Churchill Polar Bear Safari

Yes. You will be served hot breakfast during the flight to Churchill, lunch will be served on the Tundra Buggy® and a buffet-style banquet dinner will be served in Churchill, at a private venue. We recommend packing snacks.

If you have any food allergies and/or special dietary meal requirements, please be sure to update your passenger information and we will pass your requirements along to our catering team. To update this information, head to your booking confirmation email and click ‘Manage my Booking.’

For breakfast and lunch, passengers with special dietary meal requirements will be served individually packed meals. The buffet dinner will include options to meet your dietary needs, or in certain circumstances, you may be served a special meal.

We charter a private jet for the flights to and from Churchill so you will check-in upon arrival at the airport.

Your Polar Bear Safari will depart from a private terminal. If you are booked on the tour, you will receive an Expedition Package 30 days prior to departure which will share directions to the terminal and a map for free parking. If you do not receive the Expedition Package, please reach out to us at info@classiccanadiantours.com.

To help ensure a more memorable journey, here are some suggested items to bring:

• Camera

• Sunglasses

• Binoculars

• Jacket, gloves, scarf, toque

• Walking shoes, winter boots or hiking boots with good traction

• Comfortable clothing for exploring and in-flight travel

• Backpack or light weight carry-on-bag with shoulder strap

The non-stop jet flight allows for a seamless travel experience without circuitous routings or connections.

Each passenger is allowed to bring up to one (1) piece of carry-on baggage on board

• The maximum dimensions must not exceed 23 cm x 41 cm x 57 cm (9" x 16" x 22.5"),

• The maximum weight must not exceed 10 kg (22lbs)

One (1) of the following small personal items will be accepted in addition to the above carry-on baggage allowance, provided the depth does not exceed 12 cm/5 in:

• One briefcase

• One laptop type computer

• One purse

For more details, please visit: https://www.canadiannorth.com/info/carry-on-luggage

Temperature in Degrees Celsius:

• October: 0

• November: -9

Weather conditions at this time of year can vary significantly. Freeze-up has not yet occurred, and with the maritime influence of Hudson Bay, days are often overcast with a possibility of precipitation. It's best to be prepared for anything. Checking the weather forecast the day before traveling to Churchill is highly recommended. There’s little concern about extreme temperature differences between the inside and outside of the vehicle affecting your camera equipment.

Churchill is in the Central Standard Time Zone (CST). When times are referenced in any collateral it is referring to the local time of that particular destination.

The in-flight crew will be a highly experienced team consisting of two pilots and three flight attendants. In addition, there will be one Classic Canadian Tours representative and a naturalist aboard the flight.

At check-in and boarding you will be greeted by Canadian North staff and your Classic Canadian Tours representative.

The exclusive Boeing 737 jets chartered by Classic Canadian Tours for the Polar Bear Tundra Tour from Alberta are owned and operated by Canadian North with a passenger capacity starting at 136. In 2024 from Saskatoon we will be chartering North Cariboo Air, which will be operating its 100 passenger capacity Avro RJ100 jet.

For photographing wildlife, a longer lens with more powerful magnification is always beneficial. I’ve had great success with a 100-400mm lens, but like many photography enthusiasts, I always wish for more lens power while balancing cost and weight. Recently, I’ve also had excellent results with a bridge camera featuring a built-in 28-600mm zoom lens. The sharpness of the images was surprising. We don’t allow tripods on board due to space constraints, and monopods are generally unnecessary unless you have a particularly heavy lens. There is ample space for photography, as all windows along the length of the vehicle can be lowered, and there is also a viewing platform at the back. Lenses can be handheld or rested on your forearm when shooting out the windows.

In Churchill, Manitoba, we use a wheeled tundra buggy to view polar bears and other native wildlife. The buggy travels along old gravel roads, built by the military in the 1960s-1970s, which can be quite rocky. Our ground operator is restricted to staying on these existing roads.

At this time of year, polar bears congregate along the Hudson Bay coastline, waiting for the sea ice to form. The distance at which you can see bears ranges from several kilometers away to just a few meters. Polar bears often approach the tundra buggies out of curiosity. While close encounters are possible, they are not guaranteed, as the bears are in their natural environment. On average, sightings are at a distance of 100-200 meters.

Seating on the aircraft is assigned at check-in. For the tundra buggies, there is no assignment—guests select which buggy they'd like to board when they arrive at the tundra buggy rendezvous point from the airport via school buses. Guests travelling with others stay together and board whichever buggy they wish. There is no assigned seating for the banquet - guests select their seats on arrival to the community hall.

For guests traveling on CCT's one-day Polar Bear Safari, camera lens fogging typically won’t be a problem for several reasons. First, temperatures in October and November are usually moderate, around the freezing point. During this time, Hudson Bay has yet to freeze, though it may freeze within a week or two, depending on a sudden temperature drop.

Second, the Tundra Buggy we use has a heated interior. When we stop to view polar bears, guests can either use the open-air platform at the back of the buggy or the interior windows, which can be raised or lowered. In either case, camera and lens equipment are not usually exposed to cold temperatures long enough for fogging to occur. If moisture does build up on the lens, a quick wipe with a camera cloth should solve the issue.

Classic Canadian Tours does not provide travel insurance. If you would like to purchase travel insurance we suggest that you first check with your credit card company, as it may be offered on purchases made with your credit card. Travel insurance may also be purchased through your car or home insurance provider or through a travel insurance company, such as Travel Guard. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance will ensure that you are covered in the event that you are not able to make the trip for a personal reason, such as illness or if your trip is interrupted for an unforeseen reason, such as weather. Travel medical insurance, will pay the upfront costs not covered by Provincial Healthcare, such as evacuation, if you do not have extended health benefits. Only your insurance provider will be able to let you know your exact coverage.