By air
Churchill (YYQ), flights from Winnipeg
North America · Canada
Churchill, Canada
Polar bears and beluga whales
Getting there
Best time to visit
October to November for polar bears; July to August for belugas
Don't miss
The Wapusk area
The Churchill River
The Prince of Wales Fort
The Itsanitaq Museum
Things to do
Tundra-buggy polar bear tours
Kayaking with belugas
Dog sledding
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Ansgar Walk · CC BY 2.5
What to pack
Serious cold-weather gear
A quieter corner
The northern lights, February to March
Questions travellers ask
When can I see polar bears in Churchill?
October to November. For beluga whales, come July to August instead.
What are the must-dos in Churchill?
Take a tundra-buggy polar bear tour, kayak with belugas or go dog sledding. The Wapusk area, the Churchill River, the Prince of Wales Fort and the Itsanitaq Museum are the sights.
How do I get to Churchill?
By air: flights from Winnipeg land at Churchill (YYQ). Pack serious cold-weather gear.
Can I see the northern lights in Churchill?
Yes, from February to March. And try the Arctic char while you're there.
About Churchill
- Coastal
Where it is
Churchill is a small town in northern Manitoba, Canada, on the western shore of Hudson Bay at the mouth of the Churchill River, where the boreal forest meets the Arctic tundra. No road reaches it; it is linked to the south by rail and air.
History
Chipewyan (Dene) and Cree peoples have long lived in the region, as did the Thule, ancestors of the Inuit. The Hudson's Bay Company built a post here in 1717 and later the stone Prince of Wales Fort, which a French expedition captured without a shot in 1782; the railway was completed in 1929, and a military base and a rocket range operated nearby in the mid-20th century.
People
Fewer than 1,000 people live in Churchill, a mix of Cree, Dene, Inuit and Métis residents and newcomers who work in the port, research, tourism and local services. Guiding, the Churchill Northern Studies Centre and the arrival each autumn of polar bear watchers shape local life.
Known for
- Polar bears in October and November
- Beluga whales in the river in summer
- The northern lights
- The Prince of Wales Fort
- The Itsanitaq Museum's Inuit carvings
Did you know?
Churchill keeps a so-called polar bear jail, where bears that linger in or near town are held after being tranquillised and later released away from people, sometimes by helicopter.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.