at the northern lights accompanied by a local guide. Hot beverages are served as well as a light snack. After a couple of hours viewing, the guide and Tundra Buggy driver takes you back to town.

Overnight.

After breakfast at the hotel lobby, see local and historical points of interest surrounding Churchill, including attractions such as Cape Merry, Port of Churchill, and Manitoba Conservation’s Polar Bear Holding Facility (weather permitting). After a delicious lunch at a locally owned restaurant, visit the Eskimo Museum, which houses one of Canada’s finest collections of Inuit carvings, kayaks, and artefacts dating from pre-Dorset, Dorset, Thule, and modern Inuit times. In the evening after dinner, gather again for northern lights viewing. After a couple of hours viewing, the guide and Tundra Buggy driver take you back to town.

Overnight.

Morning, grab a quick breakfast from the hotel lobby before departing for an interpretive snowshoeing program led by a Churchill naturalist that gives a chance to trek through boreal forest, across Precambrian rock, and along the shore of the Hudson Bay. After a delicious lunch at the snowshoe cabin, head back to the Churchill Hotel, where you have free time to explore the town. After dinner at a town restaurant, head out once again to the Aurora Lounge for the extensive northern lights viewings (weather permitting) from a Tundra Buggy. Return back to the hotel after a few hours of viewing.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Today morning is at leisure to take a walk down the Hudson Bay coast before meeting for the lunch. Later head out on a Dog Sledding excursion led by a local dog musher. He explains the basics and the importance of Dog Sledding to the northern communities before taking a mile long ride through the boreal forest. Dinner will be at a town restaurant. Proceed to see the northern light one last time. Tonight make sure to turn the camera off, lay down on the Tundra and just stare at the lights absorbing their beauty. When the lights die down, head back across the Churchill River to the hotel.

Overnight.

After breakfast, head over to the Parks Canada Interpretive Centre, which has in-depth displays revealing the remarkable history of Churchill through wildlife dioramas and exhibits that portray the history of fur trade in the area. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Winnipeg. Check-in at the hotel. Rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight.

After breakfast,, Check out of the hotel and depart for Winnipeg airport.

End of Tour.