Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Many other reviews cover the sublime accommodations, service, food, guide ability and knowledge and we whole heartily agree. Nanuk is second to none. We were fortunate to see bears on all drives and at the lodge within an hour of landing, plus fox, moose and birds. As the bears are looking for pack ice, November seems to be an ideal time to be at Nanuk.
What is not covered in many of the reviews is the remoteness of Nanuk. There are no roads or rail access; everything needs to be flown in and out. Given this we felt the price of the tour was very reasonable and an exceptionally good value.
If you can pick a room, select a room located with the viewing tower. It will mean shorter walks to and from, the lodge's all terrain vehicles.
This is an ECO lodge, meaning water and electricity are not limitless, Plan on short showers and remember to turn off electricity when not in use.
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Public rooms have excellent views. Room windows access inner compound.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Churchill Wild, Owner at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge by Churchill Wild
Responded Nov 28, 2024
Thank you for sharing your thoughtful review! We’re so glad you enjoyed your time at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge and appreciated both the incredible wildlife and the unique remoteness of the location. Your practical tips for future guests are much appreciated as well—thank you for highlighting the eco-conscious spirit of the lodge. We hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable adventure! Warm regards, The Churchill Wild Team
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Great trip and well organized. From pre trip information, to welcome dinner in Winnipeg, all the way back to Winnipeg, everything was well organized and informed. The staff are wonderful.Danny and Emma were great lodge managers. Our guides were informative and great (Mike, Emri and Colleen). Service staff also lovely (Shelby, Lynette and the Brit whose name I can’t recall), Food was incredible considering the location. Rotating meals that were nutritious and large. I especially loved the rotating Canadian wines at dinner - I’ve only really had sweet Niagara wine from Canada before and some of the BC wines were lovely. Beds comfortable and rooms nicely appointed. The only downside is hot water runs out at times. Of note, you have to stay 100meters from the bears for safety so bring a large camera lens. Mike won’t let you pet the bears (totally kidding about wanting to pet them). There are black bear who routinely hang around the lodge for close viewing. Wonderful experience and everyone was great.
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Churchill Wild, Owner at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge by Churchill Wild
Responded Oct 15, 2024
Thank you for the great review! We’re glad you had a wonderful experience and enjoyed the company of our team, the food, and those lovely Canadian wines. We’re happy you got to see both polar and black bears, and will also take note of the hot water issue. Thanks again for choosing us for your adventure! Kind Regards, The Churchill Wild Team
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This was truly a bucket list trip. As with any wildlife adventure, sometimes the animals don’t deliver. However, that was not the case for us at Nanuk, on the 2023 Polar Bear Photo Safari. We saw polar bears on most days, as well as a black bear, moose, wolves and other animals. The location of the lodge, combined with the skill of the three guides, Michael, Emri and Adam, ensured we the best possible chance of seeing the magnificent polar bear. The whole team at the lodge (and the guides in Churchill) were fantastic and went out of their way to ensure that the guests were looked after. Each day there were two safaris, morning & afternoon. We mostly went out in vehicles called ‘Rhinos’ which were used to search for polar bears. They are needed as the bears tend to be some distance from the lodge (although we had one walk right past the lodge gate!) and there is plenty of partly frozen rivers etc to cross. The vehicles are open air and there was plenty of space and viewing room for everyone. When a bear was spotted, and the guides determine it was safe, we walked with the guides to a safe viewing point. As an example of their help when walking on the ice myself and another woman did not think we would make it. Adam (one of the guides) helped us by supporting our arms so we could stay with group and got to see the polar bear on the ice. Such a highlight! We had an excellent trip (with lots of laughs at the lodge) and Nanuk was a great place to see polar bears, as well as the beautiful wilderness where it is located. Thanks to all there for a great trip!
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Churchill Wild, Owner at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge by Churchill Wild
Responded Dec 18, 2023
Hi there! We are so happy to hear that you had an amazing trip at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge; it's wonderful that Adam gave a helping hand when needed. Sounds like you were able to see a variety of wildlife! Thanks so much, The Churchill Wild Team
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Very disappointed considering the $$$$$. ‘Walk with Polar Bears’.?? We shouldn't have fallen for it; you are not allowed to leave the vehicle for safety anyways. Location while idyllic, is landlocked by a lodge landing airstrip, then some thin forests and then a 2-3 ft deep stream ( per the guides) on one of the two exit ways that could not be crossed by their vehicles (not tundra buggies) when in freeze/semi freeze conditions .. all these factors disadvantaged our prospects of sighting. Since bears stay near feeding grounds or dens, you have to get lucky with a stray. We had four days just driving over the same tracks in just one direction…a faint movement at the horizon edge with 20/40 vision and powerful field glasses (the outline of the back of a walking bear) counted as a bear sighting on two days! ‘Tracking’ was basically driving the same lanes every day hoping to find something..Lodge Staff double as driver/trackers…lots of binocular prospecting of the horizon to check off as a sighting. Without a tundra buggy with huge wheels, we could not wade through a bordering stream and hence could not go in one of the two directions at all over four days. We did grab ‘defeat from the jaws of victory’ on day 1 when a bear started making a bee line to us — before disturbance from vehicle movements at an inopportune times or just caution — spooked the bear who abruptly turned around and booked away from us…that was an expensive miss, given the scarcity factor. That was an encounter at 200-220 meter (best guess, and corroborated by one of the guides ). Another client on our trip did catch a wolf out of their lodge window on one of the four days. Otherwise, it was a lot of wolf paw tracks but no wolves either.
CW’s short duration tours at Nanuk are particularly risky for clients since any blizzard and icy conditions prevent you from crossing the stream given the location position and their vehicles. Plenty of stunning Visitor photos on the website, and hard to tell how much the passing of the years has affected the hit rate on viewing the bears…so look over the photos and dates carefully and be aware of the big risk…there is no recourse from CW if you strike out. Ironically, picture below is of a stray bear at the Town of Churchill Airport, after we ended the $$$$$ tour:( and landed back in Churchill! There is a moral here somewhere? The good reviews about the Lodge comforts, kitchen and the wonderful Staff were the high points in our experience, , but we will be planning a recovery Polar trip and doing a lot more research on location, tracking and field trip logistics and risks…mission singularly unaccomplished this time around and wont be returning. If this was billed as a Polar Ecotour with possibility for bear sighting, it would have been more true to our particular tour experience.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Polar tours are hit and miss with no recourse; rosy promotions and come-ons need to discounted...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Churchill Wild, Owner at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge by Churchill Wild
Responded Dec 18, 2023
Hi there! Thank you writing about your experience, although it was not a good one. We are saddened to hear that you did not enjoy your trip. Please reach out to us by email as we would like to talk with you personally about your experience. Best Wishes, The Churchill Wild Team
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I would not call this a vacation. It was an experience I will never forget. The staff from the lodge managers to the chefs to the hospitality staff were wonderful. Five stars. They accommodated my diet wonderfully. I always felt safe while out walking with the polar bears with the well trained guides. I learned so much about the arctic and wildlife here I had to make a list. Every evening was a presentation and each outing was very informative. The weather can change very quickly, most outings here were on the ATV “trains” so it is easy to bring anything you think you might need for comfort. Everyday we saw polar bears and black bears as well. We saw a pack of wolves wandering around the lodge twice. Northern lights were amazing two nights while we were at this lodge. This is a remote lodge in a VAST area of wild land. Yes, it is pricey but after being here and understanding what is put into getting supplies out here I feel like it was a bargain. If you are on the fence about booking do yourself a favor and go.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Churchill Wild, Owner at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge by Churchill Wild
Responded Sep 7, 2024
Hi Susan - thank you so much for your incredible review! We're thrilled that your experience with us was unforgettable, and it's wonderful to hear that our team made you feel welcome, safe, and well cared for. Walking with the polar bears, seeing the northern lights, and witnessing such incredible wildlife up close truly makes for a special adventure. Your kind words mean the world to us, and we’re so glad the remote beauty of the Arctic made the journey worth it. Thank you for choosing us and for sharing your recommendation! Best Wishes, The Churchill Wild Team
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Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge is located in an uninhabited area twice the size of Switzerland. Therefore, wildlife is largely undisturbed by humans allowing for incredible upclose encounters of polar bears and wolves. We stayed at this lodge for almost three weeks in November. The lodge is just wonderful, very cozy with a fireplace and large windows overlooking the Hudson Bay coast. The guides have years of experience in this environment and made us feel safe even when walking with polar bears. Evenings were mostly spent with short talks about wildlife. But we also enjoyed just spending time talking to our fellow guests, that travelled here from all over the world. The lodge offers an incredible level of comfort for its extremely remote location. There is running hot water, showers, flush toilets, heating - everything to make the stay enjoyable. We especially want to mention the food, which is delicious. Already breakfast is a multi course experience. Lunch, appetizers and dinner are not falling short of that in any way! We can highly recommend this lodge and would like to thank the wonderful staff, that made our stay so very enjoyable. We have already booked our next trip!
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Date of stay: November 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Churchill Wild's Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge is a remote luxury lodge located on the shores of Hudson Bay in the middle of a vast wilderness area. It can only be reach by plane from Winnipeg via Thompson or Churchill. The primary purpose of our visit in March 2024 was to observe the resident pack of Great Plains (or Cloud) wolves. These wolves have never been hunted, are not collared and are not baited. They are completely wild, unafraid of humans, and very curious. This means that visitors to the lodge have a high chance of one or more close encounters with the pack whilst travelling across the coastal plain and up frozen rivers into the surrounding boreal forest by kometek. We had several amazing encounters with 8 of the wolves during which the pack approached our group to within a couple of meters. Our expert guides, including Nat Geo photographer, Jad Davenport, located the pack and positioned our group on a track in front of the wolves so that the wolves would naturally pass our position. The wolves ended the day by bedding down around the lodge, such that we were able to get extended views of their natural behaviour. That day was almost certainly our single best wildlife encounter ever! The lodge itself is extremely comfortable, the food great and the staff are excellent. Our guides gave optional presentations to us most evenings on the surrounding area, the wolves and how best to photograph them. Although the trip is very expensive, our close encounters with the wolves made it worth the cost. Everything about this trip exceed our expectations!
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Date of stay: March 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Go in March rather than November.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Churchill Wild, Owner at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge by Churchill Wild
Responded Mar 27, 2024
Hi Martin! Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review on your recent trip. It's great to hear that you had some amazing encounters with the wolf pack, especially when they spent the day around the lodge. Thank you for your kind words regarding our lodge experience :) Best Wishes, The Churchill Wild Team
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This whole trip offered by Churchill Wild was out of this world. The entire organization is flawless. After being flown into the remote lodge somewhere on the coast of Hudson Bay we settled into our spacious and very comfortable ensuite room before having a delicious lunch. This was served in the wonderfully welcoming and warm central area, which serves as dining room, lounge, meeting room and viewing area. Amazing views out across the Bay. The next few days were spent driving and walking our on the taiga/coastal wetlands in search of wildlife. We were fortunate to see several polar bears, including a mother and cub, all at some distance. Then there were the wolves! We had incredible close up encounters with several wolves on different days. The Northern Lights obliged by showing up two nights in a row. Birds everywhere. What's not to like! The food was great, the staff are excellent, the guides some of the best we've ever encountered. Wish we'd stayed longer. The overall experience is akin to an African Safari, but in completely different habitat.
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Date of stay: September 2022
Value
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The family run, Churchill Wild, leaves no detail out. The lodge at Nanuk is simple and beautiful. The rooms are spacious, the main lodge is appointed w ample space to stretch out and warm up by the fire. The homemade meals are tasty and healthy w yummy desserts! The guides have a love for the area and are steeped in knowledge of the animals, tracks, flora and fauna. We were fortunate to experience time w wolves during our visit. We were very safe and loved every minute. The guides tracked the wolves and are familiar w the behaviors of this pack. Still - very fortunate that the wolves decided to appear. Wildlife is very unpredictable. You leave w a new found appreciation for the wilds of northern Manitoba. Be sure to abide by the recommended clothing lists and listen to the guides! They will keep you safe!
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Abide by the recommended clothing lists and listen to your guides.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have done many safaris worldwide but never in the North. Always want the best most authentic experience which tends to be expensive but well worth it. Churchill Wild is a family run firm who pioneered walking safaris with Polar Bears. Like other reviewers did not want a drive around Churchill in a tundra buggy. Adventure began with flight in in 10seater plane to vast wilderness area where you are the only people, spotting bears, moose and caribou on the way. The wildlife do not fear humans as never had bad experiences with them. This lets you walk to within 100 metres of polar bears and view a pack of wolves and their cubs at close quarters. Small group (9 in our case but lodge can sleep 16) worked well, food and lovely friendly attitude of all the staff were brilliant. Special mention to Terry and Emery our great guides with 25+ years guiding experience between them - never felt in any way unsafe. They also gave informative talks on wolves and polar bears in the evening Make sure you pack your thermals even in summer as windchill in open vehicles! Testimony to the quality of wildlife experience was a wildlife filming crew were also staying along with National Geographic photographer who also gave us and interesting talk on the construction of a NatGeo article and how to take the best pictures.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Take heed of excellent packing advice sent with booking!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Churchill Wild, Owner at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge by Churchill Wild
Responded Sep 21, 2023
Hi Jan and David! We really appreciate you taking the time to leave us a review; thank you for your kind words and we will pass the comment onto Terry and Emery! :) Best Wishes, The Churchill Wild Team
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Milngavie, United Kingdom537 contributions261 helpful votes
Don’t need to be particularly fit - walking on the flat ( in welly boots which they provide) for maybe up to half a mile each way to within 100metres of the bears if they look relaxed and happy with people approaching.
Hi! We see polar bears from July through November at the Churchill Wild polar bear lodges. It really depends on what type of weather you prefer and what you would like for a photographic backdrop. In August you have the long grasses and flowers, in September you have the fall colours and in October/November you have the snow and ice.
Early August seems to be the time that would suit you. I have just come back from there and this year seems to have been unusually hot so not as many pink flowers actually covering the fields but still plenty about. Saw amazing lights and after a day or two the weather cooled and the polar bears were more active. It is a wonderful place.
There are more places to choose from in the Churchill area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
nanuk polar bear hotel manitoba
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge
LOCATION
CanadaManitobaChurchill
NUMBER OF ROOMS
8
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