CANADA
BELUGAS

Beluga whales gather in Hudson Bay near
Churchill every summer when the pack ice
has broken. Nowhere else in the world you
will see so many of them – up to 60,000!

This ‘Beluga-Boarding’ tour takes us to the Canadian tundra, where we get up close to the belugas in their natural habitat, without stressing the animals. The curious whales decide whether they come to us or not. But visitors quickly realize: there is nothing better for the curious belugas than checking out closely what the strange creatures are doing there. Whether by kayak, on a board or in an inflatable boat. It often doesn’t take long for the whales to get close.

Swimming or diving with whales and dolphins has unfortunately not been allowed in Canada since 2018, so this is no longer possible as it was before.

The white whales come to the sheltered estuary of the Churchill river in the summer to give birth to their young and to spend time with their conspecifics, whom they otherwise may not or only rarely meet in the vastness of the Arctic all year round.

And even if it is for the belugas that we come to Churchill for, another highlight of the tour are undoubtedly the numerous polar bears that spend the summer here waiting for the bay to freeze over again and leave and hunt seals on the pack ice. Churchill is known as the polar bear capital of North America and overall the coexistence between humans and bears is going quite well. However, polar bears that come to the town are regularly caught and spend a while in a “polar bear prison” before being released back into the wild, far away from toen. The aim of the campaign is to give the bears an unpleasant impression of the place. An effective measure that in the end may have saved the lives of many bears and perhaps even people.

But back to the belugas: on the boat trips, floating platforms are pulled behind the boat. You lie on these “boards” in your diving suit and you can watch the belugas approach with your camera and mask/head underwater. Actually, this method worked very well even before the diving ban with whales and dolphins came and many photos in the gallery where taken when the photographer was being dragged behind the boat.

Churchill is remote and cannot be reached by car. It is all the more surprising that there is a train connection. If you decide to travel by train, this is an experience in itself. The journey through the Canadian tundra, which can be admired from the train window, takes just under two days.

This type of journey makes you aware of the remoteness as well as the vastness of the landscape here. Alternatively, there is a connection by plane. A small local airline offers regular flights from Winnipeg to Churchill.

Andy receives the guests on site and accompanies the tour. He has many years of experience with diving, and now also with boarding with the belugas. In addition, he has a license to work as a guide in the province of Manitoba and can therefore lead the regular excursions to observe wild animals himself.

Price per person

from 3,450 Euro

Highlights

A large number of beluga whales
“Boarding” with the “canaries of the seas”
Polar Bears spending the summer in Hudson Bay
Arctic foxes and seabirds
A city in the Arctic, not accessible via roads
Sprawling tundra, Arctic nature
Northern lights (Aurora borealis) if sun activity and clear sky
Two-day train ride through the wilds of Canada

Tour dates

2021

2022

Services

Tour price INCLUDES the following services:

4 morning tours on a zodiac and with local skipper to “board” with belugas
Afternoon tundra tours, looking for polar bears and other arctic animals
Armed guard during all tundra tours
One full day tour with Tundra-Buggy, lunch included
Night excursions to view the Northern Lights
6 nights hotel accommodation in Churchill, double room incl. breakfast

Tour price EXCLUDES the following services:

Getting there (flights and/or train) and possible overnight stays
Wet/drysuits and snorkelling gear (wetsuits can be rented)
Single room supplement
Lunch and dinner
Additional excursions
Visa application, if required
Personal expenses and gratuities
Insurance
All services that are not listed as included

Arrival

Depending on where coming from you first fly to Toronto and from there to Winnipeg/Manitoba. From Winnipeg Calm Air flies on most days to Churchill. Space on flights is limited. Please book early! https://www.calmair.com

For those who have the time the two-day train ride through the epic northern wilderness of Canada can be recommended. http://www.viarail.ca

Please keep in mind that the itinerary for this trip only shows days in Churchill, not including getting there! You might need to add up to 3 or even 4 days each way when planning your tour.

Tour schedule

Please note that depending on where you are coming from, at least two more days are usually required for arrival and departure!

Day 1: Arrival

Check into the lodge and explore the small but lively town of Churchill. Once everyone has arrived, we will take a quick run out to Cape Merry to watch the belugas heading in and out of the Churchill River.

Day 2-5: Experiences pure

Mornings: After a hearty breakfast at the lodge, we will gear up in drysuits or wetsuits (available for rent) and venture into Hudson Bay aboard purpose built zodiacs. When we have located the whales (which usually doesn’t take long), we take turns doing beluga boarding behind the boat. We enjoy interacting with the wild whales, who decide for themselves when and for how long they come to us. Close encounters are normal.

Afternoons: After warming up back at the hotel and grabbing a bite to eat, we’ll jump in our 6-seat-van and head out for a drive through the tundra to spot wildlife such as polar bears, foxes and other arctic species.

After Dark: On nights with high Solar activity, we will head out of town to a picturesque area with no light polution to enjoy and photograph the amazing Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).

Day 6: Tundra tour

On our last day of the trip, while our gear dries out, we will join a full day tundra tour on the world famous Tundra Buggy; a high sided vehicle that ventures right into polar bear territory and affords amazing views over the vast expanses of Arctic tundra.

Day 7: Departure

You will fly out from the local airport or take the overnight train back to Winnipeg.

Weather

Tips

The national languages are English and French. Everybody speaks English.
Currency is the Canadian Dollar (CAD). Prices are bit higher in remote areas.
Credit cards (Mastercard, Visacard, American Express) are generally accepted.
Currency conversion rates vary on a daily basis. Roughly, 1 € = 1,50 CAD, 1 £ = 1,70 CAD and 1 US = 1,20 CAD.
The time zone is GMT -6 (CET -7).
Visa requirements vary by nationality. No visa is required for visitors from US. For EU citizens usually an eTA (electronic travel authorization) is required.
Electric appliances use standard American voltage (120 V) and plugs (types A and B).
We strongly recommend complete insurance coverage (travel cancellation insurance, international health insurance, possibly also baggage insurance and camera equipment insurance).

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COVID-19 travel information

The worldwide COVID-19 situation is changing constantly, some countries are opening up for tourism again while others may remain closed for months. Of course, this makes a booking a bit different. In case your trip has been effected, we will inform you. The impact of COVID-19 is a concern to everyone in the travel industry, including us and our local partners. We are working hard to avoid negative effects for your journey as good as possible.

The Covid-19 protection measures are different per destination. Approximately 30 days prior to departure at the latest, we will have a good idea whether a trip will be cancelled or not. Then we will contact you from the moment we have more information.

What happens if my trip with Northern Explorers gets cancelled?

In case we need to cancel your trip due to COVID-19 measures, you can rebook your trip to the next year. Your deposit will be transferred to the trip, and we will send you a new invoice reflecting your new dates. We will inform you about the options to cancel or change your booking.

What happens if the journey can’t take place due to corona measures?

If the trip can’t take place due to corona measures, there are two options:

1. The travel date will be postponed to a date in 2022.
2. The trip will be cancelled by us and you will receive a voucher to use for booking a new trip.

If you cancel the trip yourself, our normal cancellation policy applies. Please note that additional products (e.g. flights, hotels and other excursions) are excluded from above conditions.

How does Northern Explorers handle preventive and hygiene measures during the trip?

The safety and well-being of our guests and crew continues to be our top priority. We are in regular exchange with our partners regarding regular updates about the specific measures that will be taken to ensure your health and safety.

Do you have a risk-free booking policy?

All existing and new bookings for our 2021 season, will be free to rebook to 2022 season at no costs in case Northern Explorers need to cancel the trips due to the corona virus measures.

What procedures have you put in place for snorkelling activities?

To ensure your health and safety during our snorkelling activities, we recommend to bring your own snorkelling set for use during the trip. All guests keep the same rental equipment (e.g. dry suit) during their entire stay.

Do I need travel insurance?

We always strongly recommend complete insurance coverage (travel cancellation insurance, diving accident insurance, international health insurance, possibly also baggage insurance and camera equipment insurance) also in case of a COVID-19 infection (medical expenses, evacuation, and other expenses).

Important information - diving

Beluga boarding is a way of gently getting close to the animals in their habitat. Of course it has little to do with diving and you don’t need a diving license or previous experience.

With a diving suit, snorkel and mask you lie on the platform and watch or photograph the whales underwater. The platform is pulled by a rubber dinghy and the extremely curious animals follow the platform and come straight towards it. In terms of experience, this activity certainly does not have to shy away from the comparison with a “classic” dive with whales!

For photographing the belugas we recommend cameras with wide-angle and no flash. Action cams also usually give good pictures. The visibility varies, however, as we are here in a river mouth.

The water temperature usually is around 10 to 12°C (50 to 54°F) in the summer.

Picture galleries

Canada Beluga Whales

CANADA
BELUGAS

Highlights

2021

2022

Are you interested in an expedition with us?

Picture galleries

Northern Explorers AS

Destinations

CANADA BELUGAS

Highlights

2021

2022

Are you interested in an expedition with us?

Picture galleries

Northern Explorers AS

Destinations

CANADA
BELUGAS