Guests viewing a polar bear at ground level on the Birds, Bears & Belugas safari at Seal River Heritage Lodge in July.
There are fewer true wildlife experiences left on Earth that still feel untamed. Polar bear travel, when it is done well, is one of them.
But the phrase “polar bear tour” has become increasingly vague. It can mean walking quietly across the coastal tundra with a guide who understands bear behaviour as fluently as weather. It can mean watching bears from the safety of a large vehicle near a northern town for a few days each fall. Or it can mean an expedition camp on sea ice, where icebergs and light are as much a part of the story as the bears themselves.
Over the past two decades, polar bear tourism has evolved into several distinct models. Each offers something different. Each appeals to a different kind of traveller. And each answers a different version of the same question.
What is the best polar bear tour in the world?
The honest answer is that there is not just one. What follows is a comparative field guide, based on viewing style, season, access, and experience, designed to help travellers choose the approach that best fits how they want to encounter polar bears in the wild.
Churchill Wild guests can also photograph polar bears from inside the lodge fences. In this case, at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge.
A Short Answer Before We Go Deeper
The best polar bear tour depends on how you want to see polar bears. If your priority is ground-level immersion and photography, walking safaris from remote coastal lodges offer an experience that cannot be replicated from a vehicle.
If comfort and the highest concentration of bears in a short time frame matter most, classic tundra vehicle tours during the peak fall migration deliver that reliably.
If your goal is a high Arctic expedition, where polar bears are encountered on sea ice with icebergs as a backdrop, regions such as Baffin Island offer a dramatically different experience.
And if you want polar bears as part of a broader Arctic journey, expedition cruises in places like Svalbard combine bears with glaciers, seabirds, and marine mammals.
Each approach is valid. None are interchangeable.
Polar bear strolls by Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge on a fall Hudson Bay Odyssey safari. Robert Postma photo.
Polar Bear Tours Compared by Experience Style
| Viewing style | Best operators | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Ground-level walking safaris | Churchill Wild | Remote Western Hudson Bay |
| Tundra buggy and rover tours | Frontiers North Adventures, Natural Habitat Adventures | Near Churchill |
| Den emergence (mothers and cubs) | Churchill Wild | Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge |
| Sea ice expeditions | Arctic Kingdom | Baffin Island |
| Expedition cruises | Quark Expeditions, Lindblad Expeditions | Svalbard |
When Is the Best Time to See Polar Bears?
This is where the conversation often becomes oversimplified. Most articles and social posts repeat the same answer. October and November. That answer is not wrong, but it is incomplete.
What Actually Drives Polar Bear Seasonality
Along Canada’s Western Hudson Bay coast, polar bears typically come off the sea ice in late June or early July as the ice melts. Once ashore, they travel up and down the coastline following a well-established seasonal corridor often referred to as the Polar Bear Highway.
From July through November, bears move along this coastal route, resting, socializing, and conserving energy, until freeze-up allows them to return to the Hudson Bay ice for their annual winter seal hunting season.
This movement pattern determines when and where polar bears can be seen.
Summer polar bear sitting pretty on the coast of the Hudson Bay at Seal River Heritage Lodge. Richard Voliva photo.
Best Polar Bear Tour Operators by Month
| Month | Best operators | Viewing style |
|---|---|---|
| July | Churchill Wild | Walking safaris, Seal River Heritage Lodge |
| August | Churchill Wild | Walking safaris, Seal River Heritage Lodge, Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge |
| September | Churchill Wild | Walking safaris, Seal River Heritage Lodge, Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge |
| October | Churchill Wild, Frontiers North Adventures, Natural Habitat Adventures | Walking safaris and tundra vehicles, Seal River Heritage Lodge, Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, Dymond Lake Ecolodge |
| November | Churchill Wild, Frontiers North Adventures, Natural Habitat Adventures | Walking safaris and tundra vehicles, Seal River Heritage Lodge, Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, Dymond Lake Ecolodge |
| February | Churchill Wild | Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, mothers and cubs, wolves |
| March | Churchill Wild | Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, mothers and cubs, wolves |
The Polar Bear Highway and Churchill Wild’s Remote Lodges
L to R: Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, Seal River Heritage Lodge, Dymond Lake Ecolodge. All located on the Polar Bear Highway. along the Hudson Bay coast.
The Polar Bear Highway runs along the same stretch of coastline where Churchill Wild’s remote ecolodges are located, including Seal River Heritage Lodge, Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, and Dymond Lake Ecolodge.
Because these lodges are positioned directly within polar bear habitat, rather than operating solely from town, polar bears are encountered throughout the entire ice-free season. Viewing at these remote locations begins in July and continues through October and November.
In practical terms, the bears are not arriving late in the season. They are already there, moving naturally along the coast where the lodges are situated.
Winter is coming. Polar bear walking through a mild snowstorm at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge. Charles Glatzer photo.
Why October and November Became the Familiar Answer
By October and November, the town of Churchill reaches its most visible peak. As polar bears congregate along the Hudson Bay shoreline waiting for freeze-up, the town fills with visitors, vehicles, and activity.
During this period, most polar bear viewing in and around Churchill takes place from large tundra buggy vehicles and polar rovers operating out of town.
At the same time, Churchill Wild operates remote polar bear walking safaris from all three of its ecolodges, including Seal River Heritage Lodge, Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, and Dymond Lake Ecolodge. While town-based tours focus on vehicle viewing during peak congregation, lodge-based safaris offer ground-level encounters away from the crowds.
Both approaches reflect different ways of accessing the same seasonal movement.
A Brief History of Walking with Polar Bears
Churchill Wild has been walking with polar bears for six decades at Dymond Lake Ecolodge.
Churchill Wild pioneered modern polar bear walking safaris in 1993, establishing a model based on interpretation, distance management, and a deep understanding of bear behaviour.
Long before that, the company’s family history on the Hudson Bay coast stretched back nearly a century. Polar bears were encountered on foot at remote locations for decades as part of guiding, working, and living on the land.
Today, more than 10,000 guests have walked with polar bears at Churchill Wild’s remote lodges. Collectively, these lodges have earned more than 500 five-star reviews.
Walking safaris are not an add-on. They are the foundation of the operation.
Polar Bear Viewing From July Through November, and February and March
Summer polar bears sparring at Seal River Heritage Lodge. Jad Davenport photo.
July and August
Seal River Heritage Lodge and Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge offer summer coastal viewing of polar bears, combined with beluga whales and other Arctic wildlife.
September
Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge provides prime conditions for photography, with active bears and fall colours. Seal River Heritage Lodge offers the remote lodge experience plus an extended Arctic Safari.
October and November
Seal River Heritage Lodge, Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, and Dymond Lake Ecolodge all operate polar bear walking safaris during peak fall activity.
February and March
Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge hosts specialized safaris focused on den emergence in search of mothers and cubs, as well as wolf safaris.
How do You Want to See a Polar Bear?
Polar bear family in the fall at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge. Fabienne Jansen photo.
The question “What is the best polar bear tour in the world?” sounds simple. It is not. A better question is this.
How and where do you want to encounter a polar bear?
Whether that is walking along the Polar Bear Highway near a remote lodge, watching from a tundra vehicle during peak migration, or scanning the sea ice in the high Arctic, the answer depends on the experience you value most. Once that is clear, the right season, location, and style of tour tends to reveal itself.
Churchill Wild Polar Bear Safaris
