Things to do in Churchill

10 activities, venues and outings in Churchill, from theatres and live music to parks and tours.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

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Tamarack Rentals
Same day rentals are almost always possible, and that is the way to go if you are trying to see the aurora (keep up to date on the space and local weather forecasts!) They will pick you up at the airport or train station, if you like. If you have a free day, a rental really is a good activity. Expect to spend at least $100 refuelling before returning. Remember to never lock the doors, so people can escape polar bears!
24-hour support, but try to reach them before 5PM for a same-day rentalSUVs: $95-125/day, passenger vans: $115-160
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Great White Bear Tours
One of two options for tundra vehicles. The reservations people are disorganized and do not take reservations by phone on weekends. Take down names for a bit of extra security when booking. The tour itself, though, is every bit as good as the other company's.
$400 per day
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Helicopter tours
Hudson Bay Heli
Hudson Bay Helicopters is the only helicopter operator in town. Their one-hour Animal Tour is by far their most popular option, and they often guarantee to see wildlife. Caribou and polar bears are the most exciting, since they are big enough to see easily! The Animal tour takes you out to Cape Churchill and Wapusk National Park, and you will see polar bears that no one else gets to see—it's a unique ecosystem to see from a helicopter, and it is worth the money. The tour will also take you over the town, by Miss Piggy and the shipwreck, and Prince of Wales Fort. Photography isn't fabulous from the helicopter, but really, you will want to spend your time looking out the window anyway. Minimum three people. In the summer months they also will offer a day-long charter down to York Factory (see above). Specialty tours require advance notice, but you can just walk up to the door and get on an Animal Tour. Advance payment is never required, as weather can spoil a trip.
Animal Tour: $500/person
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Hiking
Nature 1st Tours
Hiking is a great way to get out of town, experience the different ecosystems, and spot wildlife (especially birds). Tour guides are experts, and will help you find Arctic hare, Arctic and red foxes, caribou, some 200 bird species, and even the occasional polar bear! They also do a cool walking tour of the tidal flats out to MV Ithaca.
May–August$85 half day, $150 full day; children 6-12 years 50% off when accompanied by 2 adults; children under 6 free
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Lazy Bear Arctic Crawler
Run by the Lazy Bear Lodge, this is the smallest operator with just one vehicle, and it usually is filled through their own package tour. It's worth giving them a call, though, if you are having trouble reserving the dates you want with the bigger companies.
$400 per day
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Sea North Tours
Sea North is a dedicated tours-on-the-water company, with a bunch of different options for summer visitors. A really cool tour is the June Flow Ice Tour (which depends on sea ice conditions), which will take you on a two-hour animal spotting tour among the breaking ice, $105. The more standard tour, of course, is the July–August Beluga and Fort Tour, 2.5-3 hours in a Zodiac, $105 adults/$52.50 kids under 13. Kayak and standup paddleboard tours also run July–August at $160/person and $170/person respectively for three hours.
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Tundra Buggy Adventures
Frontiers North Adventures
The original Tundra Buggy operator, which holds the most permits to operate in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. They also operate the Tundra Buggy Lodge (see below).
$400 per day
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Wapusk Adventures
Run by Dave Daley, the owner of Wapusk General Store (see below), this tour won the 2005 Manitoba Aboriginal Tourism Award. Dave is an active racer (and kind of an intense guy), still participating in the Hudson Bay Quest yearly, and also runs an outreach program to aboriginal kids interested in learning more about the heritage of dog sledding. The tour covers one mile.
$90/person
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Blue Sky Expeditions
Run by the owner of Blue Sky B&B (see below), Gerald Azure. Discounts are available for B&B guests. The tour runs year-round, with 2 -mile runs during bear season and 5-mile runs otherwise. In the frozen months of Jan–March, you can also do a half day or even full 30-mile day tour, at $525 for two B&B guests.
$95/guest, $147/non-hotel guest
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Snowmobiling
There is one guy in town, Mike Macri, who will do snowmobile tours, but only well after the river has frozen (usually December–April). If you are interested, and there is a lot of snow on the ground, it's worth giving him a call anyway, and you do not need to pre-book before arriving in Churchill.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Churchill (CC BY-SA 4.0).