Are you a wildlife enthusiast looking for something a little
different? Then, a trip to Churchill in northern Manitoba, Canada is just the thing.
Indulge yourself in a little retro luxury with a sleeper
ticket on VIA Rail’s Hudson Bay, a 2-day
and night trip from Winnipeg to Churchill. The indulgence is worth it, since
the destination, Churchill, is a no-frills sub-arctic town.
Churchill, with a permanent population that
fluctuates between 800 and 1100, is known as the Polar Bear Capital of the
World. The town, sitting between the
Churchill River and Hudson Bay, is on the polar bears’ annual migration
route.
Peak season for polar bear
sighting is from mid-October to mid-November each year. Polar bear viewing is best done by
arrangement with one of the many tour operators in Churchill who will take you out
in a tundra buggy, vehicles specially designed for the safety of people, polar
bears and the local tundra.
Manitoba’s beluga whale population also migrates to the Churchill
River and Hudson Bay every July and August. There are about 20,000 belugas living in
the area, and about 3,000 of them summer in the river estuary to give
birth. Visitors have a chance to view,
and, with many tours, swim with, these beautiful creatures.
Bird-watching enthusiasts should try to make the trip to
Churchill sometime between mid-June and mid-July. According to the Churchill Northern Studies
Institute, birdwatchers can expect to see about 100 species over the course of a four- to seven-day trip.
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