Notes From The North: A Week In Churchill With Polar Bears
- Rahul Rao
- Aug 25
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 26
Back from the Canadian Tundra, I want to share highlights from an epic trip with my dad, sisters, niece, and nephews. It did not disappoint.
Churchill, Manitoba is the gateway to the Arctic at the mouth of the Churchill River as it flows into Hudson Bay, where the boreal forest of spruces and tamaracks gives way to the treeless tundra further north.
Day 1 – Smoke & Smells at The Forks
Our group arrived in Winnipeg to wildfire smoke and the pungent scent of algae blooms drifting off the river. We checked into our hotel at The Forks, a historic meeting point dating back 6000 years and now a lively hub of markets and public space where the Assiniboine and Red Rivers meet. Setting the tone for our ursine adventure, we discovered that Winnie-the-Pooh himself traces back to a local legend: Winnipeg the bear.
Day 2 – Churchill Bound
A quick flight dropped us into Churchill, a tiny town on the western Hudson Bay known as the Polar Bear Capital of the World. We checked into the rustic Lazy Bear Lodge, adorned with log beams, fireplaces, and taxidermied polar and grizzly bears looming overhead. For our first jaunt, we set out on a tour around town.
Before we hit the tundra, a few local tales that stood out:
Cape Merry Battery: An 18th-century Hudson’s Bay Company fort on the south side of the river, facing the larger Fort Prince of Wales.
Hudson Bay was named for explorer Henry Hudson, who sailed here in 1610 before being cast adrift in a mutiny and never seen again.
Churchill was named after John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, governor of the HBC and ancestor of Winston. It served as a key northern outpost in the fur trade, linking Hudson Bay to markets across Europe and beyond.
Our first taste of Churchill’s polar bear safety protocols came with our guide carrying a shotgun, just in case.
The beach, marked with “bear warning” signs, had a beached boat outfitted with stairs to the roof as a safe haven (polar bears aren’t much for climbing stairs).
Miss Piggy, a crashed cargo plane perched on the tundra, named for the time it transported pigs.
The story of the grain terminal closing, which cost over 100 jobs in this town of fewer than 1,000 year-round residents. A result of trains service to Churchill being halted. The locals are subject to the whims of the politics down in Winnipeg.
The Dancing Bear (sadly, not the nightclub I imagined, just a café).
Local lore: Brian Ladoon of Eskimo dog fame and his infamous “stoner masons,” high schoolers paid in weed for construction help.
The Polar Bear Jail, where “problem bears” are held before relocation. Originally they were fed, until the following year when a dozen showed up uninvited for free meals. Polar bears, they’re just like us!
That night, the staff woke us for a show-stopping aurora. Greens, purples, and shooting stars lit the sky.
Day 3 – Belugas & Bear Science
We set out on a dinghy into the Churchill River and Hudson Bay, surrounded by belugas drawn to Amara’s singing. The sun was shining and the water calm, making the moment even more magical. Watching them surface with their perpetual smiles was my dad’s dream come true. He has always been enchanted by these whales.
Later at Polar Bears International, we learned that sea ice-free days have jumped from 105 to 130 over the past 30 years. Polar bears rely on ringed seals hunted from the ice. In summer and fall, when the ice is gone, they lounge and conserve energy. On land they scavenge, fish, and forage either out of necessity or boredom, but their bodies require fat. In fact, they often only eat seal blubber, leaving the rest for wolves, foxes, and scavengers.
Reproduction for polar bears features an adaptation known as delayed implantation, where a fertilized egg only implants if the mother has enough fat to sustain a pregnancy. With less hunting time, pregnancies fail. Fewer cubs and a population at risk. A sobering reminder of nature's fragility.
Day 4 – Hudson Bay Coastal Tour
We took a boat ride out and spotted our first bear! A long white neck with a curious head poking out. It didn’t seem like he was in the mood to give us any movement, so we headed further up the bay.
The choppy ride left us queasy, as we headed towards Fireweed Island. Polar bear expert Dennis Compayre (Kingdom of the Polar Bears), Nat Geo photographer Martin Gregus Jr. (@mywildlive) and a few other brave souls hopped off our boat into a smaller one in the middle of the bay to spend five days capturing bears against the striking pink fireweed blooms.
On the way back, we were graced by a big male at Eskimo Point, strutting across the rocks. We spent an hour with him relishing the moment and doing our best to capture the moment, in spite of the bouncy bay. There are no guarantees in the wild, so we felt extremely lucky to be offered such a sighting.
Day 5 – Birds & Rockets
A cold drizzle met us at Fort Prince of Wales, where a Parks Canada ranger (we dubbed him the ‘Future Mayor of Churchill’ for his ability to share his hometown history with a unique mix of grim detail wrapped in optimism) explained how Europeans, Cree, Dene, and Inuit once set aside their differences to endure the brutal conditions and the constant threat of bears for survival. To prove some things haven’t changed, I earned a strong rebuke for wandering just 10 yards from the group. This was prime bear country, so moving solo was not an option.
We skipped kayaking and asked our guide for more bears! The closest option was a bird-watching tour. An elderly Australian couple joined us, as they were true birders. The wife’s cry of “Oh my god, it’s a LOOOON!” is now a family catchphrase. Their delight at Canadian geese gave way to our own thrill of spotting a bald eagle perched presidentially atop a tamarack.
No bears, but we ended with a covert tour of the Churchill Rocket Research Range, a Canadian-US Cold War outpost used for aurora research. Walking through dark buildings with NASA-stamped crates and a shotgun-carrying guide felt like a Scooby Doo episode.
Day 6 – Tundra Magic with Polar Bears!
By this point, we were more than satisfied. But the tundra buggy gave us the grand finale.
The first hour was slow until we spotted a bear lounging on the rocks near the bay, and another half-hidden closer to the water. Then, further inland, a mom and cub chose shelter from the wind behind a rock.
Then it happened: the two adolescent siblings by the water rose and began to play, rolling and trotting. One wandered right up to the buggy, making direct eye contact with many of us. My nephew Shaan was no more than four feet from the big guy, as he got up on his hind legs, ten feet tall, face to face. Time stood still as we pinched ourselves, admiring his size and curious nature.
Eventually, the siblings wandered inland, and the mother, sensing danger, spirited her cub away. A perfect encapsulation of life in Churchill. You must stay vigilant.
Our hearts full, we flew back to Winnipeg, explored Assiniboine Park (Canada’s “Central Park”), and capped the night with a cutthroat Phase 10 game, much to nephew Thalin’s delight.
Day 7 – Homeward Bound
Thunderstorms and an Air Canada strike didn’t stop us from getting home safe. I was excited to return to Aydah and share everything with Khalin.
Reflecting on Churchill, a place where being unfrozen for more than a third of the year is a bad thing, it struck me that winter here must feel like life on the Wall in Game of Thrones. Forts on the bay, snow and sea ice closing in, roving polar bears much akin to White Walkers, and cultures converging to endure it all.
We created KHALiN to celebrate the qualities in animals we aspire to ourselves. In Churchill, resilience is everything. Meals aren’t guaranteed, conditions are unforgiving, yet animals and people endure. There is honor in that.
Final Note
For the many who were curious, we used Lazy Bear Expeditions. Churchill isn’t a place you just show up. They offered us amazing guides, delicious food, and a charming lodge. This isn’t a paid endorsement, though we wouldn’t be opposed.
Follow along on IG (@khalinbrand) for more from this trip. KHALiN's first drop is now shipping, with 5% of proceeds supporting wildlife conservation.
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