Polar bear in fall colours at Nanuk. Scott Horwitz photo
David Barrow has been to every country in the world.
He’s coming back to Nanuk anyway.
Barrow was on a Hudson Bay Odyssey at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge this summer, and by the time he filled out his guest survey he had already booked the Cloud Wolves of the Kaska Coast safari for March/April 2027.
“The whole experience was amazing,” said Barrow. “I already have many thousands of responses via my social media. Having already travelled to every country in the world, I am lucky to have a large network of travel friends and associates. I will certainly be highly recommending Churchill Wild!”
He had one request. “Keep your current standards and way of doing things, please,” said Barrow.
Polar bear lounge on a beach ridge at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge. Janice Kay Photography.
September was the last month of the summer season at Nanuk, and the Hudson Bay coast ran it on its own schedule. Three Hudson Bay Odyssey departures between September 10 and 22 got a windstorm, a group that saw just about every large four-legged animal on the coast, northern lights and a final departure built around a single polar bear that hung around.
Up the coast, survey responses and reviews from late-summer guests at Seal River Heritage Lodge are still coming in, after our big August recap.
Nanuk: one of everything
The September 10-14 group lost an afternoon to weather. By mid-afternoon, the wind was blowing at just under 100 km/h, with rain. Guests went out in the morning and saw, at best, a bird. The afternoon was spent indoors with educational presentations and documentaries.
The next day the guides took them out on a big full-day trip, and the coast paid them back with more polar bears and black bears. The group logged roughly 10 animals and had sightings every day but one.
One really good polar bear interaction made the trip. After it, the lodge team reported, many of the guests said that if they saw nothing else, they would be happy.
The September 14-18 group saw more than that.
Wolf stretching at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge. James Rosenberg photo.
They had some lovely polar bear interactions, sightings every day and more than 10 animals in total. On one single day they saw a black bear, a moose with calves, a polar bear and wolves on a moose kill. On other days they turned up a caribou and a fox with a Canada goose in its mouth. Over their stay, as the lodge team put it, they had seen just about every large four-legged animal on this stretch of the coast.
The final Hudson Bay Odyssey of the summer, September 18-22, was quieter. We’ll get to that group at the end.
Heavy northern lights over Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge. Jennifer Rider photo.
Guests from earlier in the season were still writing in. Sarah Skinner was on a Hudson Bay Odyssey departure and has already been asked to give a presentation to her camera club.
“Of course you need to get a little lucky with the wildlife, but Emri, Brandon and Alex were superb, the knowledge and quality of excursion was truly brilliant,” said Skinner, referring to guides Emri Canvin, Brandon Stuebing, and Alex. She also singled out lodge managers Emma and Danny for their welcome and their interest in the guests’ wildlife experiences.
She has celiac disease and is used to checking every plate. At Nanuk she stopped.
“I am a coeliac and felt so completely safe with everything I ate, the team could not have been more careful, and the food was such high quality,” said Skinner. “It is rare I don’t check and double check the food to ensure I am not ill and I just didn’t need to check. I could trust completely!”
Krista McIntyre noticed it too. “The staff managed many different diet preferences with delicious options,” said McIntyre in a Google review. “Our late summer visit placed the bears on land, lounging in the grass, strolling on the beach.”
Polar bear strolling on a beach ridge. Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge. Brandie Hollie photo.
Susan Gainford spread the credit around. “The guides were knowledgeable and experienced in making the most of seeing polar bears,” said Gainford. “The support crew were always available to assist. The meals were fresh and delicious.”
Virginia Myers did a Summer Dual Lodge Safari at both lodges and found two different experiences. “Nanuk offers such a beautiful modern experience and the layout is great!” said Myers. Of Seal River, she said: “Although Seal River is older it has so much character and warmth. Also the bears walking right around the building all the time is unbeatable.”
Seal River: the mail keeps coming
Conversation with a standing polar bear. Seal River Heritage Lodge. B Z photo.
The last Birds, Bears & Belugas groups of the summer left Seal River in late August. Their surveys have been coming in ever since.
Deanne Heino gave the guides credit from the moment the plane landed. “As soon as the plane touched down, our guides, Boomer, Johnny, and Shayna, made safety a priority while ensuring everyone felt comfortable and well informed about the environment and potential risks,” said Heino, referring to Boomer Jerritt, Johnny Berg, and Shayna Plett.
She had the same to say about lodge hosts Ben and Nicole and their crew. “The service team was incredibly proactive, anticipating needs before we had to ask and taking the time to get to know each guest,” said Heino.
Jennifer Koorey put it more simply. “Ben and his team at the lodge bent over backwards to make our stay great,” said Koorey. Carol Kilbey added that Ben was another good source of information about the bears, on top of the guides.
Polar bear on the rocky shoreline at Seal River Heritage Lodge. Anne B. photo.
Phil Davis, whose photos ran with our August recap, had a big week. “This was an awesome eye-level polar bear and beluga experience!” said Davis. “The Northern Lights were awesome! The guides were exceptional in their handling of bears, boats, and people (us!).”
He also did the math out loud. “This safari is relatively expensive, but it takes a lot of people, infrastructure, and logistics to make it work and it worked very well,” said Davis. “It was worth every (Canadian) penny!”
Into the wild. Guests heading out in Tundra Rhino at Nanuk. Scott Horwitz photo.
The small things stuck with Davis, too. The lodge staff offered to dry his damp clothes. And Pat, who expedited his group through the airport, is in his words, “a national treasure.”
Carol Kilbey’s group had a weather delay on the flight from Churchill to the lodge. Staff made sure everyone had lunch while they waited, and Tim kept the bus entertained.
Anne B. from Melbourne, Australia, had it worse. Bad weather kept her and her partner in Churchill for two days, according to her TripAdvisor review. The five days that followed more than made up for it. She had a great viewing of a polar bear in the field, there was almost always a bear near the lodge, the northern lights came out, and she had one warning about the food: be prepared to put on weight.
In the neighbourhood at Nanuk. James Rosenberg photo
Brad Mandell, who was on the Hudson Bay Odyssey, agreed. “The food was top-notch, and all meals were fresh and amazing,” said Mandell.
One Google reviewer, Dixon Lu, left a detailed set of notes for photographers after his Summer Dual Lodge Safari. The guides kept the group at least 100 metres from bears in the field, so he recommends bringing at least a 500mm lens, ideally a wide-aperture prime with image stabilization. Leave the tripod at home, because it will sink into the mud. A monopod with a gimbal is the better bet. And curious bears often came right up to the lodge fence, which gave everyone a closer look.
Bears at eye level. At a safe distance. George Hoehn photo.
David Chin summed up the reason people come. “It’s truly an adventure, to be able to see bears at eye level at a safe distance,” said Chin.
“Incredible experience in the Arctic tundra on the shores of Hudson Bay,” said B Z in their Tripadvisor review of the Birds, Bears & Belugas safari at Seal River. “We were able to see polar bears close up as well as beluga whales beside our zodiac boats. Probably one of the best vacations I’ve ever had. Incredibly well, Run organization. The hotel was isolated, but offered extremely nice amenities. The food was outstanding and the service was amazing. I strongly recommend this experience.”
Advice from the people who were there
Guests had practical tips for whoever comes next.
Deanne Heino found that rubber boots were used on every excursion, so she could have left her hiking shoes at home. She would put more emphasis on good insoles, which made a big difference in comfort, and on a bug jacket or head net, worn with a hat. Sarah Skinner’s one cold spot was her hands. Bring warm gloves.
Carol Kilbey was blunt about the ground. “The terrain you walk on is not easy so do it while still fit enough to handle it,” said Kilbey.
Virginia Myers had a word about the rules. Some of the other guests on her trip, she wrote, seemed bothered by the line-walking and shoulder-to-shoulder rules for walking with polar bears. She felt quite the opposite.
“I appreciate the education and insistence on safety the guides had,” said Myers, who gave the Seal River guides particular credit for it. “I think it is very important,”
She also liked the way they delivered it. “They made it the right amount of safety and humour about it,” said Myers. “Don’t ever discourage it!”
Contentment at Nanuk. Scott Horwitz photo.
The last group of the summer at Nanuk didn’t get a lot of polar bears.
They got one that stayed. It hung around, and the guides did a couple of different approaches on it over the group’s stay. The group saw a second bear in the distance on another day, along with black bears, and the northern lights came out every night.
Then, on September 21, a wolf came past the group and walked right beside them.
The polar bear and the wolf, the lodge team reported, saved the day.
Wolf in deep thought. Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge. George Hoehn photo.
David Barrow is booked to go looking for wolves in 2027. The last group of the summer didn’t have to.
Deanne Heino spent her trip at Seal River in mud, wind, rain, sunshine, heat and cold, sometimes all in the same day. She has the last word.
“If it’s on your list, I’d say don’t wait,” said Heino. “Places and experiences like this are rare, and it was one of the most memorable adventures I’ve ever had. It was absolutely worth it.”
