Polar bear trips - Churchill, Manitoba

Spaces are available for the 2012 polar bear season at Churchill.  For details see below and contact us directly at info@ursusinternational.org

Each fall, polar bears in the Western Hudson Bay population begin their exodus to the bay in anticipation of the coming sea-ice.  With the formation of the ice, they will be able to hunt seals again after a summer of fasting on land.  For approximately two months, the bears are very evident along the shores of Hudson Bay and in the periphery of the town of Churchill, resulting in the world’s largest aggregation of polar bears.

Each year, the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, 23 kilometres outside the town of Churchill, offers two Learning Vacations, that provide a rare opportunity for observation and study of polar bears in the wild.  The Churchill Northern StudiesCentre is dedicated to promoting understanding of the arctic and sub-arctic regions, and the autumn polar bear Learning Vacations are a true study holiday with a strong conservation orientation. The programmes provide an opportunity for detailed, serious study of the life-cycle of the polar bear, its evolution and the manifold social and environmental issues it faces, including climate change, pollution, hunting and misconception.  The Learning Vacations are set in the context of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Lowlands, and offer participants a broad overview of the region, its indigenous people, its extraordinary history, and of the town of Churchill itself.  Together, Hudson Bay and the polar bears provide an unforgettable experience.

The key components of the polar bear Learning Vacations are as follows:

- Airport and station pick-up

- All lectures and programmes

- Two full-day Tundra Vehicle excursions

- A helicopter ride (to see the landscape, not the bears)

- Dog-sledding

- A town trip to Churchill, that includes the famous Eskimo Museum and a programme by Parks Canada, as well as time for shopping

- Full room and board at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre

- Airport and station drop-off

........not to mention good food and a liberal sprinkling of cameraderie and fun to cap what may prove a once in a lifetime adventure!

Each programme lasts seven days, and costs 2875 Canadian Dollars per person.  The trips are inclusive but do not include travel to and from Churchill.  The programmes are best suited to adults, but children accompanying parents or grandparents have also enjoyed them.

The dates for the 2012 polar bear Learning Vacations are as follows;

Session I: 25 October - 1st November
Session II: 8 - 15 November

Enquiries may be made through this website or directly with the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, which can be reached by clicking here cnsc@churchillscience.ca or by calling 1 204 675 2307.  Their website can be found at Churchill Northern Studies Centre (http://www.churchillscience.ca)

If you contact the Northern Studies Centre directly, please refer to Ursus International.

Please note that the period of forming sea-ice is quite short, and that these programmes only operate during that time.  Space is limited, and they book out every year.