Frontiers North's Big Five Safari

Day 01

Arrival into Winnipeg

I’ve just arrived in Winnipeg and am so excited for my Big Five Safari tour! Tonight I’ll be spending the night at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, which is just a quick walk from the Winnipeg airport. I check into my room and have some time to settle before heading to my scheduled meet and greet with my Frontiers North Interpretive Guide and the rest of the tour group to go over our itineraries in more detail and to ask any last minute questions.

Day 02

Wildlife Safari in Riding Mountain National Park

Following an early breakfast, we depart Winnipeg on a three-and-a-half-hour drive to Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP). The drive takes us from beautiful prairie skies to the rolling hills of the Manitoba Escarpment. We arrive in Riding Mountain via the historic East Gate and enjoy an introduction to the park. Prior to checking into our bed and breakfast we have a chance to enjoy an evening safari in the park - our first chance to search for moose, black bear and other wildlife.

Our accommodation for our time in Riding Mountain is the quaint family-run Honeycomb Bed and Breakfast located just outside the national park.

Photo © Handcraft Creative

Day 03

RMNP Bison Enclosure

We wake up to a bright sunny morning and are ready for a wildlife adventure! After breakfast, our group climbs aboard our bus and head out on a morning safari in Riding Mountain National Park. The park is home to many species of animals, but our time here is spent seeking out black bears, moose and bison.

After our morning safari around the park, we meet with a Parks Canada Interpreter at a look out point located inside the captive bison enclosure to learn about the history of the enclosure and it’s significance to the park. Our next stop is a family run café for lunch.

In the afternoon, we stop at the Parks Canada Visitor Centre for a private tour then enjoy some free time to relax or explore the town of Wasagaming before dinner. In the evening our Frontiers North Interpretive Guide offers us the chance to do an evening wildlife safari and our whole group jumps at the chance to see the park in the beautiful dusk light. Tonight will be our last night staying at the Honeycomb Bed and Breakfast.

Photo © Taylor Cole

Day 04

Final RMNP Safari

Our day starts off with a last morning safari through Riding Mountain National Park to spot wildlife, and then we return to the Honeycomb for a full breakfast.

Although we’re sad to leave the beauty of Riding Mountain behind, we’re very excited for the next portion of our tour – polar bears and beluga whales in Churchill! After breakfast we board the bus for our return to Winnipeg where we’re spend the night at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel before our morning flight to Churchill.

Day 05

Churchill Adventure Begins

After breakfast, we board an early morning flight for Churchill. Upon landing we head out for our first activity in Churchill; a beluga whale and Prince of Wales Fort tour. The boat tour takes us into the Churchill River estuary where hundreds of beluga whales are gathering to feed on small fish and give birth to adorable baby belugas! We don’t have to go far to find the whales either – they are curious creatures and pretty soon we find ourselves in the middle of a pod of smiling whales. After a couple of hours of whale watching – it goes by so fast – we stop on the far side of the Churchill River for a guided tour of Prince of Wales Fort, the oldest most northerly stone fort in the country. After stopping at our hotel for check in, we break for lunch at a locally-run restaurant.

In the afternoon we spend time at the Itsanitaq Museum and the Parks Canada Visitor Centre to learn more about the wildlife, history and culture of the area.

Dinner is at a local Churchill restaurant before we depart for an evening Churchill and area tour, which comprises of an exploratory drive past various points of interest in and surrounding Churchill. Our driver stopped briefly at Manitoba Conservation’s Polar Bear Holding Facility so we could get out and take photos. As the light fades we head back into the town of Churchill to relax. We’ve been told that Churchill sees many nights of auroral activity per year, so if we have the luck to have clear skies tonight we might even get to see the northern lights!

Photo © Dan Harper

Day 06

Beluga Zodiac Tour

After breakfast we head to the dock for our second beluga excursion. We’re getting even closer with the largest beluga whale population in the world on a three-hour beluga Zodiac tour.

As we jet around the river estuary, dozens of whales surface just metres away and swim under and around the boat - so close it feels like we can reach out and touch them. They seem especially fond of the bubbles created by the boat’s motor and follow us around swimming in our wake. The time flies as we capture incredible photos of the pods of whales that are seemingly endlessly popping up around us.

After breaking for lunch in town, we head to the outskirts of Churchill to enjoy a dog carting program with an area dog musher where we take part on a mile long dog cart (on wheels) through the boreal forest and learn about the history of dog sledding and the importance it holds in northern communities.

We enjoy dinner at a local restaurant and we have the evening to ourselves to head to the pub for a pint, or relax in our hotel guest lounge getting to know other travellers and guests.

Photo © Doug Ross

Day 07

Tundra Buggy

We wake up bright and early for breakfast before heading out on a Tundra Buggy for our six-hour excursion into the Churchill Wildlife Management Area.

Our Tundra Buggy Driver and Interpretive Guide do an incredible job of explaining the geological and natural history of the tundra while we enjoy beautiful colourful landscapes and spot dozens of species of birds and other wildlife. We stop for a picnic lunch, eaten on the Tundra Buggy while we photograph wildlife. We even have the lucky chance to see a summer polar bear cooling itself in the waters of the Hudson Bay!

After the tour we head back to town for dinner and some free time to explore the shops of Churchill. At the end of the day, we’re transferred to the Churchill airport for our return flight to Winnipeg, where we check into the Four Points by Sheraton hotel for our final night in Winnipeg.

Photo © Handcraft Creative

Day 08

Depart Winnipeg

My adventure has come to an end, and I head home with hundreds – if not thousands! – of photos to commemorate my incredible wildlife safari in Manitoba.