Itinerary

In the same land that hosts the brief, brilliant summer of beluga whales and the polar bears of autumn, comes an amazing phenomenon that illumines the dark winter skies. The ethereal Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis, meaning “north wind of the dawn,” brighten the night in a mystical display of colour.

Churchill has one of the heaviest concentrations of aurora borealis activity in the world. On this grand subarctic adventure, our days are filled with distinctly northern activities such as dogsledding, and our nights with the potential for the best aurora viewing on the planet.

Day 1: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Arrive in Winnipeg and transfer to the Fort Garry Hotel. Built in 1913 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, the French-chateau-style hotel remains the grande dame of Winnipeg, offering first-class hospitality. Enjoy a welcome dinner this evening with your Expedition Leader.
 
Day 2: Winnipeg and Train to Churchill

In preparation for our Northern Lights encounters, this morning we attend a planetarium program focused on the science of the aurora borealis and how to best capture the magic of the lights on film. Depending on the train schedule, we board the Hudson Bay passenger train to Churchill around lunchtime.
 
Day 3: Train to Churchill

Leaving the southern prairies, we travel into the landscape of the North. Plains give way to boreal forest, the coniferous zone that circles the globe beneath the Arctic Circle and accounts for one-third of the earth’s forests. Stunted spruce trees and boggy muskeg give way to frozen tundra as we approach Churchill, a frontier outpost in the middle of a vast white openness at the edge of Hudson Bay. The “Tundra Train” is relaxing and comfortable, and each cabin has its own bathroom. At night, we may have a preview of the Northern Lights outside our large private windows.
 
Days 4 - 6: Churchill

On arrival in Churchill we transfer to our hotel and take a brief tour of this historic settlement. The Hudson’s Bay Company established a fort here in 1717 as part of its fur-trading network across the Canadian North, but native cultures had already been flourishing here against the harsh arctic climate for thousands of years. We explore their heritage on a dogsled ride in the boreal wilderness, during a visit to the Eskimo Museum, and through cultural programs featuring the arts and traditions of the Inuit and Dene peoples. Our guide introduces us to northern ecology, and for those interested, there’s a chance to practice our photography skills as we focus on the stark yet alluring winter landscape.

As night falls, we move into heated viewing domes to await an unparalleled experience of nature’s magic: the spectacle of the aurora borealis, the legendary Northern Lights. Often, they begin as a white glow low in the sky that slowly begins to shift and undulate. Wavy patterns evolve, colours appear and change, until the lights look like shimmering curtains of green, blue, yellow or red. For centuries, the phenomenon of the Northern Lights was a mystery, inspiring a host of mythical explanations. While we know now that the aurora is caused by the interaction of the solar wind with the earth’s magnetic field, more poetic stories of their origin linger, including the Hudson Bay Inuit’s belief that the lights are the magical display of their ancestors’ souls dancing in the sky.
 
Day 7: Churchill / Winnipeg

Your morning is free to wander Churchill’s main street, where several locally-owned shops offer authentic native handicrafts, from traditional mukluks to caribou hair sculptures. We then transfer to the airport for our return flight to Winnipeg. If our flight schedule permits, this afternoon we visit the acclaimed Manitoba Museum, renowned for its exhibits reflecting the human and natural heritage of the province, including the history of northern native cultures. This evening we gather one last time for our farewell dinner at the Fort Garry Hotel.
 
Day 8: Winnipeg / Home

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your return flight home.
 
Please note: All of our activities in Churchill are flexible to accommodate varying weather conditions.

On the February 12, 2012  and February 10, 2013 departures, we do not take the train to Churchill. Instead, we fly to Churchill early in the morning on Day 2. The total length of this departure is 6 days.

The Churchill inclusions and activities are identical to our regular itinerary. In Winnipeg, we may have time to take a guided tour of the Manitoba Museum after our return flight on Day 6. We will not have a planetarium program.