We’ve had some great coverage by some world-class travel bloggers this year, at both Seal River Heritage Lodge and Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge. Below are a few of the stories you may have missed. Enjoy!
Polar bear near Seal River Heritage Lodge - Photo Credit: Renee Blodgett
Renee Blodgett, the founder of We Blog the World, Magic Sauce Media and co-founder of Traveling Geeks, wrote about Seal River Heritage Lodge in Canadian Polar Bears on Churchill Wild’s Hudson Bay. Renee wrote a long, wonderful and detailed article. We have included a few excerpts below
I’ve had lunch with a Prince in India’s Rajasthan, crossed the Somalian border by foot, went diving in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, watched gorillas in the Rwanda and Ugandan forests before they opened it up to tourists, ridden an ostrich in Africa and swam with turtles in the Galapagos Islands. And alas, at Churchill Wild, gazed into a polar bear’s eyes through tall grass and was mesmorized by his beauty and fun spirit.
Even though I still get a thrill by visting any new place for the first time as I wrote about recently on my way to Calgary, the bar gets higher the more you’ve traveled. As for top adventure experiences in the world, Churchill Wild ranks up there as one of the top places you should visit in your lifetime, particularly if you love nature and being out in the wild.
There’s something awe-inspiring and breathtaking about seeing polar bears in the wild and watching them in their natural habitat – play, eat, flirt, roll on their backs and yes, even sleep. What makes Churchill Wild so unique is that you are surrounded by a combination of raw beauty and polar bears on every side of you amidst a cool Arctic sky. Like sleeping in the African wild, you cannot go for a leisurely stroll outside the lodge since you may just run into a polar bear when you least expect it. There are roughly 950 of these polar bears along Western Hudson Bay shores and roughly 25,000 Beluga whales in nearby waters.
Depending on the time of year you head north, you can kayak or swim with the belugas while viewing their adorable dolphin-like faces through a mask. I jumped off the side of a boat with a dry suit on and did precisely that – the experience was truly incredible. If you head north, be sure to include extra time to hang out with the beluga whales as well — it’s magical to listen to them underwater…a bit like a flock of birds and fish all singing together in unison at the same time. If you’re into native birds, be sure to bring your binoculars since you’re likely to spot some while you’re trekking along the Hudson Bay. If you’re interested in heading north in the summer or fall to hang out with the polar bears and beluga whales, here’s how it works: Read more…
Thanks Renee!
Birgit-Cathrin Duval, aka takkiwrites, a freelance journalist, photographer and author wrote about Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge in A Summer with Polar Bears for the German Web site Taz.de. Note, her story is written in German, but if you have the Google Chrome Browser, you can translate it to English.
Below is an edited excerpt from her article translated to English.
We stutter through the completely flat, soggy tundra. All Terrain Vehicles, known as quads, pulling the trailer on which we sit. You can’t get any closer o the wilderness than this. Andy (our Guide) has spotted a bear, a few hundred meters away. We continue to walk. No one speaks. All are banned, waiting for instructions. Andy proceeds, we follow him. Close together, so as not to startle the bear. But the bear has already spotted us. Curious, like a little boy, he lifts his nose. Andy gives a sign we should stand still. He waits. The polar bear has reacted to our presence. He dissociates himself from us. We will not approach further. But the polar bear comes closer. My heart is beating in my throat. Suddenly the bear disappears into the bushes. Nervously, I step on the spot, only the smacking of rubber boots on the muddy ground is heard. Where’s the bear? Two furry ears and a black pair of eyes appear between green bushes. Somehow cuddly. Read more…
Percy Lipinski, of Vancouver B.C. and a member of TripAdvisor.com, compiled some great videos about his trip to Churchill Wild, including this one entitled Churchill Wild Polar Bear Expedition for CNN iReport, and also submitted the video along with another on Beluga Whales to TripAdvisor.com.
“We hooked up with Churchill Wild to track and observe Polar Bears,” said Percy. “Amazing experience… swimming with very large Beluga Whales is something you will never forget. Don’t forget to bring your splash proof cameras.”
Thanks Percy!
And last but certainly not least the Canadian version of AskMen.com mentioned Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge as part of Cape Tatnum in its Top 10: Isolated Towns. We’re #4!
Thanks to everyone for all the amazing coverage of our polar bear lodges, we really appreciate your insights and efforts. If any of our other guests out there have something they would like to submit: photos, stories, videos, we certainly welcome them here.
Thanks Again!
