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Manitoba & Churchill Polar Bears 9 Days

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Train Car Diagram

Draft Itinerary

Guides: Pat & Denise Lemmon

Before their destinies were joined, Pat lived several years in Puerto Rico, Spain, Wales, and other areas of Europe where his father was employed as a teacher with the Department of Defense. Later, Pat and Denise returned to Europe with their young family where Pat taught school for a couple years near Naples, Italy (can you say "gelato”?!). Their overseas exposure has made them naturals to lead our international Adventures.

Thank you for always planning different and exciting adventures. The Polar Bear trip was one more reason to join a WAI tour again. I always look forward to what’s coming up next.

~ Janet O, Ogden, UT (Manitoba 2010)

Enjoyed the dog sled ride in the blowing snow, seeing polar bears, their cubs, the birds, tundra etc. up close! Your tours provide a friendly atmosphere, quality programs, incredibly knowledgeable guides, historical and cultural aspects of areas visited, and the inclusion of local people and their perspective of the area.

~ Helen S, Portland, OR (Manitoba 2010)

Walking Manitoba & the Churchill Polar Bears

Not Currently Being Offered

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.

Draft Itinerary

DAY 1: 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: ACTIVITIES IN WINNIPEG (B)
Oak Hammock Marsh Walk – 5 km, rated 1+
Lower Fort Garry Walk – 5 km, rated 1+

Our first 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 (weather permitting). Part two of our walk continues at nearby Lower Fort Garry 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. The balance of the afternoon and evening are free to explore the Forks area near our hotel.

DAY 3: WINNIPEG – PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE (BD)
Winnipeg Provincial Capitol Walk – 10 km, rated 1+

Today’s walk introduces highlights of the city of Winnipeg including the Exchange District, the French Quarter, Market Square, and the Forks. At the confluence of the Red River and the Assiniboine River, the Forks has been a popular meeting place for over 6,000 years and continues to serve as a shopping, dining, and recreation magnet for modern-day Manitobans. Following the walk, we depart by coach for a uniquely Canadian cultural experience. The Hutterites of Sunnyside Colony are a religious farming community (similar in ways to the Amish) thriving on the plains of Manitoba. They provide a fascinating tour of 21st century life on the commune, then offer a delicious home-cooked dinner. We spend the night in nearby Portage la Prairie.

DAY 4: ACTIVIITES IN PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE – BOARD TRAIN (B)
Portage la Prairie Walk – 10 km, rated 1+

Before boarding the train this afternoon, our third walk explores Portage la Prairie, a working community on the Canadian prairies built on the shores of lovely Crescent Lake. Today’s train journey 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 anticipate the tundra experiences that lay ahead.

DAY 5: TRAIN EN ROUTE TO CHURCHILL (B)
Paint Lake & Thompson Walk – 10 km, rated 2+

Early this morning, 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. Since train is the only way into Churchill by land, it stops at any point along the route to drop off passengers and supplies. From Thompson, this nostalgic mode of transport takes us comfortably north through remote wilderness by means of sleeping cars and a dining car with meals prepared on board.

DAY 6: ARRIVE CHURCHILL BY TRAIN (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. Our train arrives in Churchill this morning, and we spend our first day in the area 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. . 

DAY 7: ACTIVITIES IN CHURCHILL (BLD)

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. Since tomorrow evening involves a flight back to Winnipeg, our Farewell Dinner is held tonight in the Polar Bear capital of the world.

DAY 8: ACTIVITIES IN CHURCHILL – FLIGHT TO WINNIPEG (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 last-minute shopping in Churchill this evening, we board a plane bound for Winnipeg, bracing for a bit of culture shock generated by returning to “civilization” from the far North.

DAY 9: DEPART CHURCHILL (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!

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