Have you ever heard of Churchill Canada?
Neither had I when my daughter started talking about going there. A person of adventure, and now a travel Podcast/video entrepreneur, she had heard that if you want to see Polar Bears and White Beluga Whales in abundance, then you head for Churchill. There are more there than anywhere else on earth. Churchill sits on the Northern tip of Hudson Bay and is just below the Arctic Circle.
She asked me if I wanted to accompany her and since my heritage is half Canadian and I have always found small-town Canada intriguing, I decided to make the trip with her.
Since the only way to reach Churchill is by plane or train, it takes some pre-planning. We found an excursion company, (Lazy Bear Expeditions), that offers package deals and that is certainly the only way to go. They take care of you on your initial flight from Winnipeg all the way until they return you there. The package takes care of your Winnipeg Hotel rooms both going and coming. It also includes your hotel in Churchill, (Lazy Bear Lodge), and meals for the whole visit. Believe me when I say that takes care of all the things you would have to arrange yourself and it is sooo worth it. Leaves you free to do what you came to do; search for the white bears and the beluga whales.
To say that Churchill, Manitoba, Canada is unique is an understatement. Before Covid, the trains brought grain there which was subsequently shipped to other parts of the world. That was abandoned during the Covid epidemic and hasn’t yet been re-started. This eliminated jobs in the community of about 900 people. There are plans to continue the grain shipments as before but for now the storage silos stand empty.
As you can imagine, the population is extremely resilient and tourist friendly. We were told that if a person should accidentally meet a polar bear in the streets, you calmly head for any home. The doors of all homes are left unlocked just for that purpose. A Polar Bear Patrol also stands ready to take charge of any bears that decide to roam the streets.
There are no strangers in Churchill. There is one very large building that houses everything they need or want to use. These include a health clinic, the schools, work-out facilities, pool, and a meeting place where they hold Trivia games once a week and more.
Our trip was in August and honestly, I think it might be even better to go in October/November. Polar bears are an aquatic animal and are a little harder to find before the ice forms. All summer they are just lolling around waiting for that ice formation when they are ready to seal-hunt and swim to their hearts content which builds up their bodies for the next season. You will see some really good pictures of them on www.PlacesPeoplePurpose.com or YouTube, thanks to my daughter.
The river and Hudson Bay are teeming with white Beluga Whales. A friendly whale that makes me think of Dolphins in the way they move in the water. There are just thousands of them in Churchill. Two available excursions include kayaking with the whales and aqua-gliding on matts that bring you even closer. Lots of pictures ensue.
Our accommodations in the Lazy Bear Lodge were a little rustic but the rooms had everything you need to make you comfortable. All the Lazy Bear employees were very accommodating, informative and kept the interest going with planned activities every day. There is opportunity for some “free” time as well. We roamed the gift shops and got our Passports stamped at the Post Office with a BEAR stamp! 🐻❄️
Our group consisted of about 40 people; most of which were retired and adventuresome. One person was writing for National Geographic magazine and another, from Germany was taking photos and writing for three magazines in Germany. It’s always interesting to me to meet new people and have a chance to exchange information.
I am somewhat limited physically so was not able to do some of the things that depend on physical prowess but luckily I saw what I came to see; bears and whales and a special place in the world. Very exciting and interesting. I would heartily recommend it.
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