Sleeping Beauty awakes. (Amanda Woods)
Australian freelance travel and lifestyle writer Amanda Woods has explored countless destinations throughout the world, but nothing prepared her for the experience she had on the Hudson Bay Odyssey at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge in 2017.
With the first safari at Nanuk in 2024 now underway, we thought we’d reach out to the former BBC producer and creator of AdventuresAllAround.com to see what she remembered about her trip.
“We hit the jackpot with wolves, polar bears, and even the aurora borealis,” recalled Woods. “It was an all-around amazing experience.”
Woods’ journey to Nanuk started with GoMedia, a travel event where writers from around the world meet tourism operators. “I was one of the fortunate people who got selected for Churchill Wild,” said Woods. “The way it works is you have a list of different trips you might go on, and everyone throws their hat in the ring. The Churchill Wild trip was very popular, and I was one of the lucky ones who got the ticket.”
Woods’ first encounter with polar bears at Nanuk “blew my expectations out of the water,” she recalled. “Before I got there, so many people said, ‘You do know they’re carnivores, right?’ People thought I was insane for going on this walking tour with them. But once I got there, it was amazing.”
The safaris at Nanuk are different from the usual polar bear viewing experiences, which often involve large bear-proof vehicles or ships. Instead, Woods and her group were on foot when they met polar bears, which added an extra layer of thrill to the adventure.
Mom and curious cub. Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge (Amanda Woods)
“As we passed around flasks of hot chocolate back at our all-terrain vehicles and snapped photos of the Mooswa shipwreck, we switched from happily chatting to silent in a heartbeat, as we realized the mother and cub we had been watching were now alert and moving towards us,” Woods recalled. “Watching her lying around had been exciting enough, but now two curious bears were coming in for a closer look, and a hush fell over the group as our hot chocolates went down and our cameras up.”
Despite her proximity to the polar bears, Woods felt reassured by the extensive safety measures in place. “As good as it was to know that all three guides had loaded shotguns on them, I took more comfort from knowing that in 23 years they’d never had to shoot a bear,” said Woods.
And here they come! (Amanda Woods)
The guides at Churchill Wild use various deterrents to keep the bears at a safe distance without harming them. “They explained that a polar bear’s natural world is a mostly silent one,” said Woods. “So even talking to them can stop them in their tracks. It’s all about distraction and getting them off balance.”
One of Wood’s favourite memories from her trip involved a bear her group affectionately named ‘Sleeping Beauty.’ “We had seen Sleeping Beauty a few times before, but this time she had woken from her slumber,” said Woods. “While polar bears are often described as land’s largest carnivore, they are in fact omnivores, and Sleeping Beauty was as happy as a bear could be in a gooseberry patch.”
“After acknowledging us, she went back to her meal, eating a little, walking a little, each time a little closer towards us. Then, just as my pulse quickened in some kind of ‘humans should not be this close to bears’ adrenaline, the guide rapped a stone against the metal side of our vehicle. The sound was so sharp and startling in the silence I got almost as big a fright as Sleeping Beauty did, as she spun on the spot and jogged the short distance back to where she’d started.”
Sleeping Beauty was indeed beautiful. (Amanda Woods)
“It was interesting to see polar bears in the autumn because you usually see them in snow. This was vastly different. I took photos of Sleeping Beauty walking in the gooseberry bushes with fall colors.”
Woods’ safari also included encounters with other wildlife. “We had lots of wolves out front, camping near the lodge,” she remembered. “Listening to the little wolf pups learning to howl was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard. We also saw a grey wolf walk past casually, when we went out to spot polar bears. It was just magical.
Sleeping Beauty watching us. (Amanda Woods)
“And what I found really interesting was the respect for wildlife, keeping a distance, and letting them come towards you if they wanted to. It was about keeping a safe distance and respecting their space.”
Woods also had a particularly memorable encounter with a moose, facilitated by the guides. “When he was a young, our guide’s father and uncle taught him how to call moose, and as we sat in silence in the mist, he mixed calling in his own voice with making moose sounds by pulling a piece of string through an old can,” said Woods.
Moose the guides called out into the meadow. (Amanda Woods)
“This was the moment I discovered there are few things more magnificent than seeing a moose thrash a tree to show just how big he is, before calmly walking into a clearing, his huge head swaying to display his massive antlers. We had an amazing moment when the moose walked out into the beautiful fall colors, and I snapped a photo. Travel Manitoba used the photo quite a bit, and in their book.”
Moose checking us out at Nanuk. (Amanda Woods)
The natural beauty of the area surrounding Nanuk added to the enchantment for Woods. From misty trees to vibrant autumn colors and northern lights, the setting was magical. “And the main lounge area of the lodge was such a lovely space to come back to,” said Woods. “To chat with people over dinner and drinks, and bond.”
Reflecting on her time at Nanuk, Woods described a feeling she hadn’t experienced anywhere else. “The lodge felt like a magical, soulful place. It seemed like another planet sometimes. I’ve been to quite a few places, but this was something completely different. It still remains one of my favorite places of all time.”
Woods had been on other trips to see bears, but Nanuk stood out.
Guides talking to polar bears at Nanuk. (Amanda Woods)
“After Nanuk, I did the Tweedsmuir Grizzly Bear Lodge,” said Woods. “I loved it, although I was concerned they only had bear spray and no guns. I had an intense encounter with a grizzly bear, but it was fine in the end.”
“And I did an Arctic fjord cruise, which was about seeing polar bears. We went from Greenland to Nunavut and saw polar bears on ice floes. It was great, but there’s nothing like Churchill Wild for a polar bear experience. It’s special.”
“If someone was thinking about going to see polar bears, I’d say it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There’s nothing like it, because you get to be out there on the ground with the bears, in their world. It’s very safe with expert guides, despite the fact that it seems insane to walk with polar bears.”
Amanda’s time at Nanuk wasn’t just about the polar bears. She also formed lasting bonds with her fellow travelers. “The group was great, a nice mix of people from different parts of the world,” she recalled. “I’m still in touch with one of the women, a British lady. There was also another Australian, and every now and then we see each other at events and remember the polar bears of Nanuk.”
Wolf watching us from the creek at Nanuk. (Amanda Woods)
“The main lounge area of the lodge was such a lovely space to come back to, chat with people over dinner and drinks, and bond. And it was great to go out on the deck afterwards for a bit of fresh air and hear what was happening in nature. Hearing a wolf howl was quite unusual for me, having grown up in Australia. One night, they were howling, and I stood outside, even though every fiber of my being wanted to get inside. It was a fun experience.”
The culinary experience at Nanuk also left a lasting impression. “I loved the food,” said Woods. “It was so, so good.” The combination of gourmet meals, comfortable accommodations, and the camaraderie fostered among guests created a warm, welcoming atmosphere that contrasted beautifully with the wild landscape.
Lone wolf on the move. (Amanda Woods)
It was clear that Woods’ time at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge had left an indelible mark on her. Her voice cracked with excitement as she remembered her adventure, and Churchill Wild’s other remote properties are now on her bucket list. In the meantime…
“I’m off to Cambodia and Vietnam in a couple of weeks,” said Woods. “I’m planning a walking holiday in Japan along an old famous walking track. And I’ll be sharing more eco-stories and stories about places doing good things for the planet on my blog and Instagram.”
“I’d love to try the other Churchill Wild lodges, because Nanuk felt otherworldly. When we went back into Churchill, it was different, because the polar bears there are used to humans and noise. Once the plane landed, it felt like we’d been cut off from a magical world.
“Like Narnia, with autumn colors.”
Wolf in fall colours at Nanuk. (Amanda Woods)
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