Churchill Polar Bears

Tundra Buggy: The tour spends two days in a Tundra Buggy, a large six-wheel drive vehicle specially designed and built for off-road travel in a cold climate. Riding on huge low pressure agricultural tires, the Tundra Buggy can move safely over the snow and ice. It has comfortable seats and is equipped with a heater, restroom, and radio communication to Churchill. Sliding glass windows permit an unobstructed view. With the floor at a height of 2.1 metres and the windows opening at 3 metres, passengers are high enough to be safe from curious polar bears. Although our group will likely occupy at least half of the Tundra Buggy, there will be other travelers on board. This gives plenty of space to move around, so each person has a window seat and the rear outside deck is not so crowded.

Churchill accommodation: Accommodation during the bear viewing season is very limited and the demand for rooms is far greater than availability. Only 4 single rooms are permitted. Wells Gray Tours offers this tour about every 3 years and it is limited to 15 people. Churchill lodging is basic and comfortable.

Wells Gray Tour Director: A Wells Grey tour director is with you on October 21 (starting from one of the five cities) and October 22, and sees you onto your Churchill flight on October 23. A Churchill guide from Frontiers North looks after all your activities on October 23 through 26.

Clothing: Dress warmly, no matter what weather forecast you see for Churchill. You will be outside a lot and it is easy to get chilled, even in late October. Bring a winter coat, winter pants, warm sweatshirt, heavy sweater, warm underwear, toque, and warm gloves. You could also purchase the winter gear rental option.

Comprehensive travel insurance: Comprehensive travel insurance is required by the Churchill tour company including without limitation medical, emergency evacuation, trip cancellation, and interruption insurance. If you do not buy insurance through Wells Gray Tours, it is essential that you check your policy carefully. Insurance with your credit card or employee benefits may not cover what you need.

Flight seating: We are unable to take requests for window or aisle seating on the planes. The airline will not accept them, as group seating is assigned as a block. If this is important to you, we suggest you take the “No Flight” option with a fare reduction of $850 and book your own flight which allows seat selection. This applies to the British Columbia to Winnipeg and return flights only.

Flight delays or cancellations: Flights can be delayed or cancelled at the last minute, sometimes causing a missed connection. Wells Gray staff will try to assist with rebooking, but the airline usually wants to talk with the individual passenger. There may be an extra payment required if the issue is weather. Wells Gray Tours is not allowed to interfere with this process. Check that your travel insurance policy has a flight delay benefit because that is usually your best recourse for recouping additional flight costs.

Food Allergies: You must notify us no later than at final payment if you have a food allergy. Restaurants in Churchill may not be able to satisfy all food allergies due to the remote location. It is impossible to handle everybody’s requests for food preferences. An allergy causes medical distress, a preference does not. For some allergies, please consider bringing your own snacks or food items so you are not dependent on what restaurants are able to serve.

Payments: A deposit of $1,000 per person is requested at the time of booking and balance is due June 19, 2025. By paying the deposit, you agree to the Terms & Conditions, Activity Level 3 Declaration, and Cancellation Policy outlined. Payments can be made by online banking or cheque (1.5% discount on tour fare), or by Visa or Mastercard ($5,000 limit per person on credit cards).

Early Booking Bonus: Receive a $200 discount on the first 4 seats and $100 on the next 4 seats for booking early with deposit. The discount is not offered after June 19, 2025.

Cancellation policies: The hotel, Tundra Buggy, and Churchill airline all impose strict cancellation policies due to the high demand during polar bear viewing season and the difficulty of reselling space if a late cancellation occurs. All payments that Wells Gray Tours makes to the Churchill tour operator are non-refundable. We must commit to using all contracted services by June 19, 2025, therefore early booking on this tour is vital. Churchill rooms may be recalled from our block at any time if unsold, and it is very unlikely that we can get a room for a late booking.

Cancellation Policy: Up to May 20, 2025, the cancellation charge is $850 per person. From May 21 to June 19, the cancellation charge is $1,000 per person. From June 20 to July 18, the cancellation charge is 50% of the tour fare. After July 18, there is no refund.

Itinerary and Fare Changes: Our many suppliers may notify us about changes to the itinerary prior to departure and sometimes during the tour. We do our best to substitute a similar service if something cancels, but occasionally the only alternative is to provide a refund for the missed activity. Please note that if we are forced to cancel a tour component due to an issue beyond our control, the current penalties still apply if you choose to cancel the entire tour. Fuel surcharges and changes to taxes or other tour costs can occur at any time, therefore Wells Gray Tours reserves the right to increase fares due to such changes up to departure.

Travel Insurance: A Comprehensive Insurance policy is available through Wells Gray Tours and coverage is provided by Travel Guard. Policies purchased at deposit include a waiver of the pre-existing condition clause for medical and cancellation claims, otherwise policies can be purchased no later than at final payment. This tour stays in Canada, but medical costs can vary wildly from one province to another. Remember that travel insurance typically provides cancellation coverage if you get sick the day before at home or you are in an accident or your flight is cancelled due to weather. Medical questionnaire is not needed. Please contact us for details. If you have your own travel insurance, please read the policy carefully to be sure that you are adequately covered for medical, cancellation, interruption, emergency evacuation, and luggage.

Photo Credits: Pexels (cover photo), Frontiers North (Tundra Buggy), tour director Marion (Dog Sledding in Churchill, Wells Gray Group by Tundra Buggy’s Tire), Tourism Manitoba (Itsanitaq Museum), and Adobe Stock (Polar Bear).

Experience Points or E-points: This tour earns 155 e-points. Each time you travel on a Wells Gray tour, you earn e-points that are added to your account after the tour returns. One e-point equals $1. Redeem your earned points on select tours or accumulate enough points to earn a free tour! Redemptions offered until June 19, 2025.

Consumer Protection BC Licenses: Kamloops 178, Vernon 655, Kelowna 588, Penticton 924, Victoria 65842