Welcome to Polar Bear Alley
Walk with the polar bears of Churchill
Eye-level, ground-based photo tours on the coast of Hudson Bay – the Polar Bear Capital of the World. Small groups, expert trackers and the bears on their own terms.
- years walking with polar bears
- 25+
- guest-to-guide ratio
- 3:1
- guests max per group
- 9
- bears a day in peak season
- 25
Polar bears of Churchill
Churchill is the place to be. End of story.
Polar Bear Alley's first wildlife tour trade show was back in 2006… and people responded with confusion and shock to a ‘walk with polar bears’ brochure. Why would anyone want to do that? Isn't that dangerous?! Luckily, twenty years later, the world has changed and there are quite a lot of photographers ready to ‘walk’ with these lords of the Arctic.
Churchill is the best place in the world to photograph polar bears at eye level. The variety of bears – from moms and cubs to sparring buddies to roguish juveniles – is unparalleled. The backdrops will amaze you even more than our repertoire of northern humour: high arctic bedrock and rugged tundra, crooked trees and crashed planes, sunrises and sunsets, backlit, sidelit, ultra close-ups and wide landscapes. We even have a polar bear library, if you're lucky enough to catch a bear checking out their favourite book!
Every group is led by experienced guides, each bringing their own tracking and wilderness skills. We operate modified 4×4 vehicles – Ford Broncos or full-size F150 trucks with ample room. Each guest gets their own window for shooting, or we can all be on the ground with the highest guide-to-client ratio (3:1) in the industry. We are confident and comfortable around the bears, and their safety and well-being (and ours) is our number one priority.
Founder and long-time polar bear tracker Kelsey Eliasson works as a scout, searching out the best encounters and keeping the group one step ahead of the game – a unique advantage in the Churchill polar bear tour industry.
Arctic wildlife tours
Choose your season
October – NovemberBear Season
Ground-based tours in peak polar bear season. Close encounters with up to 25 bears a day.from $9,695 CAD
July – AugustSummer Bears & Belugas
Enjoy the relaxed pace of summer (if you ignore the mosquitoes) and get up close with bears returning from the sea ice – plus thousands of beluga whales beside our zodiac.from $8,695 CAD
February – mid MarchNorthern Lights
Churchill is the best place in the world to watch the northern lights. Sign up for our nightly watch list and join an evening trip to witness the skies dance.from $250 CAD
Year-roundDay Tripper
In town for a short time? This day trip combines polar bear viewing and local lore for an edge-of-the-arctic teaser.from $215 CAD
July to November
Tour the polar bear capital of the world
Each year, polar bears return to the coast of Hudson Bay near Churchill, Canada. From July to November they spend much of their time on land, giving visitors a rare opportunity to observe their natural behaviour.
In summer, as the ice breaks up, bears swim ashore and are often seen near fields of blooming purple fireweed – while curious, social belugas swim by the boats. By fall, bears shift their focus to hunting, using the newly forming ice to stalk seals. As winter approaches and ice builds along the coast, polar bears gather in large numbers – the ideal time to witness close interactions between mothers and cubs.
Polar Bear Town
More than bears – a true frontier town
Polar bears have been a part of life in Churchill since, well, forever… From Indigenous oral history to the first Hudson's Bay trading post in the 1700s, the bears have been here – this is their territory and we respect that.
Churchill is still a frontier town – a rare breed on this planet – a place where people are authentic and the stories are mostly true. Our local guides share the legends along the way: shipwrecks, aliens and atomic bombs. You'll see that Churchill is more than bears!
Testimonials
What our guests say
“Photographing the Churchill Polar Bears has been on our wish list for a number of years. We came away from the trip with a deep appreciation of these magnificent animals. From sunrise to sunset, we took thousands of images. Our guides shared their vast knowledge of the bears and Churchill. Hands down, they placed us in the right location at the right time to see these beautiful animals in action. Wonderfilled trip of a lifetime!”
— D. Rohn “I’ve been to Svalbard but the Churchill experience was far above & beyond! Being on the ground with experienced guides and able to get ‘eye to eye’ with them (safely) was truly beautiful. Thank you for making this happen!”
— Deborah Kozura “This was my first expedition looking for polar bears and it exceeded my expectations in so many ways. Guides were amazing and so knowledgeable about the history of the area, habitat behaviour, and environmental impact. Searching for bears and seeing them was exceptional – it was a lifetime of memories.”
— L.G. “Seeing the polar bears was an unforgettable experience. These majestic Kings and Queens of the Arctic was a dream come true to see. As a bear lover, this was a thrill of a lifetime. We had the best guides and gave us a trip with full days and entertaining nights. Seeing the Aurora Borealis two nights was a plus! We loved our time in Churchill and seeing polar bears. The trip was perfect!”
— Deborah Carr
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