Grizzly & Polar Bear Adventure

Day 1. Depart London

Depart for Vancouver where you spend a night at the Fairmont Airport Hotel.

Days 2 to 5. Campbell River [B (Days 4 & 5 only), L & D (Days 3 to 5 only)]

Fly to Campbell River for a 1-night stay at Heron's Landing, before continuing by float plane to Knight Inlet Lodge for a 3-night stay.

In the wild and pristine region of Western Canada's Pacific north-west, a select few travellers are afforded the incomparable thrill of close encounters with some of North America's most impressive creatures - massive Brown (Grizzly) Bears, soaring Bald Eagles and large pods of Orca Whales. Our wilderness break visits this untouched area 70 kilometres north of Campbell River for a wildlife and photography adventure few can rival. Your trip begins with a 30-minute floatplane flight over the Johnstone Strait to Glendale Cove where Knight Inlet Lodge is situated. This will be your base for the next six nights.

The activities at Knight Inlet vary from season to season and even from week to week, depending upon animal migrations. From early May until the end of June the grizzlies are in the estuary very close to the lodge, feeding on the sedges and succulents that abound. At this time young bear cubs and new life explode in the bay and all wildlife-viewing is enjoyed from the water. The bears are frequent travellers along the shores in this season and it is not uncommon to see twelve to fifteen different bears in a day, while in Johnstone Strait seals, sea lions, porpoises, dolphins and the occasional Minke Whale may be seen.

Knight Inlet Lodge accommodates a maximum of 30 guests in floating wooden cabins, most of which have lounge areas with wood burning stoves. The bedrooms are cedar-panelled and have their own private bathrooms. Public areas include a rustic dining hall and lounge area. The lodge exhibits an assortment of construction styles dating from the 1940's when the original float housed a logging camp.

Estuary tours, jetboat tours up the Kliniklini River, excursions to the upper reaches of Knight Inlet and day trips to the Thompson and Bond Sounds are also available, offering more stunning scenery, magnificent wildlife and of course superb photographic opportunities.

Days 6 & 7. Vancouver & Winnipeg [B (Day 6 only)]

Fly back to Vancouver via Campbell River for a further night at the Fairmont Airport Hotel. The next day fly on to Winnipeg for a night at the Hotel Fort Garry.

Days 8 to 10. Churchill [B, L, D]

Continue by air to Churchill for a 3-night stay at comfortable hotel accommodation. Enjoy two full day Polar Bear-viewing excursions aboard tundra buggies. As well as Polar Bears you may also see Arctic Fox, Caribou, Snowy Owl and Ptarmigan. You may also have the opportunity to visit Cape Merry and visit the local sled dogs, where Polar Bears can often be seen interacting with the dogs.

Churchill, the 'Polar Bear Capital of the World', is the only human settlement where Polar Bears can be observed in the wild and it lies right in the bears migratory path. Our tours here are planned for October and November, at the time of the annual migration towards the Cape Churchill area. The bears generally spend the summer along Churchill's coastline not hunting, but conserving energy and trying to stay cool - they will have been here since mid-June. As winter approaches they begin to move towards the Cape which is where the sea freezes over first and as soon as the ice is thick enough, the bears head north where they spend the winter hunting.

Under the cover of darkness you need to turn your eyes towards the sky since the Northern Lights are spectacular in this area, with the highest intensity of Arctic auroral activity said to occur over this region.

Days 11 to 13. Homeward [B (Days 11 & 12 only)

Fly back to Winnipeg for your last night at Hotel Fort Garry, before catching your homeward overnight flight.