Every great adventure follows a pattern: A hero hears a call to the unknown, meets a guide who possesses ancient wisdom, and embarks on a journey that transforms them. In the world of travel, few heroes answer that call as frequently or as passionately as award-winning travel author Lisa Ellen Niver.
The Hero: Lisa Ellen Niver
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Lisa is not merely a tourist; she is an explorer who has turned the act of discovery into an art form. As the founder of the award-winning website WeSaidGoTravel.com, the author of the memoir Brave-ish, and a travel expert who has journeyed to 102 countries, she has dedicated her life to showing us the world. Her accolades are numerous, but her true distinction lies in her willingness to step out of her comfort zone and into the wild.
Her recent journey took her back to the remote frontiers of Manitoba, Canada. This was not her first time facing the Arctic wind. In 2018, Lisa visited Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, an expedition where she walked among the wolves and experienced the raw power of the tundra. But the call of the wild is persistent. In 2024, she returned, this time to Seal River Heritage Lodge, to document a new chapter of her Arctic saga: the Birds, Bears & Belugas safari.
The Guide: Terry Elliott
Churchill Wild Head Guide Terry Elliott giving a pre-walk safety talk. Priscilla Downey photo.
No hero can navigate the perilous path alone. They require a mentor, someone who can read the wind and speak the language of the land. For Lisa, that guide was Terry Elliott.
In her latest video interview, Lisa sits down with Terry, a man whose calm demeanor belies a life of remarkable adventure. Terry has been a guide with Churchill Wild for 17 years and has been leading expeditions since 1991. Yet, his origin story begins far from the ice.
Growing up in the concrete jungle of Toronto, Terry felt a disconnect. He moved to Vancouver Island to find nature, but his true “call to adventure” came during a humble errand. While delivering groceries to protesters protecting an old-growth forest, he walked through the ancient woods and was struck by a revelation: the land had “intrinsic value” that people would travel to the ends of the earth to experience.
That epiphany launched a career that eventually led him to Churchill Wild, recruited by the legendary photographer Dennis Fast. Today, Terry is a master of the environment, capable of spotting a polar bear miles away or identifying rare orchids in the “spongy peat” beneath his boots.
The Adventure: Walking with Polar Bears
The video interview above captures the essence of what makes Churchill Wild distinct in the travel industry. While most tourists view polar bears from the elevated safety of “tundra buggies” or “crawlers,” Churchill Wild invites the hero to step onto the tundra. As Terry explains, they specialize in “walking at ground level with apex predators.” It is an experience of vulnerability and awe that changes your perspective on nature, and yourself.
The exclusivity of this adventure cannot be overstated. As Terry notes, a National Geographic photographer once told him that “more people will climb Everest” than will walk on the tundra surrounding the Churchill Wild ecolodges.
The Transformation: A Season of Magic
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In the interview, Lisa and Terry discuss the magic of the 2024 season, when Lisa was there. Because the sea ice north of the lodge held on longer than usual, the bears arrived at Seal River looking “really white” and very healthy.
The wilderness rewarded Lisa’s journey with sightings that surprised even the guides:
- The Polar Bear Triplets: Terry reveals that he spotted a mother bear with triplets, a biological rarity he has witnessed only twice in his 17 years at the lodge.
- The Beluga Hunt: Lisa describes the “magical” experience of seeing thousands of beluga whales and listening to them via hydrophones. Terry provides the expert context: Seal River is likely the only place on earth where polar bears have learned to actively hunt belugas during the summer “walking hibernation,” a behaviour unique to this geography.
- The Living Tundra: Beyond the megafauna, the duo discusses the abundant life of the landscape, from the “Hooded Ladies’ Tresses” orchids to the arrival of migratory snow geese.
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The Legacy
Through this conversation, we see how a company that started with a single rundown whale research station and one client has grown to host over 850 guests a year. It is a testament to the vision of co-founders Mike and Jeanne Reimer and the dedication of guides like Terry.
Lisa’s coverage of this trip, which you can read in her detailed features for Pasadena Magazine and on her blog, is more than just a travelogue. It’s an invitation. The belugas are singing. The bears are waiting. The hero’s journey is open, to those brave enough to walk the wild tundra.
Watch the full interview to see the magic for yourself and discover why, as Lisa says…
There is “literally nothing else like this.”
