It’s a question every adventurer or photographer could ask themselves. How will you react when the animal you are searching for stares back at you with a curious gaze?
With erect ears and twitching noses inquisitively probing the air, the locals were just as curious of us, as we were of them.
On their annual migration to the ice-filled northern reaches of the Arctic in search of food, ‘polar bear alley’ passes through Churchill on the windswept shores of Canada’s Hudson Bay.
The only way into Churchill is by air or rail – no country roads leading to town here. It’s isolated and quiet with just a few streets in each direction, with no flashy hotels or ritzy lodgings to speak of.
But we’re not here to be spoilt by the man-made attractions found in the big cities of Canada, the appeal here is all-natural.
During the summer months of August and September, the vast tundra will see 17-hours of sunlight, with cool but mild temperatures. Tall green grasses sway in the breeze while yellow and purple wildflowers provide a striking contrast to the cold and austere boulder-filled landscape. Above, eagles and Canadian Geese fill the sky.
Playful Beluga Whales
At the mouth of Hudson Bay and Churchill River we met Remy, our guide and skipper for the evening. Remy may be young but his enthusiasm and knowledge of the area and its wildlife are beyond his years.
Born in Churchill, his excitement was contagious and he had us all listening intently to his beluga whale stories.
We soon boarded the specially designed boat for shallow waters and headed out in search of this unique mammal. We didn’t have to travel too far before the ghostly white presence of the whales began to appear below the surface.
Seemingly just as curious of us, the playful mammals began their dance.
Travelling in small family pods, the belugas travel to these waters to give birth and to nurse their young. There is something magical when a beluga whale, barely 2 metres away from you, breaches the water’s surface and looks right at you. It’s an exhilarating experience and there were audible gasps from my fellow travellers.
No one seemed to mind the cool summer air as the whales showed themselves to us.
Baby belugas are born grey in colour and not until they mature several years later will they become albino white. And while their size is modest, larger dolphin size really, these mammals of the deep are beautiful and graceful to watch.
We were to experience an even closer and more personal experience with the whales when we boarded our small rubber zodiacs the next evening. Slicing through the current our little craft was shadowed by the whales through the river and into the bay, all the while diving and swimming freely around us.
Other options to experience the beluga whales include snorkelling and kayaking tours.
Some of our group chose kayaking and the whales playfully nudged the kayaks and in one case, pushed the kayak along the water to the delight of the kayaker. They were so close you could simply reach out and touch one.
Giant Inhabitants Of Polar Bear Alley
For many, myself included, the main attraction in Churchill would be the polar bears. This is a migration point and during the summer months, the males practise a walking hibernation and rarely feed while the females give birth in dens or wander the land with their young.
These giant animals can reach sizes in excess of 1,200 kilograms (2,600lbs) which they’ll need to sustain them during the summer months where they lose up to one kilo (2.2lbs) of body fat per day. They survive on small berries, goose eggs and the occasional goose or other bird until the seals start to appear again.
Our Tundra Buggy Adventure started at the fringe of the national park area. Our driver Jimbo was on his tenth season and an expert in driving the tundra. The land is rocky and rugged and his experience was on display – expertly manoeuvring the oversized purpose-built all-terrain vehicle.
Our vehicle was reasonably comfortable with padded bench seats, a bathroom and outdoor viewing deck with oversized windows that opened up to the outdoors.
As we were exploring the tundra we passed Brett, a Manitoba Conservation and Natural Resource Officer who jumped onboard our Tundra Buggy to give us an impromptu lesson on the bears and the surrounding lands.
Full of experience and knowledge we also heard of his recent sighting of a mother bear and two cubs. The mood of the buggy elevated and our eyes were firmly scanning the horizon.
It’s a unique experience to be the one in a cage looking through enclosed glass windows in search of wildlife and serves as a reminder that we’re truly on their turf, and Frontiers North Touring did a great job of ensuring the natural surrounds are not disturbed.
The brochures show polar bears stretching up against the Tundra Buggy vehicles, pressing their giant paws against the windows staring at the buggy inhabitants inside. While we were not lucky enough for this to happen on our day trip, we did locate the mother and two cubs which Brett had spotted earlier.
Close by, a large male explored the low tide offerings. We watched in hushed silence as they walked past our vehicle barely five metres in front of us. From the confines of our Tundra Buggy, these wild creatures seemed cute and cuddly and we had to remind ourselves just how unpredictable and violent they can be. For this reason, walking around Churchill, especially at night is always done with great care and never alone.
We paused for lunch on-board to compare photos and excitedly chatted about our wildlife sightings. We had finally experienced what many had made the long trip to Churchill for, the polar bear. The following day, while still reminiscing excitedly about the prior day’s find, we embarked on a small bus tour where we explored the beach areas up close.
Barely one kilometre outside of town and resting on a rocky outcrop was a mid-sized, male polar bear – our fifth sighting of the tour. It was an unexpected and welcome find on our last day, and us wildlife paparazzi clicked away in earnest.
You need to search hard on a map for the small town of Churchill, and what the town lacks in size is made up for with its unique wildlife experience. It’s a rustic but authentic tour, one that explores nature and all its beauty.
For some, it was a bucket list trip to experience the wildlife across the rugged tundra. For me, it was the bucket list trip I never realised I had.
Bears and Beluga and Blooms Tours start at $4,899CAD per person and can be booked via our partner at Map The World Travel
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