Tourism in Manitoba understandably focuses on the small, subarctic town of Churchill on the Hudson Bay coast – internationally regarded as the polar bear capital of the world.
Every autumn, polar bears return in their hundreds to the Hudson Bay near Churchill to hunt seals on the sea ice that forms there in winter.
While polar bear viewing is best in autumn, the Arctic summer brings a brief but astonishing display of flora and wildlife to the tundra, including thousands of beluga whales.
With little to no light pollution, the northern stretches of Manitoba are among the best places on Earth to witness the Northern Lights.
VIA Rail offers a passenger train service from Winnipeg to Churchill – a 1,100-mile journey through vast open tundra that’s an adventure in itself.
Leave a few days to explore the capital Winnipeg, known for its diverse festivals, vibrant arts scene and famous attractions like The Forks and Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Throughout winter and spring, polar bears live out on the frozen Hudson Bay, relying on sea ice to hunt the seals that sustain them. As the weather warms and the ice starts to melt, the bears are forced ashore while they await the winter freeze. Each October and November, while the ice is forming, up to 900 of these normally solitary creatures gather outside Churchill, making it the most accessible polar bear viewing destination on Earth.
Most tours are conducted in custom-made tundra buggies, though some operators also run walking safaris, guiding you on foot to within metres of the world’s largest land carnivore. With a bit of luck, you may also see Arctic fox, wolves, caribou and snowy owls, not to mention dazzling displays of the ethereal Northern Lights. While in summer, thousands of beluga whales congregate along the coast in near-24-hour daylight.
Geeting to Churchill is part of the adventure. There are no roads connecting it to the rest of Canada so you can either fly from Winnipeg – the provincial capital famous for its historic Forks district – or take the two-day, two-night VIA Rail journey from Winnipeg to Churchill, as featured on the BBC’s Race Across the World.
Owned and operated by Arctic safari specialist Churchill Wild, Seal River Heritage Lodge sits 60 kilometres north of Churchill near the Seal River Estuary, where thousands of beluga whales congregate each summer to feed and calve.
Situated 250 kilometres south-east of Churchill, Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge is the only place in the world where polar bears and wolves cohabitate. Like all Churchill Wild lodges, it sits directly in the path of the polar bears as they walk up and down the Hudson Bay coastline during summer and autumn.
A true wilderness oasis, Dymond Lake Ecolodge lies 40 kilometres north of Churchill, huddled near the treeline of the Boreal Forest and bordered by Dymond Lake and Hudson Bay. It’s one of the few places in Canada where – in addition to the thrill of spotting polar bears on foot – you may even catch a glimpse of the elusive wolverine.
Built from reclaimed timber, this authentic family-owned lodge offers first-rate Arctic adventures around Churchill, Manitoba, where polar bears outnumber people during the peak migratory months of October and November. It’s also possible to see both bears and beluga whales in summer by taking a trip along the coast in the lodge's purpose-built vessel, the Matonabee.
Set in six million acres of forest, lakes and rivers, 230 miles from the nearest road and only accessible by floatplane from Winnipeg, Gangler’s North Seal River Lodge in northern Manitoba is as remote as it gets. It’s also one of the best places in the world to watch the Northern Lights in summer, with days spent exploring the sub-arctic landscape and observing the native wildlife, including wolves, moose, black bears and caribou.
Named after the trading camp that preceded Winnipeg, the century-old Fort Garry is one of the most impressive and recognisable works of architecture on the Winnipeg skyline. Designated a National Historic Site in 1981, it continues to impress with its old-world appeal, high-end amenities and gracious hospitality.