Chris Weston Wildlife Photography

If you prefer to photograph wildlife at eye level then you’ll find no better polar bear photo safari than this. From our remote mobile camp, strategically positioned in “polar bear alley” between Churchill and Arviat on the Hudson Bay coast, each day we explore the tundra in safety and on foot with experienced Inuit guides, getting within close photographic range of the polar bears as they spar, play-fight, forage for food and rest with their heads in their paws. In a small group away from the crowds in Churchill and unhindered by the constraints of the Buggies, you will be able to capture the most authentic, natural images of polar bears you can imagine. And, as the camp is situated along a prime viewing line for Aurora Borealis - the Northern Lights - in the evenings you’ll have an opportunity to capture this most spectacular natural wonder. This isn’t any old polar bear holiday - this is an epic photographic adventure.

Highlights

• Strategically-placed mobile camp for guaranteed encounters
• Photograph polar bears from the ground and in safety
• High concentration of polar bears meaning virtually guaranteed sightings
• Experienced Inuit guides
• Prime viewing area for photographing the Northern Lights
• Polar bear-proof accommodation
• Scenic flight over Hudson Bay Coast
• Small group
• Professional photographic tuition

Description

On your arrival into Winnipeg, you’ll be met and transferred to the Four Seasons hotel, where the group will spend its first night. The next morning, you continue your journey north to Churchill, taking the early morning flight. In Churchill, you are transferred to our private charter plane for the final 40-minute leg of the journey to our remote polar bear-proof mobile camp that, in partnership with the local Arviat Community, is ideally and strategically situated near Arviat, close to the Hudson Bay Coast.

It’s here where, until it freezes later in the year, the 5km-wide Gellini River creates a natural barrier that prevents the polar bears migrating further north, meaning they are almost literally camped on our doorstep. Directly from our camp, using the experience, knowledge and ethics of our Inuit guides, we are able to walk among them in their natural habitat, away from the crowds of Churchill, observing their behaviour and photographing them from the most ideal vantage point - on foot and without the hindrance and limitations of Tundra Buggies.

Your photographic adventure begins from the moment you disembark the private charter plane, flying in from Churchill. For five days, you will be living safely amongst one of the highest concentrations of polar bears on the planet. Our Inuit guides are able to share their intimate knowledge and vast experience of the bears, describing individuals’ personalities and polar bear behaviour, enabling you to capture the most compelling images from some of the best vantage points anywhere in the Arctic.

At night, the photography doesn’t stop. Our camp is situated along the prime Northern Lights viewing band, where the most intense and reliable Aurora Borealis occurs. As soon as the sun begins to set, heads and cameras start looking skyward to capture images of one of the natural wonders of the world.

On the final day, there will be a last chance to capture images of polar bears and other wildlife before we board the private charter plane for a scenic flight and aerial photography over the tundra landscape around Hudson Bay, and where we will also seek the 400,000-strong Quamirjuaq caribou herd. We then head back to Churchill in time to catch your flight to Winnipeg. In Winnipeg, there is a final night at the Four Seasons hotel and a chance to share your thoughts, images and experiences.