Young polar bear at Seal River Heritage Lodge right before the big freeze. Christoph Jansen / ArcticWild.net photo.
by Christoph and Fabienne Jansen, ArcticWild.net
November is an exciting time of the year for the polar bears of Hudson Bay. They’ve been on land since leaving the last patches of sea ice in July and are anxiously waiting for the ice to form again. Usually, this happens in November, but as we flew from Churchill to Seal River Heritage Lodge on November 3, we couldn’t see any snow or ice.
How long would the bears have to wait?
Flying into Seal River Heritage Lodge just before the big freeze. Christoph Jansen / ArcticWild.net photo.
Arriving at Seal River Heritage Lodge after a scenic 20-minute flight, we felt like we were coming home. This was our 37th polar bear safari with Churchill Wild, but we hadn’t been to Seal River Heritage Lodge in six years, and had always planned to come back. The local wildlife is as much a driver of this desire as are the fabulous lodge staff and the lodge itself.
Young polar bear watching us from the long grass at Seal River. Fabienne Jansen / ArcticWild.net photo.
After a quick lunch, we headed out on our first hike in polar bear territory. It didn’t take the guides long to discover a very cute and handsome little polar bear. He was probably just four or five years old, but looked healthy and well fed.
Gorgeous young polar bear in fall grass at Seal River Heritage Lodge. Fabienne Jansen / ArcticWild.net photo.
On our daily hikes to places including One Bear Point, Two Bear Point, Fox Ridge, Thule Point, and along Boomer’s Trail, we spotted more local wildlife. Usually, Arctic hare and ptarmigans would be hard to spot in their white winter coats, but without any snow on the ground, they were easy to spot and wonderful to watch.
Ptarmigan were easy to spot in their winter plumage at Seal River before the big freeze. Fabienne Jansen / ArcticWild.net photo.
This all changed dramatically after one cold night. The full moon, a super moon, and prevailing north winds made for a king tide. We woke up to a completely transformed landscape. Hudson Bay started to freeze over, and the tidal flats were already covered with thick layers of ice as the high tide receded. Within just 12 hours, we went from fall straight into winter. So that’s what they call the big freeze up North.
Full moon over Seal River Heritage Lodge as the big freeze begins. Christoph Jansen / ArcticWild.net photo.
There was even some snow on the ground. On our hikes around the lodge, we had frequent encounters with “our” cute polar bear and another, bigger bear. We were really sad when our four days at the lodge were coming to an end, but a big winter storm approaching the area changed our plans. It was impossible to fly the small planes in these conditions, so our stay at Seal River was extended by two nights until the weather calmed down.
A completely new landscape is beginning to form at Seal River. Just what the polar bears ordered! Christoph Jansen / ArcticWild.net photo.
During our additional two days, we watched more ice accumulate. With the high tide and the strong northerly winds, big waves of grease ice and small pancake ice plates were crashing on the shore. This was nothing short of breathtaking!
Navigating a new and familiar welcoming landscape at Seal River Heritage Lodge. Christoph Jansen / ArcticWild.net photo.
Eventually, our extended stay at the lodge came to an end. Flying back to Churchill, we could see more ice forming on Hudson Bay. Good for the polar bears!
See you next summer! Fabienne Jansen / ArcticWild.net photo.
While we had to say goodbye to Seal River Heritage Lodge, this was not the end of our adventure. After a brief stopover in Churchill, we were flying south along the coast towards Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge for the Polar Bear Photo Safari and Cloud Wolves of the Kaska Coast.
As the big freeze beckoned.
Icescape at Seal River Heritage Lodge. Christoph Jansen / ArcticWild.net photo.
- See more of Christoph and Fabienne’s photos at ArcticWild.net
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Churchill Wild Polar Bear Safaris 2025-2026
