More Summer Adventures in Churchill Before leaving Churchill, we packed in a few more experiences. We spent one morning kayaking with the beluga. After suiting up in farmer-john style wetsuits and life jackets, we boarded two-person kayaks. Tip: paddle backwards for a better view, as the whales seem to follow. The weather was perfect, […]
Heading Out on the Churchill River After a hearty breakfast, we loaded into the van for a short drive to the marina on the Churchill River. The weather was slightly overcast, and I have to admit, I was a little anxious. Would we see bears? And if we did, would they be close enough that […]
How Many Polar Bear are there in Churchill? Churchill is known as the “polar bear capitol of the world.” The Churchill region is home to an estimated 900 to 1,100 polar bears. Regarding the status of the population, the way it was explained to us is that this is considered the number the local […]
In 2025, Norway introduced stricter regulations on viewing polar bears in Svalbard, aimed at protecting the animals from unnecessary disturbance. The new rules require visitors to stay at least 500 meters away from polar bears between March 1 and June 30, and 300 meters from July 1 to February 28. While I completely support protecting […]
Every ten years, an Australian phenomenon occurs: the Easter holidays line up perfectly with Anzac Day, making it the ultimate opportunity to take a long break without using up a ton of annual leave. Our plan? A 9-day Svalbard photography expedition in search of Arctic wildlife in a country we’d never visited before — Norway. […]
[Update: We returned to Churchill in 2025! Read about Churchill in the summer in our latest post] In November of 2008, we traveled to Churchill, Canada hoping to see polar bears. We traveled with Frontiers North, and spent 5 days at their Tundra Buggy Lodge. Getting to Churchill from Chicago is pretty easy. We […]