Canada's Big Five Safari

Day 01

Welcome to Winnipeg

I’ve just arrived in Winnipeg and am so excited for my Big Five Safari tour! My home for the night is a Winnipeg hotel which is just across the street from the airport. I check into my room and have some time to settle before heading to my scheduled welcome dinner with my Frontiers North Interpretive Guide and the rest of the tour group to go over our itineraries 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 RMNP, but first, we make a stop in Neepawa, Manitoba to visit Farmery Estate Brewery for a brewery tour and lunch at their delicious on-site food truck. Driving through the prairie grasslands to the rolling hills of the Manitoba Escarpment, we arrive in RMNP via the historic East Gate and enjoy an introduction to the park. Prior to checking into our hotel we have a chance to enjoy an evening wildlife drive in the park - our first chance to search for moose, black bear and other wildlife!

Our accommodations for our time in RMNP is the beautiful Lakehouse Boutique Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Wasagaming – a townsite inside the national park.

Photo © Handcraft Creative

Day 03

Lake Audy 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 wildlife drive 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, deer and much more. After our drive in the park we are treated to a walking tour of Wasagaming's charming streets. 

In the afternoon, we board The Martese for an afternoon cruise through Clear Lake, located just steps away from downtown Wasagaming. The water is so clear, you can actually see the sand and pebbles that sit beneath the water – now I know why it's called Clear Lake!

This evening we gear up for another wildlife drive, this time to the Lake Audy Bison Enclosure, a captive herd of approximately 40 plains bison! We learn about the history of the enclosure, the bison and their significance to the area.

Tonight is our last night staying at the lovely Lakehouse; we're sad that our time in Riding Mountain National Park is coming to an end, but we're happy to have experienced it!

Photo © Taylor Cole

Day 04

Final Wildlife Safari in RMNP

Our day starts off with one last morning wildlife drive through RMNP to spot wildlife and then an interpretive hike through Ominik Marsh.

Although we’re sad to leave the beauty of RMNP 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. Upon our return to Winnipeg we check in for a night at the hotel before our morning flight to Churchill.

Photo © John Gunter

Day 05

Churchill Adventure Begins

After breakfast, we board an early morning flight Churchill for a adventure-packed day! Upon landing we head out for our first activity in Churchill; a Tundra Buggy adventure in 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 our incredible Tundra Buggy tour we have some free time to relax and explore Churchill's different shops and restaurants. What an amazing first day in Churchill.

Photo © Handcraft Creative

Day 06

Beluga Whales and Prince of Wales Fort Tour

After breakfast we embark on a 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, known by locals as the "Polar Bear Jail." Next we stop at Polar Bears International House, where we receive a short talk from a Polar Bears International Ambassador who teaches us about polar bears, polar bear research, climate change and more. We also tour the Interpretive Centre and learn how to support polar bear conservation efforts! 

Now it's time for our first beluga whale experience! A boat tour takes us into the Churchill River estuary where thousands of beluga whales gather 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 whale watching, 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 what's already been an incredible day, we head to Wapusk Adventures 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

Last Day in Churchill

It's our last day in Churchill. Where did the time go? Thankfully, we have time for more beluga whales! Today we get even closer to the beluga whales on our three-hour Zodiac tour in the Churchill River. As we jet around the river estuary, dozens of whales surface just metres away and swim under and around the boat. 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.

Next we visit the Parks Canada Visitor Centre where we see in-depth displays that reveal the remarkable history of Churchill through wildlife dioramas and exhibits that portray the history of the fur trade in the area. Then it's on to the Itsanitaq Museum, home to an enormous collect of Inuit artifacts honouring the Indigenous roots of Churchill.

Finally, we head to the airport before our return flight to Winnipeg. Once in Winnipeg we check back into our hotel for our final night in Manitoba.

Photo © Eric Lindberg

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.