Here is his account of that trip:

The Great Polar Bear Photo Adventure – By John E. Marriott

“He’s going to come right at us!”

And just like that, a 500-kilo polar bear hurled himself up and over the bank and bee-lined straight for us in a cloud of snow and seaweed.

When he was fifty meters from us, he put on the brakes and glanced behind him nervously, watching to see if his nemesis, the little 250-kilo white ball of fury that had chased him towards us, was still in sight.

Seconds later, the mother polar bear marched up the bank with her two big cubs in tow and glared furiously at the male, completely ignoring the two armed guides and the two photographers in front of her.

As the big male lumbered closer and closer towards us (and away from her), I tried desperately to fit some part of him in the frame with my 500mm lens, finally giving up when he got within twenty meters. In perhaps a final test of what the boundaries might be, he took a hesitant step towards me and was instantly rewarded with a loud boom from one of the guide’s rifles. The crackerjack shell sent him running off across the tundra for a few hundred meters, where he lay down on the hardpack and cautiously eyed us on his left and the mother and cubs on his right.

The big male came flying over the bank right at us in a panic to escape the female

The adventure began with a thrilling, hour-long flight over the tundra in a Turbo Otter plane from Churchill. I love small planes that hug the landscape, and this one provided a spectacular view of the coastline and of the Barrenlands. I spent the entire hour scanning the horizon feverishly for wildlife and was rewarded with five different bear sightings!

We arrived at the tiny Arviat Polar Bear Cabin complex at noon on November 1st and despite the noise of our plane landing on the flat tundra, a polar bear was laying there having a snooze on the seaweed no more than 100 meters from the complex’s electric fence.

The tiny cabin complex (6 cabins in total) is surrounded by an electric fence to keep the bears out

For the next three full days, we watched as eleven different bears wandered by the windswept complex, with many spending hours checking us out. For the most part we stayed inside the fence and photographed them as they circled around us nosily, but we also ventured outside the fence regularly for forays onto the tundra in search of more bears (we saw five in total on our short hikes) and other arctic wildlife. By the end of the trip, I’d seen arctic hare, arctic fox, willow ptarmigan, snowy owl, and gyrfalcon.

An arctic hare eyes me warily on the edge of a frozen pond

Willow ptarmigan on the tundra

From a polar bear perspective, the trip was a fantastic success — while we didn’t see as many polar bears as I was used to seeing on my Churchill trips (where you can often see 10-20 bears in a day), I was like a schoolkid in a field of candy whenever a polar bear approached us. The level of excitement was palpable, as was the thrill I got from standing on foot face-to-face with these beautiful animals in non-threatening situations (the bears seemed to know that the fence and that the armed Inuit guides meant business and they either stayed back 30-50 meters, or they got a warning crackerjack shot fired at them once or twice, which kept them back).

Being on foot with these polar bears was an experience of a lifetime and I would try to put it more eloquently, but suffice to say that it’s as close to indescribable as wildlife photography gets for me.

A huge polar bear checks us out at close range

A polar bear portrait

I was so impressed with the photography opportunities that presented themselves (and with the glorious ones I envisioned that didn’t present themselves this year), that I began planning my trip back before my November adventure was even over!

It’s a true adventure into Canada’s hinterland, so if you’ve ever dreamed of photographing polar bears from ground level and wanted to do it with a fun group, then check out the rest of my pictures and if you’re still interested, then go read about what the Polar Bear Migration Fly-In Safari entails for October and November.

A curious cub walks by us at close range

Polar bear tracks on the tundra just meters from the electric fence

Sunshine and -10 never felt so good! A scenic view of the coastline at low tide.

A polar bear rolls around in the snow on a windy day

Another polar bear walks the beach by the complex

A polar bear mother and cub

The peek-a-boo polar bear!

My favourite shot from the trip, taken during a blizzard on Day 2

How close do we get? Pretty close!

Our guides, Jason and Graham, checking out tracks with fellow photographer, Kevin

Eye level and gorgeous!

A mother and cubs trying to decide whether or not they should come visit us

Another one of my favourite polar bear photographs from the trip

Thanks for looking everyone!

Happy shooting!

John

Narwhals courtesy of Eric Baccega

We are proud to be a part of the CTC’s SEC, an amazing collection that features the best of what Canada has to offer. The SEC is a collection of unique and inspiring travel experiences that showcases Canada to the world.

Arctic Kingdom was highlighted recently in a case study done by the CTC. To see the full article visit: CTC Arctic Kingdom Case Study. If you would like to take part in a true Canadian adventure, and join the Narwhal and Polar Bear Safari for June 2012 visit: www.arctickingdom.com. For more detailed information about the trip you can also download our brochure.

Experience mushing personally.

This past Saturday Dec 31, 2011 Arctic Kingdom was in The Telegraph – India: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111231/jsp/personaltt/story_14945414.jsp

If you like speed and the winter try mushing (dog sledding)!

Arctic Kingdom offers customized trips for clients, or it can also be a part of a trip. Tours can be half a day to 2 weeks.

In addition to mushing clients can also see icebergs, glaciers, mountains, sea ice, polar bears, narwhal, arctic fox, arctic hare, Inuit culture, and traditional Inuit clothing,

If this is an activity that intrigues you or you would like to take one of our trips visit: http://arctickingdom.com/

From all of us at Arctic Kingdom…thank you Terry for sharing your heartwarming reflection of your trip with us!

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Good Morning to Graham of Arctic Kingdom,

Looking at the photographs… put me in the mood to finally type this travel log up.   The truth is, this is something I’m still extremely emotional about …. I truly left my heart in Nunavut… I hope you all enjoy my view of this trip – even if it’s just a smidgen of how incredible it actually was.     Polar Bear hugs to you all …. Terry F.

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Our Nunavut experience…

It was my idea to go and see the Polar Bears.  But so much these days depends on timing – and worried that nature might not correspond with our travel arrangements, I asked our travel agent for the ‘full’ Polar Bear experience.   She had already booked us into Churchill, and now she came back with a trip to Arviat, Nunavut.   We jumped on it.   Now we felt we had covered enough ground, all we needed was luck on our side to see the great white Polar Bears of the North [with Arctic Kingdom].

The single turbo Otter trip from Churchill to Nunavut was thrilling, and already, I felt the trip had paid for itself. Little did I know, it was all going to be so much more … much more than I ever expected.

Our Nunavut camp was based by the Ocean shore, where we had a complete view of the ‘slush’, the jigsaw pieces of ice that would eventually join together and freeze up that part of the ocean.   The camp is rugged, like the terrain it lies on – but you have all the comforts and amenities you’d expect for a unique True North Safari.

We went to Nunavut to see Polar Bears, but ended up falling in love with the Tundra as well.   The ice formations of the Tundra were so diverse and beautiful.  We ate icy cold berries that hugged the Tundra, discovered mushrooms in the middle of ice fields, heard the eerie sound of whipping winds grazing the Tundra, and when the sun came out, you were standing in a field of dazzling diamond sparkles in the snow.  Nunavut is a place that takes your heart easily.   It demands respect, this unforgiving, harsh land …. And yet … it’s so incredibly inviting, so heartbreakingly beautiful.

There wasn’t a day that went by where we didn’t see a Polar Bear.   These magnificent creatures, in their territory, in the stillness of the Tundra.  The fact that your standing there, on the Tundra, and a Polar Bear and her cub are pacing, slowly, gently up and down from about 20 feet from you – you can’t come to terms with what you’re seeing – it’s exciting down to the fingertips.  And then you notice that the mother bear is sporting a huge ice crystal on her front leg that gleams in the light like a huge rhinestone adornment.   A perfect coca-cola bear, dressed for the occasion, with her young one always close to her.   Ohhhhh, it’s not something you can catch on video or camera like the eye sees it.    It’s something that notches into your heart, along with the Tundra itself.

The Polar Bears aren’t the only white creatures of this utterly extreme world.   We also saw the quirky Ptarmigan, the sweet Arctic Hare, the shy Arctic Fox and the regal Snowy Owl …. All white inhabitants of this desolate and magical land.

All the while, we’re listening to the low, rhythmic voice of our Inuit guide as he’s telling you stories of his grandparents adventures while giving you tips on what and what not to do on our daily walks.   While we eat a hot meal and discuss the day’s events with each other, another Inuit guide watches from the rooftops for incoming Polar Bears, because this is a land without time and anything can happen.  To complete our Nunavut family, there was our cheerful chef and our amicable expedition leader.   Our chef delighted everyone with ready smiles, eye appealing dinners and he always had the number one ingredient to every morning kitchen … ready, hot coffee !    Always in charge, our expedition leader made sure everything ran smoothly, we were safe, and where possible, individual needs were met e.g. a Polar Bear Dip ?

We’ve been home for a few weeks now.   We live in a sea-side town that’s as cute as cute gets …. But still, in my heart of hearts, I’m longing for Nunavut …. That far away place, so open, so barren, so …. inviting.

Polar Bear Hugs from Terry and Carl F., Vancouver Island, Canada

We are pleased to inform you that we will be extending our holiday hours for the upcoming weeks until Christmas. We will be open late on Thursday evenings and now open Saturdays. This begins the week of December 5th and our final shopping day is December 23rd.

Holiday Hours:

Monday to Wednesday – 9am to 6pm
Thursday – 9am to 8pm
Friday – 9am to 6pm
Saturday – 9am to 3pm
Sunday – Closed

Can’t make it during these hours? Give us a call and place your order by phone and we will ship it to you.

Canada Goose Parkas

We have many of your favourite Canada Goose products in stock including the Chilliwack, Chateau, Whistler and Kensington. Check out our selection of colours including the new colours for women this year, hyacinth and berry.

To see our complete line of products, please visit www.arctickingdom.com/store

Or come visit us at our store!

Arctic Kingdom
1050 Kamato Rd., Unit #18
Mississauga, ON

L4W 2W4
(416) 322-7066

Happy Holidays!

Simultaneously exclaimed by Michelle and Leanne, two Arctic Kingdom guests at the start of our inaugural Polar Bear Migration Fly-In Safari at the beginning of November.  The pair had just touched down after an 180km flight over the seemingly endless tundra, only to be greeted by a large male polar bear a mere 20 feet away from the cabin grounds.

Michelle and Leanne pose for the camera with a polar bear

Building on a decade of up close and personal wildlife safaris throughout the Arctic regions, Arctic Kingdom furthers our commitment to the arctic experience.  We have partnered with the Inuit people of Arviat to to deliver the best ground level polar bear viewing experience imaginable.  One that will allow guests to truly feel connected with the polar bears, and the arctic, all while upholding the most stringent safety measures.

Over the next four days, Michelle, Leanne and other guests of Arctic Kingdom at the polar bear camp witnessed polar bears – large males, females and mother and cubs, from the safety of the cabin grounds, and under the professional guidance of Inuit guides from Arviat, Nunavut who are trained in close polar bear encounters.

“To be on the ground, only meters from a polar bear and, to look directly into its eyes is nothing short of amazing…and incredibly fun!”  summarized Michelle of her trip to photograph the polar bears.

Here is a photo summary of the 2011 Polar Bear Migration Fly-In Safari:

Polar Bear Mother and cubs walk by the cabins at sunset

Polar bear being watched by Inuit guide trained in close polar bear encounters

Polar Bear Alley - Bear rolling in seaweed. At times we could watch a bear for hours on end. Observing them in their natural environment as they go about their routine seemingly oblivious to our presence only meters away.

Polar bears walk along the Hudson Bay coast on the migration route northwards. Polar bears are often curious about new smells and scents..especially of our presence.

David Briggs - AK Expedition Leader - taking a moment to enjoy a polar bear walking by

Arctic Fox comes towards Polar Bear Alley Cabins

The cabins are situated at the 60 degree latitude which is the prime northern lights band that circles the globe. This was what we looked forward to seeing every evening!

Northern Lights looking over the tundra

It was a late year for snow with hardly a trace by early November when this picture was taken and the Hudson Bay was still open water. This is extremely unusual as we normally use snowmobiles to travel by this time.

Nestled on the shores of Hudson Bay directly in “Polar Bear Alley”, situated 100km south of Arviat (180km north of Churchill) – the polar bear cabins are only accessible by air

The turbo otter lands at the airstrip directly beside the polar bear cabins as guests look on.

Arctic Kingdom’s polar bear cabins at dusk. With a capacity of only 8 persons, this is the most intimate and personal polar bear viewing experience anywhere.

Simple, comfortable, clean and warm. Each sleep cabin has it’s own bathroom. There is one shared shower facility.

Bear in the spotlight. Polar bears often came by at night which allowed for some night photography opportunities as well.

Polar mother and two cubs approached by big male bear

During the day, with guides that carried rifles, we would conduct walks on the tundra

Extremely friendly arctic hares in their white winter coat would come within arms reach at times and directly into polar cabin grounds

A polar bear walks on the tidal flats towards the bear cabins. The tides are extreme here receding more than 1km from shore which results in a landscape of beautiful boulder strewn flats that the bears walk in to come to the cabins.

Ptarmigan in winter plumage

For more information on the Polar Bear Migration Fly-In Safari, visit the trip page here:

This past October and November on the latest Polar Bear Migration Fly-In Photo Safari, participants experienced an intimate polar bear viewing like no other. From cabins located on the western coast of the Hudson Bay south of Arviat, trip members got to see the polar bears up close. In addition to these majestic bears other wildlife including arctic hare and various species of birds were spotted throughout the trip.

The polar bears were captured on camera in their natural environment. To see how close the polar bears were to the camp please see the following video of “Polar Bear vs. a GoPro”. The cameras were set up about 100’ from the polar bear cabins. Watch the video to see who wins.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The article notes how the opening of the Northwest Passage, long rendered nearly impassible by dense blocks of ice, has made it possible for animals — such as bowhead whales — to move across the the continent. This may be one of the rare bits of good news to come about in the wake of global climate change, as  Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen of the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources in Nuuk noticed when two bowheads tagged on opposite sides of the Arctic met inViscount Melville Sound, near Baffin Bay in Nunavut. As the article relates,

Heide-Jørgensen thinks whales have been sneaking through, undetected, since the ice began to retreat. The Greenland population, once decimated by whalers, has grown suspiciously fast since 2000, and Heide-Jørgensen suspects the hand of immigration from Alaska. That’s perfectly possible, saysAviad Scheinin of the University of Haifa in Israel. In May 2010, he spotted a Pacific grey whale in the Mediterranean Sea, which probably got there via the Arctic. Further evidence of links between Atlantic and Pacific ecosystems comes from Cambridge bay in Nunavut, Canada, where pods of narwhals appeared on 15 August. They do not normally venture so far west, but shrinking ice seems to be changing that.

But what’s good news for whales is bad news for polar bears and walruses, and for the Inuit who rely on the floe-edge ecosystem for their own survival and that of their cultural traditions. As sea ice decreases, the walrus are running out of places to breed and polar bears are finding it harder and harder to hunt for food. Rapid changes could spell the end for the arctic as we know it.

The ancient arctic was nothing like the frozen north we know today. Warm, with subtropical conditions, its prehistoric waters might have appeared a little more inviting than the icy deeps we know today (though personally, we’re partial to the icy deep).

That is, until you get a load of what lurked beneath. The recent discovery of 375-million-year-old fish fossil on Ellesmere Island up in Nunavut reveals that the subtropical paradise was home to a large predatory fish. According to Live Science,

The lobe-finned fish, now called Laccognathus embryi, probably grew to about 5 or 6 feet long (1.5 to 1.8 meters) and had a wide head with small eyes and robust jaws lined with large piercing teeth. The beast was likely a bottom-dweller, waiting on the seafloor to lunge at prey passing by.

The Laccoganthus embryi, in addition to its intimidating jaws, was a lobe-finned fish, sporting what scientists believe might have been an early evolutionary stage in the development of limbs. Another transitional fish (believed to be the “missing link” between fish and land animals) was previously discovered in the same location, leading scientists to believe that they interacted, and even competed for food.

But for me, the takeaway is this: There are some amazing things lurking beneath Arctic waters. But luckily? The fossil record is as close as we’ll get to this.

Image credit: Jason Poole/ANSP
Read more over at Live Science

The auroras are a fixture of Arctic nights, and can often make a spectacular backdrop to a night at camp, as seen in the photo above, from an AK expedition to Torngat.

But Arctic isn’t even the most extreme spot to view the auroras. Space.com reports that they’re visible from the International space station, as well.

This photo was taken last week by NASA astronaut Ron Garan:

I guess we’ll just have to content ourselves with having access to some of the best views on Earth.