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Canada’s Big Five Safari

Experience the spectacular wildlife of with an adventure from the dense forest of Riding Mountain National Park, to the colourful tundra of Churchill. Our Big Five Safari is Spend time alongside a salute to the incredible array of megafauna that populate the curious beluga whales in the forests, prairies, tundra and waters of this beautiful province! Churchill River. From , the geographic centre of North America, travel overland to Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP) where the Explore Riding Mountain National boreal forest, meadows and lakes, lofty heights and deep gorges Park in search of black bear, of the Manitoba Escarpment are home to moose, black bears, moose, bision and more. a captive bison herd and more. Enjoy daily wildlife drives to photograph the amazing wildlife and landscapes of the area. Search for Churchill’s summer Next, fly north to Churchill, where the boreal forest gives way wildlife on an official Tundra Buggy adventure. to the rugged tundra and northern waterways. Set out by boat and Zodiac amongst inquisitive beluga whales and explore the Churchill Wildlife Management Area in search of the majestic polar bear. Individual itineraries and inclusions may vary.

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@FRONTIERSNORTH @FRONTIERSNORTH FRONTIERS NORTH ADVENTURES FRONTIERSNORTH.COM v.202106 ©ZHANG YONGPENG viewing experience aspossible. Our expertguidesalways dotheirbest to give you thebest wildlife Churchill frequent River polarbears andsometimes alongtheshore. unregulated. InChurchill there are of belugawhalesinthe thousands spend timeinabisonenclosure. are Themooseandblackbears Wildlife, just like weather, isimpossibleto predict. InRMNPwe will What are thechances of seeingall five animals? to seeallthecity hasto offer. and departatyour leisure. Extend your stay inWinnipegifyou wish Winnipeg for your finalnight.Thenextmorningyou maycheckout by airplane.After two nights inChurchill, you are flown backinto before returning to Winnipeg.We departfrom Winnipegto Churchill a three-hour busrideto RMNP, where you willstay for two nights one nightinahotel. Thenextmorning,your group willdeparton You willarrive inWinnipegby your own arrangements andspend How dowe onthistrip get tolocation each to viewbelugawhales. Management Area, excursion adogcarting andaZodiac excursion National Park, aTundra Buggy®adventure intheChurchill Wildlife includewildlife viewinginRidingMountain The mainactivities onthistrip?What aresomeof theactivities internet access. smoothie shop. Allaccommodations have basicamenities,including the upperlevel of theLakehouse, apopularcoffee, ice cream and The hotel inRMNPislocated indowntown Wasagaming andison The hotels inChurchill are comfortable clean, andcentrally located. What arethehotelslike? way tostaycomfortableisdress inlayers. temperatures from thewindandduringboatexcursions. Thebest varyfromcan 10ºCto12(51 prepared waves for heat over 30ºC(86ºF).Churchill temperatures RMNP temperatures canvaryfrom8ºCto24 Weather Conditions: FREQUENTLY QUESTIONS ASKED @FRONTIERSNORTH ºF to54ºF).Beprepared for colder @FRONTIERSNORTH ºC (47ºFto75 ? ºF). Be FRONTIERS NORTH ADVENTURES Packing Suggestions: frontiersnorth.com/what-to-wear/summer See oursummerpackingchecklist at in thegeneral baggage compartment. would beconsidered checked baggage andwould have to bestored (25cm x40cm30cm).Carry onthatexceeds thesedimensions dimensions permitted foron-baggage carry is10”x16”12” per guest for amaximumtotal of 50lbs(23kg).Themaximum Checked baggage for allflights must belimited to onepiece iconic wildlife. numerous bisonenclosures to protect ourprovince’s most overhunting by European Today, settlers. Manitoba keeps due to extinct In thelate became 1800s,bisonnearly provide thingslike food, shelter andclothing. Nations peoplelivingonTheGreat Plains,andwere usedto right here inManitoba. Theseherds sustained theFirst Bison once roamed by NorthAmerica themillions,including

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HELPFUL TIPS FOR YOUR ADVENTURE

Passports All international travellers are required to have passports to enter . Well before your departure, we invite you to visit the Government of Canada Citizenship and Immigration website for more information. All travellers to and from the United States are required to have a passport. For more information, visit travel.state.gov.

Currency Exchange ©HANDCRAFT CREATIVE We suggest you exchange your currency into Canadian dollars prior to your departure. Currency exchange can be completed at most major banks or international airports. Visa and Mastercard are Extend Your Stay accepted in Churchill at most shops, hotels and restaurants. There Your adventure includes overnight stays in Winnipeg, two before is also an ATM at the Royal Bank in the Bayport Plaza. your departure to Churchill and one after your return from Churchill. However, if you would like to add more time in Winnipeg, please Gratuities contact our office for more information. In North America, it is customary to ‘tip’ staff for what you feel is excellent service. Tipping should be done at your discretion. We are Traveller Expectations happy to provide the following suggestions for your consideration: Unpredictable conditions in the north make it necessary for you Housekeeping staff $2 per day; Restaurant wait staff 15% to 20% to come prepared and be flexible. We want nothing more than for per food bill (only on meals not included in the cost of your tour); every one of our guests to enjoy their time with us. Churchill is a Interpretive Guides and Tundra Buggy Drivers $10 each per day. very unique destination, and you are about to embark on an exciting adventure! Daylight in Churchill You can expect approximately 16 hours of daylight. The later in the Travel Insurance season, the fewer hours of daylight there are. Travel in Canada’s North is not like other parts of the world. You will be travelling to a remote destination. Comprehensive Travel Insurance coverage is mandatory. See our full Booking Terms and Conditions at frontiersnorth.com/adventures/terms-conditions.

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SUMMER PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

Equipment and Settings: Camera Support:

Cameras On Land Any type of camera can be used to capture images while viewing beluga whales, polar Most point-and-shoot cameras can be hand bears or other summer wildlife. Point-and-shoot cameras are fine at times when the held, but cameras with longer lenses need wildlife is nearby, but a camera with a telephoto or long zoom lens allows the most support in order to obtain sharper images. flexibility. A monopod is a good form of support Lenses for your camera when shooting from the Tundra Buggy. It is also recommended to If the camera can accommodate interchangeable lenses, midrange telephoto lenses will bring a beanbag to rest your camera on the give more opportunities to capture images of beluga whales, while longer lenses will be windowsill while shooting. more suited for the other wildlife. Longer lenses also give the effect of being closer to eye level with your subjects. Auto focus lenses work well most of the time but may not be able to function accurately if aimed at belugas below the water surface. When the On Water belugas surface most auto focus systems with perform acceptably. A midrange zoom The most effective method of capturing allows for quick composing and manoeuvrability. images of belugas from the boat is by using Memory Cards a hand-held method. Longer focal length zooms, which are comfortable to hand hold, Make sure you have enough memory card storage with you. Bring extra memory cards work very well. As it is often difficult to and/or have a way to download the images on another storage device, such as a laptop predict where the whales might surface, hand and spare hard drive. It’s common to use 32GB of storage—or more—in a single day. holding the camera allows for quick reaction. TIP: Take a few smaller cards (four 8GB cards) rather than one big card (32GB or 64GB) unless shooting HD or 4K video continuously. If a card breaks, it’s hard to retrieve images. Sensitivity During your time viewing belugas there is a good chance the water will be choppy. You need to compensate for the movement of the boat and the movement of the whales; using a digital capture at 400 ISO is most prevalent. The ability to speed up or slow down your camera’s shutter speed will help as well. For bright summer days it is recommended to use a 100 ISO capture. Exposure Generally, an overall metering of the whale and water will provide pleasing results. Care should be taken when filling the viewfinder with the whale as the meter may be fooled by the white skin. On digital cameras you can check your histograms to check exposure. Also consider a polarizer filter to remove the glare from the water, especially when shooting toward the sun or at belugas before the surface. This will help remove any glare and reflections and provide better results.

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POINTS OF INTEREST AROUND CHURCHILL

The Churchill Inukshuk Located directly on , this large Inukshuk is a popular spot for group photography. Be aware: there are often bear sightings along this shore. Seawalls Churchill Murals Spearheaded by Manitoba artist Kal Barteski, this event transformed abandoned buildings, objects and blank walls around

Churchill into beautiful murals to raise awareness for ocean ©ERIC LINDBERG health and conservation. Transportation required for some murals. Multiple locations throughout Churchill. MV Ithaca Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site The wreck of the MV Ithaca sits 20 km (12 miles) east of Churchill, Travel back through time with a visit to Prince of Wales Fort high and dry when the tide is low and surrounded by water when National Historic Site, the oldest, most northerly stone fort in the the tide is in. Bound for Rankin Inlet in September 1960, the right country and at one time home to the Hudson’s Bay Company of rudder broke in an 80mph gale and it floundered near Bird Cove Adventurers, who lived and died in this harsh environment during where it rests to this day. Transportation required. the 1700s. Your tour includes a tour of this historic site! Miss Piggy Cape Merry National Historic Site The site of a crashed airplane affectionately known by locals as A stone battery built on this site in 1746 provided additional Miss Piggy. The plane crashed in November 1979 as it attempted protection for Prince of Wales Fort across the Churchill River. It is to return to the Churchill airport shortly after takeoff. The plane an excellent location for watching whales, viewing waterfowl or landed in rough terrain and still remains there today. Transportation migrating birds or simply enjoying the panoramic view of Hudson required. Bay. Transportation required. Please note that bear sightings in this area are common. Never walk alone in this area and always be bear Polar Bear Holding Facility aware! The Polar Bear Holding Facility in Churchill is referred to by the locals as Polar Bear Jail. If a bear is repeatedly chased from the Town Centre Complex town it may eventually be captured and put in ‘jail’ for up to 30 Opened in 1976, this expansive structure serves as a focus for many days before being released north of the town or out onto the frozen community activities. The Centre includes the municipal offices for Hudson Bay. Transportation required. The Town of Churchill, the Churchill hospital, Duke of Marlborough School, the public library, as well as a curling rink, arena, swimming pool, cafeteria, bowling alley, indoor playground and theatre.

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POLAR BEAR ALERT PROGRAM

Although “polar bear season” occurs in the autumn months, polar bears actually first return to the Churchill region in summer. It’s good to be prepared no matter which season you travel to Churchill.

Polar bears spend much of their year roaming the ice of Hudson Bay hunting seals. When the ice begins to melt in July, the bears come ashore and remain on land until the bay freezes over in late November. While on land in the summer, the bears eat little and are quite inactive. But as autumn approaches, they begin to move ©SIMON GEE ©SIMON northward along the coast and congregate where the first winter ice forms. This annual movement brings many bears into the town of Churchill each year. IF YOU ENCOUNTER A POLAR BEAR Manitoba Conservation and Climate and the Town of Churchill have worked hard to educate the people of Churchill and visitors about • Stay calm polar bears and how to avoid potentially dangerous situations. Manitoba Conservation and Climate operates the Polar Bear Alert • Stay with your group Program, which has the following objectives: • Back away, facing the bear at all times 1. To protect people and property from the dangers posed by the presence of polar bears. • Do not turn and run away 2. To ensure the conservation of polar bears and avoid undue harassment and killing of bears. • Do not play dead 3. To prevent polar bears in the Churchill area from becoming conditioned to scavenging for food or developing other • Get into your vehicle or a building as fast as possible problem behaviours. 4. To protect Manitoba Conservation and Climate staff who work • Call the Polar Bear Alert line at 204-675-2327 (204-675-BEAR) in the Polar Bear Alert Program.

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