Polar bears on Hudson Bay

In the morning you will go on a private city tour in Winnipeg with your private guide, through the capital of the central Canadian "prairie province" of Manitoba at the confluence of the Red River and the Assiniboine in the south-east of the province.

With an area of 649,950 square kilometres, Manitoba is the sixth largest province in Canada. Just over half of its 1.2 million inhabitants live in Winnipeg, its most important economic and commercial centre. The city is served by several major railway lines and highways as well as an international airport. The metropolis has a number of beautiful parks, including "The Forks" and "Assiniboine Park". Its Centennial Centre Complex is home to the excellent Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature, which features exhibits on natural history.
Or you can visit the "Museum for Human Rights", which is well worth seeing. The extravagant building of the only museum for human rights in the world, which opened in 2014, is now almost the new landmark of the old trapper town of Winnipeg. The unique exhibitions in the large complex focus on the situation of indigenous peoples, but also on the development of human rights.
Also of interest are the Manitoba Legislative Building, the restored Townsite and Old Market Square neighbourhoods, the old St. Boniface Basilica in Winnipeg's French Quarter and the Zoological Gardens. The Royal Canadian Mint was also established in Winnipeg in 1973.

In the evening, you will visit the Oak Hammock Marsh Wildlife Management Area. When the first fur traders arrived here in the 1820s, the approximately 450 square kilometre area of Oak Hammock still presented the image of a vast marshland interspersed with long grass prairies. 150 years later, it had shrunk to just 2.5 square kilometres due to conversion to farmland and the waterfowl numbers showed dramatic declines. Since then, the land has been gradually bought back by the Manitoba provincial government and the Canadian Wildlife Service and the marshland has been restored. Today, Oak Hammock is a 36 square kilometre wetland of international importance where over 280 bird species and 25 mammal species have been observed. Tens of thousands of wading birds and over half a million ducks use Oak Hammock as a resting place on their spring and autumn migration.

Tip: Alternatively, explore the Riding Mountain National Park
Riding Mountain National Park covers an area of almost 3,000 square kilometres that stands out from the surrounding prairie. It is characterised by countless hiking trails, forests, lakes, rivers and meadows as well as a diverse range of wildlife. In addition to wapitis and elk, there is also a small herd of buffalo in the park. Almost the entire park is wilderness. Experience a day in the marvellous Canadian wilderness!

After a delicious breakfast at the hotel, you will be driven to the airport by your private guide. From there you will fly to Churchill, the "polar bear capital of the world" on the western shore of Hudson Bay.

The huge bay is comparatively shallow with an average depth of 130 metres and is only navigable from July to October due to heavy icing. At these latitudes (Churchill lies at just under 59° north), the climate is subarctic. In January, temperatures can drop to minus 30 degrees and below, the permanently frozen ground (permafrost) only thaws on the surface on 40 to 60 days a year and rivers and lakes are only ice-free for around three months of the year.

There is no road to Churchill, only the railway and aeroplane connect the small town with the rest of the world. The area around the mouth of the Churchill River was discovered by the Dane Jens Munk in 1619. The Hudson Bay Company built its first fort here in 1688. Over the next few centuries, Churchill became an important fur trading harbour. The large grain silos in the harbour bear witness to Churchill's new economic importance since the completion of the railway line: wheat from the prairie provinces is loaded onto freighters here, which transport it all over the world. When the last ship has left the harbour, the short summer is over. The first storms sweep across the tundra and soon Hudson Bay begins to freeze over. This is when the polar bears appear.

Hotel in Churchill subject to availability:

3 nights at the Hotel Tundra Inn, double room, half board – Details about the hotel

Alternative:

3 nights at the Bear Country Inn, double room, half board – Details about the hotel

Alternative:

3 nights at Hotel Seaport, double room, half board – Details about the hotel

Churchill is the so-called polar bear capital of the world, one of the few human settlements where polar bears can be observed in their natural environment. The polar bears are at home here as they wait for Hudson Bay to freeze over. Hundreds of bears migrate here from their summer territories in the tundra to the shores of Hudson Bay and wait until this huge bay freezes over. They then use the ice floes to get out onto the ice and get close to seals, which they feed on.

After your arrival at the airport, you will first explore the small town of Churchill and its surroundings. You will go to Cape Merry, the harbour of Churchill. Then visit the Manitoba Conservation's Polar Bear Holding Facility. This project protects people and animals in and around the town of Churchill. It even has its own polar bear police force, which is responsible for ensuring that the polar bears do not get too close to the town. Individual lunch and tour of the Churchill Eskimo Museum. Here you can also get the polar bear stamp for your passport or postcards.

Today you will go on an excursion by tundra buggy towards Cape Churchill.
Guided by instinct, the polar bears gather here in September and October. Here, on this exposed coast between the small town of Churchill and the cape of the same name, Hudson Bay freezes over first. As the ice cover solidifies in November, the famished bears can soon start hunting their favourite prey, the ringed seals - and the long summer fasting period finally comes to an end.

Polar bears rarely stray into Churchill itself. Every now and then, however, a polar bear appears between the apartment blocks. But the polar bear patrol is constantly on the lookout. It catches, tranquilises and marks any visitors that are too persistent, first sending them to prison and then flying them out by helicopter to more suitable hunting grounds.

Today is at your leisure. For example, take the opportunity to go on another excursion with the Tundra Buggy or a helicopter flight to Cape Churchill. The extra costs amount to 600 to 700 euros per person.
Note: As the number of tundra buggies is limited during the short polar bear season, we ask you to indicate your excursion wishes for this day when booking your trip.

In the late morning, take a 15-minute helicopter or small plane flight to the cosy Dymond Lake Lodge north of Churchill, which can only be reached from the water or from the air. The lodge is located directly on a small lake and the coast of Hudson Bay is not far away either. The surrounding forest tundra is dominated by black and white spruce, with numerous mosses and lichens covering the frozen ground. In this cold season, only the true arctic species survive here. Now this habitat belongs solely to moorhens and rock ptarmigans, snowy owls, ravens and bearded owls, arctic foxes, caribou and - of course - polar bears.

3 nights in the Dymond Lake Lodge, double room, half board – Details about the lodge

Alternative:

3 nights in the Seal River Lodge, double room, half board – Details about the lodge

These days are all about observing nature around Dymond Lake Lodge. Excursions into the forest tundra and along the coast open up extraordinary opportunities to observe the Arctic flora and fauna, above all the "kings of the Arctic" - the mighty polar bears, but also snow foxes, snowy owls, caribou and the northern lights, also known as the northern lights, can be observed here with a little luck. The choice of day trips depends entirely on the weather and the fitness of the participants. The excursions take place in tundra buggies, i.e. converted lorries, or on foot safaris with rangers.

In the morning, return flight by helicopter to Churchill and short excursion to the Northern Studies Centre, an internationally important research centre for Arctic ecosystems. From there, you will also take an exciting ride on a dog sled - accompanied by an informative presentation on the subject of sled dogs. You will then visit the Parks Canada Information Centre, which is well worth a visit and offers lots of interesting information and films about polar bears.

Return flight to Winnipeg in the late afternoon, transfer to the hotel and overnight stay.

1 overnight stay at the 4★ Hotel Fairmont Winnipeg, Fairmont Room, breakfast – Details about the hotel

In the morning you have some free time in Winnipeg.
At lunchtime, you will be transferred to the airport. From here you start your return flight to Europe.

Arrival in Frankfurt in the morning and end of the journey or connecting flights to other airports.