OVERVIEW
Fly-in to our remote polar bear cabin camp set along the coast of Hudson Bay for an almost private polar bear viewing and photography experience like none other.
A unique opportunity to photograph one of the world’s most magnificent predators from ground level in the Canadian Arctic! This is not just a polar bear trip – it’s an immersive experience in the land of the polar bears, the Inuit people and the intricacies of the tundra. This program gets you as close to polar bears in their natural environment as possible. It’s an experience that will leave lifelong memories.
“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.”
- Terry and Carl F., Canada
You’ll be photographing polar bears and other arctic wildlife with us on foot in a small group of 6 to 8 guests on the remote arctic tundra 140 kilometers north of Churchill. This is a polar bear photography experience like no other!
This amazing arctic adventure begins with a 40 to 50min flight on a private, turbo otter aircraft from Churchill north along the west coast of Hudson Bay on the exact same path that polar bears are taking on their search for the first sea ice to form in the bay.
A former polar bear hunt camp used by the local Inuit people; we have transformed the camp to a polar bear observation camp. We land right on the tundra on a make-shift tundra ‘runway’ beside a camp of comfortable, simple, arctic cabins (two guests per cabin), with full power and heat, surrounded by an electric fence to keep the polar bears out. During our inaugural trip in 2011 we had nine different polar bears come within ten meters of the camp’s fence during daylight hours, providing exhilarating, close-up photo opportunities. (the fence is quite easy to photograph through without affecting your images). The camp is often visited by individual polar bears, as well as mothers with cubs, so you may get to photograph bears sparring, playfighting, foraging for food, or doing ‘bear yoga’ on the tundra.
There can be days when we don’t have a polar bear come close (this is the nature of wildlife) and when there aren’t bears around the cabins, we’ll be making short, guided, walking excursions out on to the tundra to look for arctic wildlife and take landscape pictures with our Inuit guides who are specially trained to maximize your photo opportunities with the bears without endangering either you or the bears. These short hikes often provide more opportunities to photograph the bears, as well as arctic hares, arctic foxes, martens, willow ptarmigan, and snowy owls. If lucky, we may also see gyr falcons and wolverines.
Guests can look forward to photographing from 1-10 polar bears per day, along with other wildlife.
Expect the majority of the photography to be done from tripods or handheld from a standing or crouching position on the tundra. Participants should be mobile and fit enough to be able to comfortably walk 1-3 kilometers with a small amount of gear and tripods.
This is not just a polar bear trip – it’s an immersive experience in the land of the polar bears, the Inuit people and the intricacies of the tundra. This is getting you as close to polar bears in their natural environment as possible. It’s an experience that will leave life long memories.
“We have been to over 70 countries in the world, including the north Col of Mt. Everest by helicopter, and this trip beats them all”.
- Terry and Carl F., Canada
Life changing memories…
- Be the first to live where the polar bears live. Observe them virtually 24-7 from the Arctic Kingdom Polar Bear Cabins
- Remote, rustic and raw, yet as real and authentic polar bear viewing possible anywhere in the world
- Nature trekking with seasoned Inuit guides to get you even closer to the polar bears for up close photography
- Northern Lights at night – Observe the shimmering hues of greens and reds of the northern lights
| Day 0 | Arrival in Winnipeg. Check into hotel of your choice. |
| Day 1 | Early morning departure for Churchill. Transfer to waiting private charter aircraft for 40 min flight to Polar Bear Cabins. Afternoon of polar bear observation and photography. |
| Day 2–4 | Observe and photograph polar bears, arctic fox, snowy owl, wolverine, martens and gyrfalcon from cabins. Nature treks to view polar bears. Night northern lights. |
| Day 5 | Morning of polar bear observation. Afternoon; Board the private aircraft for Churchill and transfer to jet for flight back to Winnipeg. Overnight in Winnipeg at hotel of your choice. |
Trip Destination – 100km/60miles south of Arviat, NU
