Which polar bear trip is right for you?
Sightings of large carnivores are often top of the safari-goer’s wish list. Planet Earth has no shortage of fearsome predators to choose from, but even if you’re dead set on a particular species, a range of possibilities still exist that allow you alter your safari experience.
Subspecies are not a factor that must be taken into account with the polar bear. The territory of the largest terrestrial carnivore on the planet is not broken up by impassable mountains or oceans, or extreme differences in climate and habitat. Instead, the realm of the polar bear extends through much of the Arctic, with shifting sea ice allowing the bears to roam between Russia, Greenland, Svalbard, Canada and Alaska, with no care given to international borders. This relatively contiguous habitat has ensured the global polar bear population has remained relatively homogenous.
However, this does not mean that every polar bear encounter is the same. In celebration of International Polar Bear Day, we’ve compared three very different trips in the hopes of demystifying the different options available to the safari-goer across the polar bear’s habitat.
It may be useful to think of Svalbard expeditions as the midway point between those offered in Baffin and Churchill, what with the combination of incredible scenery and sheer remoteness with comfortable ship-based accommodation and abundant wildlife. However, while Svalbard does indeed provide a fantastic option for those seeking a little more adventure than Churchill and a little less roughing-it than Baffin, Svalbard expeditions are anything but middle of the road.
Firstly, however you choose to experience Svalbard, there is no escaping the remarkable natural wonders on show, from fjords and glaciers to snow-topped mountains and lush green tundra blooming with Arctic wildflowers (depending on the season). The variety of landscapes here is almost overwhelming, and a photographer’s dream. You may also get the chance to photograph bears hunting for seals on the pack ice – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Svalbard also offers a greater ranger of wildlife than Baffin and Churchill. In addition to polar bears, the Arctic archipelago is home to seals, whales, walrus, Arctic fox, numerous species of seabird (as well as the land-dwelling Svalbard rock ptarmigan) and an endemic subspecies of reindeer, the Svalbard reindeer. While Churchill is not particularly conducive to photography and Baffin presents a test for the skilled photographer, it would be more difficult to return from Svalbard without fantastic pictures of wildlife!
With trips departing from spring through to autumn, Svalbard even offers the greatest variety of possible departure dates when compared to Baffin and Churchill. Exploration is possible as soon as the pack ice thaws enough to permit ship traffic through a good portion of the region’s waterways, with voyages occurring throughout the summer – when the midnight sun never dips below the horizon – until daylight hours begin to drop significantly as September approaches. With so many departure dates available, Svalbard is a good option for those who may not be quite as flexible with when they can head off on holiday.
In addition, the time of year greatly dictates what kind of vistas you’ll witness in Svalbard, with pristine snowfall carpeting the land early in the season and greenery becoming more and more prevalent as the months tick on. Photographers will be able to choose which month suits them best, and by speaking to one of our Destination Specialists, you can time your arrival to coincide with the arrival of newborn wildlife, from polar bear and Arctic fox cubs to reindeer calves and walrus pups.
Comfortable expedition ships provide a brilliant base to explore from. Thanks to hot showers and fantastic food prepared on board, there’s no roughing it here. Sea-based expeditions aren’t for everyone though. While most ships don’t encounter rough seas, staying on a ship for the greater part of a day may not be ideal for those who haven’t found their sea legs. Also, Svalbard trips must perforce be longer than Baffin and Churchill trips due to the sailing required to voyage through the area in search of the bears. As a result, Svalbard is not a good option for those with limited time to spare, nor is it ideal for families – the minimum age on the M/V Kinfish, for example, is 18. (Note that select Churchill trips do allow you to bring your kids.) But for the landlubber willing to step offshore and set sail for new horizons, Svalbard offers so much to discover.
The world’s largest terrestrial carnivore, the “King of the Arctic”, is found in five countries: Russia, Canada, the United States (in the state of Alaska), Norway (in the Svalbard archipelago) and Greenland (which is a constituent country of the kingdom of Denmark). Despite Greenland’s vast size – it is the world’s largest island, at over 830,000 square miles – polar bears are not frequent sights here as they are in other parts of their range.
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It is tricky to say when specifically it is best to see polar bears in Svalbard. Early in the season – during the month of May – conditions can be perfect, as the ice has not yet melted and thus the snowy white backdrops can make for a photographer's dream.
Later in the season however – between June and August – the pack ice begins to melt, meaning you can push further north, cover more ground, and the polar bears are often more concentrated in the remaining icy areas.
A specialist-led safari in the Arctic North taking in the variety of wildlife that inhabits this remote wilderness; from the majestic King of the Arctic - the polar bear - to the unique-looking beluga whale and more.
From 13500 per person
A unique opportunity to photograph the King of the Arctic in its natural habitat with an expert photographic guide on hand.
This Churchill-based photo tour gives you plenty of time in close proximity to the King of the Arctic, coupled with an intensive focus to help you make the most of the opportunity to get some incredible photos. You’ll start in Churchill, where we will head out for three full days on the tundra at the edge of Hudson Bay, where polar bears congregate each autumn waiting for the 'big freeze' and the winter hunting season. Specially-designed tundra buggies take us into the heart of their natural world, with plenty of space for equipment and to spread out to get just the right shots. On-site guidance from our expert photographer guide is complemented by evening lectures on how best to capture the wonder of Arctic wildlife, most notably the famed Churchill polar bears, through the camera’s lens.
A 7-day fly-in safari for polar bear viewing at Dymond Lake Lodge.
From 13000 per person
Experience the best of Eastern Greenland on this adventure-filled expedition aboard the M/S Sea Spirit.
From 10500 per person
Read about Anouska Hamilton's last minute trip to Svalbard.
"I love travelling and had been thinking about seeing the Polar Bears in the Arctic for a while, and made some enquiries thinking I would go next year. I called Natural World Safaris and spoke to the lovely Gemma, who answered all my questions, and I was so excited about the sound of it all, I decided to book my trip to Svalbard the very next day, which meant I had little over a month before I was due to go!"
The self-appointed title of “Polar Bear Capital of the World”, is worn with pride by the residents of Churchill, a town that becomes a polar bear hotspot every winter when Hudson Bay freezes over. With a surface area of some 470,000 square miles and shorelines in no fewer than four Canadian provinces – Nunavut, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec – the frozen Hudson Bay provides a crucial habitat corridor for Canada’s polar bears when temperatures plummet.
As autumn begins to fade, the bears’ migration begins. The animals move towards the shore from further inland, waiting for the Bay to freeze and allow them access to their winter feeding grounds further north, where countless seal breathing holes await. This leads to a large number of bears congregating in the area around Churchill, meaning that – if arriving at the right time of year – a Churchill trip is the closest you’ll get to a guaranteed polar bear sighting.
The ease with which one can hopefully see a polar bear here is mirrored by the relatively painless transport links. There may not be any roads that connect Churchill to other towns and cities in Canada, but it’s no more than a 2-hour flight away from Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba Province. Our shortest Churchill trips are also just 6 days long – great for travellers with limited time.
Churchill also caters to those with limited mobility, as very little walking will be required during your stay. In fact, exploring by foot is actually discouraged, as polar bears are not an uncommon sight even within the town itself; all bear viewing is conducted in specially built tundra buggies. The high concentration of bears in and around Churchill has even given rise to the first ever polar bear “jail”, where troublesome polar bears, at first tranquilised to ensure the safety of the bear and the town’s residents, are held in one of 27 secure cells before being relocated elsewhere.
With little freedom to explore the town or surrounding area outside of organised activities, Churchill does not offer the best experience for those seeking a touch of adventure. The stark expanses of tundra and elevated position of the tundra buggies do not lend themselves particularly well to photography, while the hotel options here in this remote location will not set the world alight. However, if you’re looking for the best possible chance of polar bear encounters without having to travel a great distance or expend a great deal of effort, Churchill is a fantastic option, and what’s more, you may even be able to witness the Northern Lights here – not a bad combo for somewhere below the Arctic Circle.
Across Hudson Bay and around 1,000km from Churchill lies Baffin Island, the fifth-largest island in the world, which sits astride the Arctic Circle at the entrance to the Bay. For centuries, Western explorers attempted to navigate Canada’s ice-choked waters in search of the Northwest Passage, a proposed sea route that would connect Europe with Asia. It wasn’t until a 1903-1906 expedition led by Roald Amundsen, who would also lead the first expedition to reach the South Pole, that the route was successfully navigated. Amundsen’s route took him past the northern coast of Baffin Island, and onwards to Alaska.
Having played such a role in the annals of exploration, it is no surprise that a Baffin Island expedition offers the prospect of far more intrepid exploits than does Churchill. Just 10,000 people live here in an area the size of Spain, and the vast majority of the land is a rugged, mountainous and largely untouched wilderness. This is ideal for the adventurous and those serious about photography, with spectacular scenery and bears perched on icebergs providing truly epic photo opportunities. Bear in mind that as you’ll be tracking the bears on foot, a long lens combined with decent camera equipment that will stand up to the elements is essential. This is not the trip for people wanting to shoot on their iPhone!
Tracking the bears through this hostile habitat, with expert Inuit guides, is about as close to an authentic experience as you can get in the field of polar bear ecotourism. With temperatures rarely rising above -20°C on “warm” days and reaching as low as -40°C in some cases, your physical endurance will be tested; and through all this, you’ll be staying in a tented camp.
A trip like this, one remote in the extreme, will also test you mentally. You’ll have to be willing to forsake most creature comforts, and be content with living for days in the wilderness, hundreds of miles from the nearest hub of civilisation. There will be a lot of waiting around for the bears, there will be few opportunities for other activities, and there will be a lot of silence. Nothing but the sound of your frozen breath, the crunch of the snow under your boots, the wind whipping around the natural granite amphitheatres you pass through, and, in time, the whisper of “bear” from the lips of your guide.
A Baffin Island expedition is not for everyone, but it offers an experience matched by few other places on earth. Additional benefits include the chance of witnessing the Northern Lights, the ability to fly drones for aerial photography/videography (not allowed in most other polar bear areas) and, perhaps most thrilling, a good chance of seeing polar bear mothers with their young cubs, just a few weeks after they emerge from their dens, blinking in the Arctic sunlight.
Of all our polar bear destinations, Greenland offers the slimmest chance of spotting the “King of the Arctic” in the wild. Greenland is the largest island in the world and much of its Arctic shoreline, where polar bears are most likely to be seen, is both uninhabited and virtually impenetrable. Setting sail along the east coast between July and September may yield sightings, and at the very least will immerse you in a simply spellbinding landscape, the sheer scale and diversity of which have to be seen to be believed. On our first trip here in 2018, we saw no fewer than 15 different bears! During the season in Greenland, bears are most often seen on ice or rock, and snowfall is a rarity in the summer. Polar bears are hunted in Greenland but the hunt is strictly controlled by quota systems. Polar bears have formed a crucial part of these peoples’ lives for countless generations, from both a practical and cultural perspectives.
When to go? Polar night engulfs the Arctic at the turn of the year, with the sun remaining below the horizon in Greenland. Of course, a complete lack of daylight does mean that the Northern Lights are fairly common in January, but due to the dearth of other activities available we strongly recommend searching for the auroras at a different time – the autumn is a good alternative. Passengers on expedition ships can hope to see the Northern Lights in August and September, which coincides with the prime bear-viewing season. In September whale-watching is also at its peak, and chances of polar bear sightings are high.
The sparsely populated lands of the Russian High Arctic are among the most remote places on earth where polar bears can be observed. Franz Josef Land and Wrangel Island maintain just a tiny contingent of military and scientific personnel between them, which means your fellow travellers are likely to be the only humans you encounter during your expedition. The summer months of July and August are the best time to visit these destinations, as the melting sea ice will allow passage for expedition ships while colouring the tundra with the hues of Arctic grasses and wildflowers. Note that if you’re looking to view the largest number of bears in one place, Wrangel is for you.
In Russia, you will cover most distances on board your ship, with excursions each day by smaller zodiac boat. Once ashore in these destinations, if the season allows, you can walk and hike across the tundra in search of wildlife. In Franz Josef land you'll journey on an extraordinary expedition far beyond Svalbard, where you can follow in the footsteps of legendary polar explorers. Watch majestic polar bears hunting on the pack ice as you sail the Barents Sea. Wrangle Island is a remote yet starkly beautiful landmass in the Arctic Ocean that is home to one of the highest concentrations of polar bears on the planet. You’ll marvel at the ice bears’ size and numbers, and watch enraptured as they hunt, eat and sleep here in their natural habitat.
