Black Bears of Riding Mountain add-on

Riding Mountain is a vibrant wilderness oasis set high above the prairie in a landscape of rolling aspen and spruce forests, wildflower-filled meadows, crystal-clear streams and a profusion of lakes and wetlands. The wildlife of the area includes Black Bear, Bison, Moose, Coyote, Wolf and Beaver and the birdwatching is good here too. This short stay on a private ranch run by wildlife enthusiasts offers daily wildlife safaris, bear-viewing hides and optional horse-riding - you may of course extend your stay here if you wish!

"Imagine a vibrant wilderness where the landscape is a lush mosaic of rolling aspen and spruce forests, prairie meadows filled with wildflowers, sparkling blue lakes, wetlands filled with wildlife and crystal-clear streams linking necklaces of beaver ponds. Imagine awakening beside a secluded lake to the call of a loon in a cozy country home. Add to this your anticipation of wildlife encounters as you set out at first light on a safari to see wild creatures in their natural habitat. Or just imagine the thrill of sitting in a safe blind and secretly watching bears and other animals, at close range, go about their normal activities."

If this sounds like your type of vacation, Candy and Dr Jim Irwin invite you to join them and share the natural treasures and wildlife adventures. Their soft-adventure wildlife holidays offer you an opportunity to see, photograph and learn about many of North America's wildlife species and their natural habitats.

If you are really interested in wildlife photography, they also have a bus-blind by a shallow bay on our private lake. Here many species have been observed and photographed - Common Loon, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Ringed-necked Duck, American Wigeon, Redhead, Canvasback, Ruddy Duck, Golden Eye, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Least Sandpiper, Greater and Lesser yellowlegs, Killdeer, Redwinged and Yellow Headed blackbirds, Forrester and Black terns, Bald Eagle, Redtailed Hawk and furry critters like coyotes, deer, badgers and ground squirrels.

If you're an animal lover, you can wander about their yard and visit the friendly horses, Billie our tame Whitetail deer, Goatie, the grouchy goat, Cha-chi and Rio their inseparable, affectionate donkeys, Sam and Asia our overly-friendly dogs, Poofer and Peaches - two love-starved cats and our assorted, somewhat aloof flock of ducks.