Walking Manitoba & the Churchill Polar Bears

Already Walked for 2010!

A brand new Adventure takes us way up North in Canada to polar bear country! Walking Manitoba & the Churchill Polar Bears offers us some close-up interaction with these magnificent beasts, as well as a chance to explore the Canadian province of Manitoba. We’ll spend two days in the Winnipeg area, with walks and sightseeing, then fly to Churchill, where we’ll come face to face with the Polar Bears! After a couple days of polar bear viewing via the Tundra Buggies®, we’ll board the train heading back to Winnipeg, with stops along the way. Throughout this Canadian Adventure, we’ll enjoy the history and culture of this wilderness land. We’ll meet a Métis woman (French/Native American) and hear her tales of a trapper’s life, we’ll join the Gerbrandts in their home for dinner and a special Manitoba welcome, and we’ll take in the Manitoba countryside on walks that wander through Thompson and Winnipeg.

Daily Itinerary

DAY 1: OCT 25: ARRIVE WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

Your WAI guide will meet you at Winnipeg’s James Armstrong Richardson International Airport today, and arrange for a transfer to our hotel in downtown Winnipeg. Our rendezvous with the largest land mammal on the planet begins rather benignly this evening as we meet first with our friendly and relatively harmless travel mates at our hotel for an Orientation Meeting.

DAY 2: OCT 26: ACTIVITIES IN WINNIPEG (BD)
Winnipeg Assiniboine Park Walk – 10 km

Our first walk explores the city of Winnipeg and the beautiful river and garden area in Assiniboine Park. After time for lunch, we drive south to learn about the significant impact of Mennonite emigration into Canada on a private tour of the Mennonite Heritage Museum. Later, we are welcomed by the Gerbrandt family to their home in Grunthal for dinner and a special Manitoba welcome.

DAY 3: OCT 27: ACTIVITIES IN WINNIPEG (B)
Oak Hammock Marsh Walk – 10 km

Our second walk is in two parts and starts at Oak Hammock Marsh Waterfowl Conservation Area. In late October, large numbers of migrating geese make this a bird watcher’s paradise. Part two of our walk continues at nearby Lower Fort Gary Historic Center, an early 19th century project of the Hudson’s Bay Trading Company that stands as the oldest stone fort in North America. After a tour of the fort, we return to Winnipeg for some free time to explore the Forks area near our hotel. Be sure to get plenty of rest tonight in anticipation of an early flight to Churchill and a full day tomorrow!

DAY 4: OCT 28: WINNIPEG – CHURCHILL (B)

In late fall, polar bears in the Hudson Bay region of central Canada congregate along the western shore of Hudson Bay where winter’s ice first appears. Once the ice forms, the bears can stalk seals, their favorite prey. The isolated village of Churchill is located on the bears’ migration route. For town residents, this is the time of the “Polar Bear Alert”, a unique community effort to ensure the peaceful coexistence of man and bear. For visitors, late fall provides a special opportunity to view this magnificent animal in its natural environment, an experience of a lifetime. We spend our first day in Churchill exploring this town on the edge of the Arctic in the company of a local guide. An optional sled dog ride will be available for those seeking an additional slice of Adventure and will be led by our local guide. Estimated price: $95.
 
DAY 5: OCT 29: ACTIVITIES IN CHURCHILL (BL)

The experience we’ve all been waiting for begins today on a full-day safari to prime polar bear viewing areas aboard the Tundra Buggy®. While bears are our main interest, we are also looking for arctic fox, arctic hares, great snowy owls, and ptarmigan. This evening we have another opportunity to connect with the locals during a discussion with a wonderful storyteller who talks about growing up as a Métis (Native American/French) trapper’s daughter.

DAY 6: OCT 30: ACTIVITIES IN CHURCHILL – BOARD TRAIN (BL)

Today offers an encore safari aboard the Tundra Buggy®. The bears show no fear of the buggy and many are clearly curious, wandering over to the buggy to “check us out.” After time for dinner and some last-minute shopping in Churchill, this evening we board the train for our return to Winnipeg.

DAY 7: OCT 31: TRAIN EN ROUTE TO WINNIPEG (BD)
Paint Lake & Thompson Walk – 10 km

Since the train is the only way into Churchill by land, it stops at any point along the route to drop off passengers and supplies. This nostalgic mode of transport takes us comfortably through the remote wilderness by means of sleeping cars and a dining car with meals prepared on board. Early this afternoon, we disembark to stretch our legs on a walk at Paint Lake and through Thompson, a small Manitoba wilderness town that provides a taste of life in the Canadian far North.

DAY 8: NOV 1: TRAIN EN ROUTE TO WINNIPEG (BD)

The train takes us through the world’s largest intact boreal forest, crossing the mighty Nelson River twice. The journey offers plenty of time to read, play games, and compare notes about our tundra experiences with fellow travelers. Our second day on the train returns us to Winnipeg this evening. After several days in the far North, returning to “civilization” may generate a bit of culture shock. After hotel check-in, we’ll rendezvous to reminisce about this one-of-a-kind Adventure at this evening’s Farewell Dinner.

DAY 9: NOV 2: DEPART FOR HOME (B)

More culture shock is in store for us today as we board planes and head our various ways. We won’t soon forget this rare encounter with the planet’s largest land carnivore in its natural state, up close and personal! Thanks for sharing our first Polar Bear Adventure!

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