Photo by Deborah Stone
Polar bear cubs play near the Arctic Ocean.

Visiting polar bears at the edge of the Arctic Ocean

For some people, the ideal vacation is a beach on a tropical island or a cruise down the Mediterranean. For others it’s the bright lights of Broadway or the glitz of Vegas.

But then there are those who seek a special type of adventure like getting an opportunity to see polar bears in their natural habitat.

Each autumn, about 7,500 hearty souls converge on Churchill, Manitoba to witness the annual migration of these magnificent behemoths. They come to this chilly Arctic outpost, unofficially known as “The Polar Bear Capital of the World,” to see the largest concentration of these massive creatures on the globe.

From October through mid November, over a thousand bears gather along the coast of Hudson Bay, creating one of the greatest wildlife viewing spectacles on earth. They are waiting for freeze-up so they can move out onto the ice and hunt for ringed seals, their major source of sustenance.

Photo by Deborah Stone
A polar bear poses for the cameras

It has been months since the bears have eaten and they have been existing in a state of “walking” hibernation, but now, with temperatures dropping, the time has come for them to congregate near the water. And when this happens, folks flock to Churchill, the only human settlement in the world where you can get an up-close and personal view of these stunningly beautiful animals in the wild.

Normally, about 1,100 people make their home in this small, isolated town on the edge of the western rim of the Hudson Bay, but for about five weeks, the population skyrockets with scads of enthusiastic visitors. Some come seeking a spiritual connection with the bears and others come because they have always had a “thing” for polar bears.

Then there are those, like myself, who relish experiences in remote places and who jump at the chance to see and do something unique and different. The most popular way to encounter the bears is through a packaged tour. I chose to go with Frontier North Adventures, a local company with a long-standing, well-known reputation, offering a number of different tour options.