Polar Bear Tours to Churchill, MB, Oct.-Nov. 2022.
This fall I am extending an invitation to all of you to come and explore the Polar Bear Capital of the World with me and my partner Zac on one of four 6 day / 5 night eye level polar bear photography tours.
Tour Dates:
Oct 23-28, 2022
Oct 28- Nov 2, 2022
Nov 2-7, 2022
Nov 7-12, 2022
The tour departs from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Guests can travel by air from Winnipeg on Calm Air (which can be booked by aeroplan points if you book early enough) or take the train from Thompson, Mb. to Churchill which is a cool experience. We can help you to make the travel arrangement of your choice!
Tour Leader: Johnny Hayward
Group Size: 3 travelling in a full size crew cab pickup truck
Price: $5,895 + 5% tax per person (Canadian dollars)
Price includes: Guiding, accommodation, most meals
Accommodation: Single
Location: Churchill, Manitoba
Fitness Level: Easy
Nanuk:
This tour is all about polar bears. You’ll view and photograph polar bears walking along the shoreline, testing the sea ice, cubs playing with one another, and if we are lucky adults wrestling and sparring with another. There are endless photography possibilities, including every pose and portrait you can imagine.
Seeing polar bears in the wild is special. But photographing wild polar bears on foot is an experience unlike any other.
From mid-October to mid-November, polar bears congregate near Churchill to test the newly formed sea ice. It’s been months since they’ve consumed a seal, their primary source of food, and they are eager for to disperse out onto the sea ice as it’s solid. Unlike most other popular bear populations, these bears are tolerant of human activity, which allows for close encounters and amazing photographic opportunities.
Nanuk:
This tour is all about polar bears. You’ll view and photograph polar bears walking along the shoreline, testing the sea ice, cubs playing with one another, and if we are lucky adults wrestling and sparring with another. There are endless photography possibilities, including every pose and portrait you can imagine.
Seeing polar bears in the wild is special. But photographing wild polar bears on foot is an experience unlike any other.
From mid-October to mid-November, polar bears congregate near Churchill to test the newly formed sea ice. It’s been months since they’ve consumed a seal, their primary source of food, and they are eager for to disperse out onto the sea ice as it’s solid. Unlike most other popular bear populations, these bears are tolerant of human activity, which allows for close encounters and amazing photographic opportunities.
Itinerary:
Day 1
Arrive in Churchill
Our tour starts midday when the Calm Air flight from Winnipeg arrives. For the guests arriving by plane, you will be picked up at the airport and transferred to your room at the Bluesky Bed & Sled. After a quick check in, we will head out in the afternoon to search for polar bears until sunset.
Day 2-5
Churchill
For each of the next four days, we will have an early breakfast and then we will search for polar bears all day until sunset. When it is safe to do so, we will be able to get out of our vehicle to photograph polar bears. At night, we will be monitoring the aurora and if conditions present themselves we will go out to photograph the incredible Northern Lights.
Day 6
Tour Ends
We will have one last morning to search for polar bears. Your tour will end around midday to coincide with the return flight to Winnipeg.
Your Guides:
Johnny Hayward
Johnny is a wildlife photographer and a Canadian national photojournalist with more than 28 years of experience. As a photographer and a certified guide his approach to wildlife photography is similar to how he covers major news or sporting events—waiting and watching for the subtle moments that tell the story behind the story. Johnny has travelled to the farthest reaches of North America to reveal the humanity in nature, and the nature of our humanity. His aim is simply to bear witness and bring you nature’s most captivating stories as they unfold. Johnny has become familiar with the polar bears of Churchill having had his first trip in 1999 with several visits through the years logging a lot of travel time in the polar bear capital of the world.
