Judy

Has anyone went on the train out of Winnipeg to Churchill, Manitoba for polar bear sightings? We want to do this and would like suggestions on where to stay in Churchill (a town of 1100). Also, any other info would be appreciated, since we know of NO one who has ever done this. Also, when is the best time of year to do this trip. Please help.

Emil

I was thinking about taking the same trip myself.

A web site you'll want to look at if you've not found it is www.viarail.ca. This will give you the timetables and some tips on things to see.

Hopefully someone will be able to add some first hand experiences to this thread. I've only got a week of vacation left so I'm putting this trip off for this year. Let me know how it is if you go.

-Emil

Susan

Churchill has a web site: http://www.personal.anderson.ucla.ed..._churchill_gir and http://www.mbnet.mb.ca
Good luck. Polar bear season starts next week.

Lorna Konopka

My husband and I spent 4 days in Churchill two years ago, the beginning of October. We saw several polar bears on our tundra buggy trip,which was expensive and lunch was disappointing, but the whole experience was fantastic.We flew in,and experienced a landing in between,where the plane was refuelled from a tank on the back of a ute - I think you call them Pick-ups. Churchill itself could be called a dump,it is ugly and yet strangely beautiful.Lots of cold walks, with signs saying dont,because of the dangers of polar bears - we saw an arctic fox. If you go in the summer,you can see beluga whales, and cross to the old Hudson Bay co.fort. I loved it,but if I went again, it would be worth the extra money to stay on a tundra buggy overnight. There are lots of motels, a couple of shops and restaurants, an excellent free museaum and info.centre. The train from Winipeg takes two days and one night.
The polar bears begin to gather in October,peak end, and wait for the sea to freeze over. It is really exciting to see them,even though the buggy tours are overpriced and off-hand. If you are young and adventurous, you can rent a truck and drive yourself, but peak times,you may find it hard.

Good luck and have a great holiday!

Penny

We returned yesterday from 3 days in Churchill. I agree with the previous msg-Churchill isn't much of a "town", but is so remote that it still holds an attraction. We found the motel (Tundra Inn) better than we expected in terms of comfort, and not overpriced. Resturants were the same..there are several. One that we really enjoyed is called Gypsy's Bakery. It is run by a European couple who makes fresh bakery items daily and has other meals available as well. It was very clean and prices were good. As for the bear tours, we thought they were overpriced, too. The food was skimpy in both quality and quantity,and the "guides" are little more than bus (or buggy) drivers who may or may not know much about the bears and/or the area. They were always friendly, however, and competant at their driving.
Because it is so warm there is no snow as yet,so the bears were scarce.We only saw 5 or 6.Yet it was exciting to see them up close, no matter how few there were. Be advised that there is never a guarantee you will see bears, in spite of the exhorbitant tour prices. Several groups who went up earlier this month did not see ANY bears!!!I would recommend the stay overnite on the tundra buggy as well, although be ready to pay big $$ for the priviledge. Hope this helps you...