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Churchill travel information: Everything you need to know to plan your trip to Churchill, Canada!
Currently, the only way to get to get to Churchill is to fly, as the railway is closed as a result of storms last year. Calm Air operate flights to Churchill from Winnipeg and Thompson.
Murals around the town, like this one on ‘Miss. Piggy’, tell the story of climate change and its impact on both humans and wildlife.
Lazy Bear Lodge is popular and it’s easy to see why.
Staffed by seasonal workers, they were all professional, knowledgeable and hardworking, but, more importantly, they exuded passion and a love for what they were doing, particularly the excursion guides.
The lodge is cosy, warm and comfortable, with a nice dining area.
The only thing I hated was the use of dead animals as decor; I want to see polar bears and grizzlies out in the wild, not with their skins pinned across the walls. I hate to think that I was inadvertently supporting trophy hunting.
There aren’t many options for dining in the town but we found it to be plenty for the length of our stay.
We enjoyed the food served at Lazy Bear Lodge. They have an extensive menu with plenty of veggie options, and dinner specials, which change every evening, included Canadian elk, buffalo and Arctic char. Service will of course vary as most staff are seasonal, but those who were there during our stay were friendly, polite and a great help in entertaining Theo while we finished our food!
Gypsies is a great place to pick up a picnic lunch or a no-frills meal, and is famous for their donuts. Managed by the charismatic Fred, highflying corporate Montrealian turned small town friend to everyone, his sense of humour and generosity make every visit here memorable. He rented us his beaten up, barely-working pickup to get out of town in search of polar bears. We found bears, but had to ditch the ride; sorry, Fred! Read the story here.
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A vehicle isn’t essential here, but I recommend having one, at least for part of your trip (or make friends with someone who does!).
We went off by ourselves in search of bears twice and I’m so pleased we did! We didn’t disturb them at all because we weren’t in a huge tundra buggy, there was no fighting for the best view with dozens of other tourists, and we were able to take our time and observe these magnificent creatures just doing their thing on our watch rather than having to stick to a schedule.
If you’re lucky to have the right conditions to witness the spectacular Aurora Borealis, you’re going to want to get off the main strip in town. We hitched a ride with some new friends to the beach, away from the light of the town, and my goodness it was worth it!
The best time to travel will really depend on what you want to see and do during your visit. October is prime polar bear season because they travel through Churchill on their way back out onto the ice. During the Summer months, Belugas come into the shallow waters to breed. It is possible (but by no means guaranteed) to see bears, belugas and the Aurora Borealis in one trip; this is why we travelled in August.
All excursions can be booked through an operator (I recommend Lazy Bear Expeditions). This includes cultural tours of the town and Cape Merry, guided tours to the Prince of Wales Fort, dog sledding, wildlife watching (polar bears, elk, arctic foxes, arctic hares, sea birds, seals and more), beluga whale watching from a zodiac, kayaking with belugas and snorkeling with belugas.
Please note all excursions are season and weather dependent.
Lazy Bear Lodge also operates an Aurora alert system, allowing guests to opt in to receive a call to their room if the Aurora is visible overnight.
Really good tips! Seeing polar bears in the wild is definitely on my bucket list. I look forward to getting to Churchill some day. It’s nice to know you didn’t do a tour and found bears on your own. That’ll help make the trip much cheaper.
Hi Riley,
I’m glad you found the post helpful and informative. Yes, Churchill is definitely bucket list-worthy! I’m certain lots of people have really wonderful experiences on the tundra buggy tours, but personally we prefer the quiet, non-crowded option of doing it ourselves (having received information from knowledgable locals about how best to protect wildlife and where to find them without causing them any disturbance). It also seems like the more environmentally friendly option to me (though i don’t have stats to back up that hunch) – the buggies are huge, diesel powered, noisy and undoubtedly damage the tundra if they’re going off road. And like you say, cheaper too!
Joss,
Great and informative post! I’m from the US and I have never heard of Churchill before- so very fun to learn about this new place.
Bears, Belugas and Borrealis seems like a perfect combination to me! Looks like you were perfectly able to capitalize on all three.
I really like the all inclusive structure of your post- how it is set up to include language, currency, where to stay, what to eat, etc. It is a great comprehensive guide to all the need to know facts of this new place.
Keep up the great work.
<33 The Turquoise Traveler
Hi Chelsea,
Thanks so much for your feedback; I’m pleased you found it to be informative and that you’ve been able to learn about somewhere new. I’ll be rolling out a whole series of these ‘travel information’ posts, which I hope, when read alongside posts of other styles and formats, will provide a detailed picture of any given location and the experiences that can be had there.
Best wishes,
Joss