Welcome to Churchill, Canada!

It’s both the polar bear and beluga whale capital of the world, and is one of the best places in the world to experience the northern lights – dancing ribbons of colour that blanket the night sky. Churchill – a northern haven where nature’s treasures converge.

Come to Churchill and see majestic polar bears in the wild. Marvel at the Hudson Bay’s thousands of sleek white beluga whales. Revel in a birder’s paradise that offers the chance to spot rare species. Delve into the heart of Canada’s fur trade history and the famed Hudson’s Bay Company in Churchill – the place it all began. It’s your turn – come to Churchill and check something new off your must-see list.

Make the actual journey to Churchill part of your adventure – experience rail travel and the changing landscapes as boreal forest transitions to tundra. Watch as black spruce, jack pine, poplar and white pine slowly give way to tundra, where lichens and mosses dominate and the sparse trees become more shrub-like and windswept, their branches pointing downwind. If you’d rather not dawdle, travel by plane and take in the landscape from the air.

Polar Bears

Churchill Polar Bears Churchill is one of the few human settlements where polar bears can be observed in the wild. Thousands of visitors from around the world visit each fall for the excitement of seeing these magnificent animals. Prime viewing times are in October and November, when the bears move from their summer habitat on the tundra back to seal-hunting territory – the pack ice that forms every winter over Hudson Bay. The bears gather along the shore, waiting for the ice to freeze. Read More

Beluga Whales

Churchill Beluga Whales Nicknamed “sea canaries” for their strange high-pitched whistles, clicking, chirping and other underwater vocalizations, thousands of beluga whales inhabit the warmer waters of the Churchill River after the ice breaks up. Zodiacs and larger passenger boats can take visitors out among the intelligent and curious pods of whales. Listen in on the whales’ conversation using hydrophones and try to figure out what they are saying. Read More

Northern Lights

Churchill Northern Lights The aurora borealis (or northern lights) is a natural phenomenon caused by the interaction of charged particles from the sun with atoms in the upper atmosphere. Scientists from around the world have come to Churchill to study the northern lights in the active night sky – Churchill is one of the top three places on the planet to see the northern lights.

These otherworldly dancing curtains of light glow in a rainbow of colours, and are at their most resplendent in January through March. Under clear winter skies, visitors can watch the colourful artistry of the Aurora borealis light up the pitch-black nights. Grab a front row seat in the comfort of the plexiglass-covered Aurora Domes to watch this spectacular natural lightshow. Read More