Journey to Canada’s Far North in Manitoba This Summer to Watch Belugas
CHURCHILL, MANITOBA, CANADA – You’ll travel by tour boat and by speedy Zodiac; you’ll board a giant “tundra buggy” to ride onto the fragile tundra. Your objective is the pods of diminutive Beluga whales that congregate in the mouth of the Churchill River by the thousands. It’s a summer tour to Canada’s far north that will introduce you to the flora, fauna and history of one of Manitoba’s most unique towns.
The five-day/four night “Churchill Beluga Whale Tour” is locally guided and is offered by The Great Canadian Travel Company, North America’s foremost experts in travel to “The Top of the World.” This savvy travel company is an expert on travel to far northern and Arctic destinations.
Highlight of your visit is a three-hour boat tour to view pods of Beluga whales as these magnificent, playful mammals migrate along the coast of Hudson Bay. Literally thousands may be in the mouth of the Churchill River at any one time. Boats are equipped with onboard hydro phones that magnify the vocalizations of these whales. Your tour boat makes a stop for an interpretive tour of historic Fort Prince of Wales, a massive stone fortress where you can immerse yourself in the diverse history of the Hudson’s Bay Company and the fur trade of the 1700s.
The Beluga are small whales that are extremely vocal-sounds that prompted early whalers to call them “sea canaries.” You’ll have a second opportunity to view these creatures during a one-hour Zodiac tour that puts you virtually eye-to-eye with them.
Other encounters with wildlife may occur during an afternoon set aside for a tundra buggy tour, providing a rare opportunity to travel across the tundra and perhaps sight a ptarmigan, arctic fox, snowy owl or caribou. This vehicle accommodates 36 passengers, is well heated and equipped with a washroom. Its 10-feet-diameter tires allow unparalleled and low-pressure access onto the fragile tundra. The driver is well versed in local conditions and the best spots for photography.
Cost of this trip is $1875 Canadian (approximately $1800 US) per person, based on double occupancy. The five-day/four night package includes round-trip air transportation between Winnipeg and Churchill, three nights’ accommodations in Churchill, plus all scheduled tours and excursions. These include a half-day tundra buggy tour, a town and area tour, three-hour boat tour and one-hour Zodiac tour. Also included is one night’s hotel accommodation at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Winnipeg. Seven flight departures to Winnipeg/Churchill are scheduled throughout July and August. The single supplement is $550 Canadian (app. $530 US).
Reservations and additional information available from The Great Canadian Travel Company, 800-661-3830, www.greatcanadiantravel.com. The URL for the Beluga Whale program is http://www.greatcanadiantravel.com/tours/canada-usa/manitoba/churchill-beluga-whale-tour
March 3, 2010
Posted in: Canada