I thought I’d share an update about the proposed trip we’re running to Churchill, Manitoba, in October 2027 to see (we hope!) a truck-load of polar bears and some of the tundra’s other notable wildlife…and the fact we’ve made some extra space available.

This is a trip that involves being able to take six of you in a van, along with me and a guide of course, around the back-country surrounding the town of Churchill in search of polar bears. These are not tundra buggies (where you can have up to 40 vehicles all lined up looking at one bear with 25 people on each…sometimes more), but essentially a minivan that enables us to search a wide area. Once we’ve located our target, we will stay as long as we like – or until your memory cards are full. I’ve timed the trip to coincide with a change in season, so at the start we can expect autumnal conditions, moving – we hope – towards a more wintry scene at the end of the trip. There’s no perfect time to be there, but we’ve optimised as best as possible with the aim of capturing polar bears going about their daily business.

Of course, as I’d pointed out in the itinerary, sometimes sightings can have other vans in the location too – just as you would experience on an African safari – but in terms of “bang for buck”, this is increasingly the best way to do your polar bear searching without breaking the bank. You get way more time on the ground than anywhere else, and at the same time are not subjected to potentially trip-limiting weather issues by having to take charter flights. You get to Churchill, and we start straightaway.

Anyway, the accommodation we had chosen and the guide team I am working with, normally runs two vans at the same time – allowing 12 people out in the field under their expert guidance – and we had opted to commandeer one of those. However, such has been the demand for this trip, that I’ve persuaded the team to let me have the other van too. This makes no difference to the original trip, as we would have had two vans “on location” anyway, except that now everyone will be part of our group and sharing it together, rather than being “us” and a disparate second van 🙂 I’ve also taken the decision to put another photographer into the second van so that each has an “expert” with them. Obviously I will be there for everyone as and when needed, but when driving around, we will still be able to have one photographer per van to keep you amused (well…a bit anyway!).

The full itinerary is available here

THERE ARE ONLY TWO SLOTS LEFT

The trip is really geared for those wanting to “double-up” and do both weeks, as that gives you lots more time in the field. It might be enough to satisfy your polar urge forever, or perhaps just get you started on what (I can assure you from personal experience!) is a long, at-times arduous, but ultimately enormously fulfilling journey.

If you would like to take up one of these 2 emaining double-slots, or perhaps just a single week, then drop me a line as soon as possible. Although it’s not until October ’27, it will be here in no-time.