Four sets of eyes scanned the open tundra for moving yellow balls of fur – Polar bears. The 4×4 was silent until a voice cracked over the handheld walkie-talkie. Wolves.

My guide almost shrieked, a wolf in the tundra of Churchill is a rare sight. And we were off. While we were out searching for the King of the North, these admired creatures stole the spotlight, if only for a few minutes.

There in the distance, too far for my camera, two wolves, one grey and one black, crossed the open tundra and disappeared into the boreal forest.

It’s those experiences, the ones you’re not anticipating that get your blood pumping and heart racing.

This is a post describing my full-day tour with Nanuq Tours, and why they are a great choice for a smaller style, more personalized tour of the Churchill Tundra and Churchill Wildlife Management Area.

 

Exploring the tundra of Churchill with Nanuq Tours

Churchill in Manitoba is the home base of many tours operating through the seemingly empty tundra. The resilient wildlife in this wilderness constantly surprised me.

To experience this open hunting ground of polar bears, you need a great guide who knows the area will – did I mention there are potentially explosives left over from the military days in Churchill?

I took three tours from Churchill to spot polar bears, other wildlife and get some beautiful scenery of the Hudson Bay shoreline and boreal forest on the horizon.

 

Where does Nanuq Tours go?

As with the larger companies, Nanuq Tours visit the Churchill Wildlife Management Area, or CWMA, they just stick to the smaller 4×4 trails.

This is not a tour on one of those tundra rovers. These tours take about 40 people out into “buggy land”, where regular 4×4 vehicles can’t access. Frontiers North’ Tundra Buggy Tour is a great way to experience the “buggy only” sections of the Churchill Wildlife Management Area (CWMA).

Nanuq Tours is a much smaller scale of a tour from Churchill, but that doesn’t mean it is less enjoyable or you don’t see as much. There are some definite positives that come from a smaller tour.

You’re not limited at seeing wildlife, including polar bears, on these smaller tours like Nanuq. Seeing as the vehicles are much smaller, you’re able to cover more ground and get closer to the bears without any disruption to whatever the animal is up to (most likely napping for polar bears).

 

What was my experience with Nanuq Tours

This full-day, small-sized tour from Churchill began just after 8am.

Before we left town, my guide for the day made it clear the three of us (myself, my partner and one other guy) were the ones deciding what we would be doing most of the day.

From exploring Churchill’s historical sites to looking for polar bears – we were able to get a good dose of both – as well as foxes, wolves and a hunt for an elusive wolverine.

My guide pointed out she doesn’t carry a shotgun, a requirement for leaving any vehicle in the wildlife management area of Churchill (polar bears are smart and effective hunters). But multiple other guides carried suitable guns and we were allowed to exit when around those guides.

While polar bears are large, they can be elusive and very difficult to spot. It took around an hour before we spotted our first of the day.

Rolling up on this young adult, he was well aware of our presence. Calmly, he took a couple of sniffs with a raised nose, and took off, ever so slowly into the flat tundra.

A few other bears found their way onto our radar throughout the day, but getting a view as those pair of wolves crossed to the northern ridgeline of the boreal forest was one of those unexpected and unforgettable experiences.

Numerous snow buntings flew through our sight during the day and 5 foxes sniffed the snowy surface in search of a hunt.

Taking a quick lunch and coffee refill break at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, we headed back out for the rest of our day.

The highlight of the day was the final two bears – a sleepy mother and a bored young cub. While mum slept around 100m up the frozen river, this cub flung himself into the snowbank, again and again, dug under the snow with only padded paws sticking up – I guess you need to make your own fun while Hudson Bay takes it time to freeze solid!

As the sun began to set, we decided to see more of Churchill’s notable sights. Miss Piggy and the Ithica Ship Wreck were all in view before heading towards Cape Merry Battery. We weren’t able to get out and explore Cape Merry (a guided tour with a Park Ranger is needed here), it was still a pretty cool view along the flats of Churchill (where the Churchill River recedes in low tide) and the port of Churchill – especially as the sunset with bright orange in the background.

 

So, is a full-day tour with Nanuq Tours worth it?

Definitely. Not only is there a cheaper price tag of $350 CAD ($265 USD) we still saw so much and a lot of information you could only get with almost 1 on 1 access with a guide who knows the area.

You’re not elevated off the tundra floor, you’re at the same height as these giant “Kings of the North”, you get to stare into the pitch-black eyes of these fluffy and cute, yet skillful hunters.

Nanuq Tour explores the tundra around Churchill and allows you to get a much more personal experience from your vehicle window.

 

Video of a Nanuq Day Tour from Churchill, Manitoba

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Thanks for reading!

Happy and safe travels,

Ben – Horizon Unknown