Explore Churchill Polar Bears: Your 5-Night Classic Tour - Book via Varoom in Winnipeg’s Exchange District

Summary: This is THE way to go see polar bears in Chruchill, Canada. The entire trip is impeccably planned and the trip is suitable for guests of any age or ability. Food is fully provided at local restaurants and while not incredibly fancy, it's quite good. Same with the hotels, both in Winnipeg and in Chruchill, nothing over the top, but clean and suitable. Most importantly, the drives in the tundra buggies are fantastic. We saw 12+ bears each day, including sparring males and a mother and two cubs. The buggy is warm and spacious with plenty of viewing windows and an outdoor deck. Food/drinks are available on board, as is a bathroom. Tours around the town of Churchill are informative and you learn a lot about local culture, history, and wildlife. Dog sledding, while not a long ride, was a unique experience and a lot of fun. We were lucky enough to see the Aurora on our second night. Our guide was great; staying up to inform us if there was an aurora and knocking on doors, knowing all of the animals and history on the tundra and being good guide throughout. FN was a great operator and everything was expertly planned and executed- if you want to see polar bears, this is the way to go.

Summary: Overall, it was an amazing trip and very worth it to see the polar bears before they decrease in number due to global warming. We signed up for the classic polar bear trip. We arrived in Winnipeg on 10/28/2024, meeting the guide that night with some briefing. The next morning (10/29/2024), we boarded a chartered flight to Churchill, and doing a tour around the town that day. The town is very small, so basically you will be through everything in 1-2 hours, including the polar bear jail and have some free time. 10/30/2024 is the day! We are scheduled to board a tundra buggy to view polar bears. I was actually SUPER worried bear sightings would be limited because of the weather. It was reported to have strong winds, and bears typically hunker down during strong winds. However, it turns out to be an excellent day for bear sightings, and despite the strong winds, we saw 30+ bears. At one point, bears were coming from every direction, and we just lost count. One of the guides said that it was the most bear sightings in one day during his career. 10/31/2024 is a relatively laid back day, when we enjoyed our food (btw food arrangement was amazing), and listened to some presentations, visited museums. The final day, 11/1/2024, was another bear viewing day, and we saw 20+ bears, most were from a distance (so be sure to bring binoculars). It was a great trip. The only improvement point was the northern lights alert. Northern lights did come out the first night, and we were lucky enough to have seen it in front of the hotel. However, we were told that the guide would've woken us up and likely arrange a transportation to go further into the dark. That did not happen. People were not notified of the show. Another thing that could be better was that I was very excited to see the halloween celebration/kids trick or treating on the day, but again wasn't notified that it started, and we eventually missed the event. Other than that, the trip was great and we had wonderful memories.

Summary: We just returned from a trip to Churchill with Frontiers North. We are avid travelers and were super impressed with the smooth operation that this company runs. Everything from hotel stays, transfers, flights, Tundra Buggy ride to food was very well executed. JP, our Buggy 13 driver was really informative and had a keen eye to spot the bears. We're very thankful that all our wishlist items were checked on the very first day. The Buggy was super comfortable with only 18 passengers. Our tour guide, Josh was very patient and answered all our questions. He and our shuttle driver, Jamie took us to see the spectacular Northern Lights in the freezing temperatures. Thank you for making our trip memorable.

Summary: Our polar bear adventure with Frontiers North exceeded every expectation--starting with the fact that we were treated to more than twenty polar bear sightings, of at least 16 different individuals, over our two days on the tundra! We also saw ptarmigan, arctic hare, and red foxes. While animal sightings often come down to luck, almost every other wonderful aspect of our trip was only possible with the diligence, experience, and caring of everyone at Frontiers North. From our first moments on the ground in Winnipeg, we were impressed with the food and lodging choices, smooth movements between activities, and clear communication. We could not have asked for a better tour guide than Ward Cameron, who was attentive, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about these bears and their lives. And we are still talking about how skillfully Markus piloted the tundra buggy to maximize our wildlife sightings! We also loved meeting and learning from the good people at Polar Bears International who are so committed to protecting these creatures. Though we explored staying in the Tundra Buggy Lodge, we ultimately opted to stay in Churchill, and we're glad we did. We did not feel we missed out on any polar bear sightings this way. Rather, we loved experiencing a bit of life in this special place (be sure to check out the Northern Store), and our accommodation (the Aurora Inn) was clean, warm, and comfortable. I would also note that we took advantage of Frontiers North's gear rental program. Though somewhat pricey, renting a parka, snow pants, and snow boots was still a better deal for us (Californians) than buying new gear we were unlikely to wear again. Gear pickup and dropoff in Winnipeg could not have been easier.

Summary: Wow! Trip of a lifetime from start to finish! We stayed 3 nights on the tundra lodge. The accommodations, food, tundra buggy, lounge, diner, cultural presentations were all beyond our expectations. Mark, our driver, and Jason, our guide, were outstanding, knowledgeable, passionate and great story tellers with a witty sense of humor. We saw polar bears, red fox, arctic hare and amazing scenery and even the Northern Lights!! We are currently in our post-trip mode of feeling great sadness to leave but true gratefulness to have had this very special experience. We hope to return one day - this time for belugas!

Summary: Life got in the way of me writing this review sooner, but the delay should not detract from the awesome experience we had with Frontier North. We could not have asked for a better experience. Everything went like clockwork. We were busy from the moment we touched down in Churchill to when we returned to Winnipeg. We saw SO many bears. I had hoped to see one, and we saw more than a dozen. We also learned so much about the indigenous people and local history. Accommodations were basic, but comfortable and clean. I believe Frontier North actually built, or bought, the hotel where we stayed, and two of our restaurants were directly across the street from the hotel, so super convenient. Food was good. Our tour guide, Ward, also arranged for us to take a helicopter tour. The Polar Bear International researcher who accompanied us on the Tundra Buggy educated us so much about the interdependency of the plants and animals in the ecosystem. Our Tundra Buggy driver, Jim, was the very best!

Summary: We went with FN on tour to see the polar bear migration - a first class operation ! Very very professional - our guides JP and Duane were very informative and a ton of fun Great chance to experience Churchilll and the bears ! Can't recommend them enough - flawless trip !

Summary: We took the train from Winnipeg to Churchill to rendezvous with Frontiers North for their Polar Bear Adventure. Upon arrival at 9 AM we had a bus tour of some of the sites of Churchill including the Polar Bear Jail. That is where troublesome bears are housed until the bay ice freezes and they can be released out onto the ice to hunt. We also visited the Insanitaq museum which shows Churchill's history and indigenous people's stories and artifacts. We collected a few more visitors at the airport and went to lunch at the Seaport Restaurant. After lunch we experienced Polar Bears International's exhibit and were given a talk about the bears unique migration and biology as related to Churchill and the ecology of the sea ice. We experienced the coldest part of the tour when we went out to Cape Merry and stopped at the Battery. We had no opportunity to change into warmer clothes yet and we couldn't manage to stay out in the cold for very long. We stopped for some shopping and then proceeded to our hotel, the Aurora Inn. Diner was at the Tundra Inn Pub & Grill. The next morning started early with breakfast at 7 AM at the Tundra Pub. At 8 AM we boarded to minibus to get out to the Tundra Buggy Dock to board our ride out to see the bears. We spent the day in our spacious heated vehicle complete with lavatory and picnic lunch onboard. While the vehicle is in motion, you can get bumped around a bit depending on the terrain. The windows drop down from the top so you can use your camera directly out the window. The driver will stop and turn off the engine at which time you are allowed out onto the back viewing deck. You also cannot use the restroom while the vehicle is moving. It is important to not dangle anything out the window or over the side of the viewing deck. No use of selfie sticks! We saw more than a dozen bears including a mom with triplets. We also saw arctic fox and ptarmigan. We returned for dinner at the Ptarmigan Restaurant at 5 PM and then went to a presentation by a local indigenous trapper who explained his life and upbringing as well as his current family business. A little later start at 8 AM for Tundra Pub breakfast followed by a 10 AM presentation at the Parks Canada Visitor Center located in the train station. Discussion of the history of the region from the indigenous people to the Hudson Bay Company and it was fascinating. Skulls of a Black Bear, a Grizzly and a Polar Bear were used to show the differences in diet and needed strength of bite. Both the Black Bear and the Grizzly being omnivores have teeth designs for chewing, whereas the Polar Bear has even molars designed for slicing and shredding their nearly strict carnivore diet. The Polar Bear skull also has more space for the chewing muscles that provide the amazingly strong bite they use on their prey. There was even a beaver felt hat to show what almost led to their extinction just for European fashion style. We followed this with lunch at the Ptarmigan Restaurant. After lunch we had a short break at the hotel before loading up again for the Wapusk dog yard where we experienced sledding actually on snow. In Alaska we had done dog team but in May/June they were using wheeled vehicles with at least 6 guests and much larger teams of dogs. On this day they had just changed over to the actual sleds on snow with teams of 6 dogs. They have a specially designed sled where the first guest sits in front, the second guest can stand on the runners or sit if they prefer, and the actual musher is behind them. They call the experience the Ididamile. The owner also gave us a talk on the current state of affairs with dog racing which unfortunately doesn't seem very positive. We had a great time and returned for dinner at the Tundra Pub. Our last day started early again with 7 AM breakfast at the Tundra Pub and 8 AM transfer to the Tundra Buggy Dock. We had another full day on the tundra bringing our bear total to over 30. We saw more arctic fox and were treated to a sandwich lunch with soup. After departing the Tundra Buggy, we were taken directly to the airport for a charter flight back to Winnipeg. The Calm Air flight was smooth and quick with a charcuterie board snack on the way. The charter arrival was very easy, and we were soon on our way to the Lakeview Signature by Windham Hotel right at the airport. We got situated and then wandered down to the Sports Bar where we met our tour manager and many other guests for a farewell drink. This is not an inexpensive tour, but again, there is nowhere else in the world where you can be virtually guaranteed to safely get up close to this amazing apex predator. I forgot to mention that on our second night on the train we were able to see the best aurora we have ever experienced right through the train windows. This has to be a bucket list tour if wildlife is your thing.

Summary: This was definitely one of the best trips of our lives. So many polar bears! The itinerary was well planned and communicated. The staff worked hard to ensure they knew when we were coming and when we were leaving Winnipeg, our starting point. They communicated the itinerary in a number of ways. They worked hard to make sure we were sufficiently dressed for this very cold trip. We met with fellow tourists in our group the night before heading to Churchill and the morning of, which gave us a chance to meet a few people who we would be spending the next several days with. The charter flight to Churchill was flawless. Our hotel in Churchill was not fancy, but it was very clean, very comfortable and very quiet. Every single meal we had in Churchill (and Winnipeg) was perfect. Really. Breakfast buffets, hearty salads and soups, great sandwiches and entrees. Our tour guide Ian was fantastic. Very experienced, friendly, helpful and very protective of us in polar bear areas. The Tundra buggy is amazing and we saw dozens of polar bear, we also saw red foxes, arctic foxes and ptarmigan. We went dog sledding, listened to speakers about polar bears, trapping and dog sledding. Went to a beautiful museum in Churchill. And we enjoyed our fellow travelers so much. I feel like we have 2 dozen new friends. This is a trip of a lifetime.

Summary: We have recently returned from this trip which was everything we had hoped it would be. The accommodation both in Winnipeg and Churchill was good with the Tundra Inn being much more comfortable than we had thought. We could not have had a better guide with Bryan who was very knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating. Tundra Buggy driver, Jim, was also fabulous; knowledgeable, funny and brilliant at navigating the rough roads.   We saw several polar bears plus arctic and cross foxes and a muskrat but the highlight for me was the close encounter with three wolves. Absolutely amazing. We enjoyed learning about life in Churchill and the tracking and scientific work being done to ensure the survival of all these threatened species. We highly recommend this trip.