These Polar Bear Tours Provide a Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

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If you’re lucky enough to see a polar bear at the zoo, you will instantly fall in love. These majestic creatures are beautiful. They have black skin and clear fur that appears white. They live in coastal and floating ice fields, hunting seals, walruses, and seabirds. These Arctic animals are awe-inspiring, especially when you can see them in their natural environments. Sadly, there are only about 20,000-25,000 polar bears left in the world.

If you love polar bears as much as we do, then you have to sign up for a polar bear tour! These unique tours in Canada, Norway, and other locations often pair you up with a local guide to give you insider knowledge into where polar bears like to roam. You’ll get to ride a bus, boat, or helicopter to see these amazing creatures in action. Just don’t forget to bundle up!

Keep in mind: before you book a trip, be sure to check local laws, as certain polar bear spaces may be temporarily off-limits. Then, bring a camera and your sense of adventure, because any of these trips will be unforgettable!

Fresh Tracks Canada: Classic Churchill Polar Bears

If you want to see polar bears, the best place to go is the Polar Bear Capital of the World, of course! This polar bear hotspot is located in Churchill, Manitoba, in Canada. Fresh Tracks Canada offers many different tour options, like their Classic Churchill Polar Bears six-day tour. Go in October or November, when polar bears migrate from the Churchill Wildlife Management Area to Hudson Bay, where they hunt seals on ice. You’ll get to ride on a heated tundra buggy, go dogsledding, and learn about northern Manitoba’s Indigenous culture at the Itsanitaq Museum.

You can tweak the trip to fit your travel needs, but after arriving in Winnipeg, a typical itinerary includes exploring the sites, maybe renting some winter clothes (it can get down to 9 degrees F in the fall!), and meeting your guide and group. The next day, you’ll take a short flight to Churchill to see polar bears and explore the area for a few days, flying back to Winnipeg at the end of day 5 and ending the trip on the sixth day.

For those who don’t like roughing it, this is a great option. You’ll stay in comfortable hotels, like the charming Tundra Inn or the amenity-packed Lakeview Signature Hotel.

People love this trip, with one five-star reviewer writing, “I don’t know how to top this trip. It was an adventure of a lifetime. I loved seeing all the polar bears in their natural habitat and the dog sledding.” We think it sounds perfect!

Prices begin at $6,770 per person and include hotel accommodations, most meals, and guided activities. Learn more at CanadaPolarBears.com.

Natural Habitat Adventures: Canada’s Premier Polar Bear Adventure

When you take a Natural Habitat Adventures tour, you get to ride in their custom-built Polar Rovers! These cool vehicles have steel-mesh flooring and large windows, so you get a good look at these impressive creatures from almost any angle. You’ll also learn more about Arctic life on their tours and see some of the best wildlife viewing zones, as the touring company holds exclusive rights to some of them.

Natural Habitat’s Canada’s Premier Polar Bear Adventure is 6-7 days in the fall, starting in Winnipeg. You will spend one night in the historic Fort Garry Hotel, where you will get to borrow Arctic-style parkas and winter boots at no extra cost. Then, you’ll fly to Churchill, ride in small groups of no more than 16 to see the polar bears interacting, playing, and walking through the freezing environment. You will also get to see beautiful sites, including a possible appearance from an Arctic fox and an Arctic hare. During your stay, you can go out on a nighttime tundra excursion for a chance to see the northern lights. Dog sledding is also included in the tour, and optional helicopter rides are available for an extra cost.

Prices begin at $7,995 plus the cost of an internal air flight. Learn more at NatHab.com.

Swoop Arctic: Into the Polar Bear’s Realm

Looking for a more immersive polar bear experience? Swoop Arctic will take you on their Into the Polar Bear’s Realm tour, a 10-12 day adventure in Svalbard, Norway. Your adventure begins in Helsinki, Finland, where you will hop on a flight to Longyearbyen in Svalbard, which is located inside the Arctic Circle. Embark on your expedition ship, where you will cruise around Spitsbergen for seven days and enjoy the scenic views, including fjords, polar flora, and glaciers.

In addition to polar bears, you might spot Brünnich’s guillemots, which are thick-billed murres, and walruses. You can also take an optional kayaking excursion to get even more up-close-and-personal with the unique scenery. By the end of the trip, you’ll return to Longyearbyen and fly back to Helsinki, where you can book a trip home.

Prices begin at $10,190. Learn more at Swoop-Arctic.com.

Polar Tours: Springtime in Svalbard

Spring is the perfect season to see polar bears and other stunning wildlife in Svalbard. According to Polar Tours, the month of May is a great time to see glittering snow and ice against the vibrantly colored skies. You can spot the Arctic fox, the Svalbard reindeer, walruses, polar bears hunting for seals, and birds like the king eiders and rock ptarmigans.

Polar Tours’ Springtime in Svalbard tour takes guests on the MS Quest, an expedition ship with private cabins to relax in when you aren’t trying to photograph the area’s breathtaking beauty. The 9-day exhibition begins in Longyearbyen, where you will head either north or south, depending on ice and weather conditions.

A sample itinerary includes docking at the Cliff of Alkhornet, where you can see barnacle geese, Brünnich’s guillemots, glaucous gulls, snow buntings and tens of thousands of kittiwakes, along with some Arctic foxes. You may also visit Kongsfjorden, where the 14th of July Glacier is located, or admire the natural beauty in Raudfjorden. One place that polar bears like to visit is Hornsund, which has stunning fjords that the polar bears like to hang out in.

One happy customer reported, “Our guides did an excellent job of taking us to places where we could observe the wildlife whether in the Zodiacs or on the ship. Their enthusiasm for the Arctic animals and plants was contagious. This was a memorable and joyful adventure!”

Prices begin at $7,090. Learn more at PolarTours.com.

Tsigaar Naasor: Polar Bear & Muskox Experience  

Experience the Arctic like a local by going on a Tsigaar Naasor tour at Ittoqqortoormiit, East Greenland, home of the world’s largest fjord system and the largest national park on earth.

Travel there by way of Reykjavik or Akureyri in Iceland to Nerlerit Inaat (Constable Point), then take a helicopter, boat, or snowmobile transfer to get to Ittoqqortoormiit. This remote location (it only has one restaurant!) is a wonderful place to see polar bears in the wild. Book their Polar Bear & Muskox Experience, and ogle these animals that are present year-round in this icy location. Try to find polar bears or muskoxen, a historic animal from the far north, while sledding or sailing through the fjords, or by taking an ATV tour. You’ll learn about this distinct ecosystem and the delicate balance of the Arctic while having fantastic opportunities for photo ops.

One of the most unique parts of the trip is that you won’t stay in a hotel while you’re there. You’ll actually get to rest in a local family’s home, where you can see their culture, customs, and daily routines firsthand. These cozy homestay accommodations ensure you will get the real East Greenland experience, as you sleep in your own room and share bathrooms, living areas, and kitchens with the homeowners, enjoying their delicious food and hearing stories from their lives. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip, and you will love every minute of it.  

Prices vary. Learn more on EastGreenland.com.

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