©ERIC LINDBERG Canada’s Big Five Safari Experience the spectacular wildlife of Manitoba 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 Winnipeg, 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. Page 1 of 6 @FRONTIERSNORTH @FRONTIERSNORTH FRONTIERS NORTH ADVENTURES FRONTIERSNORTH.COM v.202106 ©ZHANG YONGPENG ©ZHANG FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What are the hotels like? The hotels in Churchill are clean, comfortable and centrally located. The hotel in RMNP is located in downtown Wasagaming and is on the upper level of the Lakehouse, a popular coffee, ice cream and smoothie shop. All accommodations have basic amenities, including internet access. What are some of the activities on this trip? The main activities include wildlife viewing in Riding Mountain National Park, a Tundra Buggy® adventure in the Churchill Wildlife MATHESON ©ABBY Management Area, a dog carting excursion and a Zodiac excursion to view beluga whales. Bison once roamed North America by the millions, including How do we get to each location on this trip? right here in Manitoba. These herds sustained the First You will arrive in Winnipeg by your own arrangements and spend Nations people living on The Great Plains, and were used to one night in a hotel. The next morning, your group will depart on provide things like food, shelter and clothing. a three-hour bus ride to RMNP, where you will stay for two nights In the late 1800s, bison nearly became extinct due to before returning to Winnipeg. We depart from Winnipeg to Churchill overhunting by European settlers. Today, Manitoba keeps by airplane. After two nights in Churchill, you are flown back into numerous bison enclosures to protect our province’s most Winnipeg for your final night. The next morning you may check out iconic wildlife. and depart at your leisure. Extend your stay in Winnipeg if you wish to see all the city has to offer. What are the chances of seeing all five animals? Wildlife, just like weather, is impossible to predict. In RMNP we will spend time in a bison enclosure. The moose and black bears are unregulated. In Churchill there are thousands of beluga whales in the Churchill River and sometimes polar bears frequent along the shore. Our expert guides always do their best to give you the best wildlife viewing experience as possible. Weather Conditions: Packing Suggestions: RMNP temperatures can vary from 8ºC to 24ºC (47ºF to 75ºF). Be Checked baggage for all flights must be limited to one piece prepared for heat waves over 30ºC (86ºF). Churchill temperatures per guest for a maximum total of 50lbs (23kg). The maximum can vary from 10ºC to 12ºC (51ºF to 54ºF). Be prepared for colder dimensions permitted for carry on-baggage is 10” x 16” x 12” temperatures from the wind and during boat excursions. The best (25cm x 40cm x 30cm). Carry on that exceeds these dimensions way to stay comfortable is to dress in layers. would be considered checked baggage and would have to be stored in the general baggage compartment. See our summer packing checklist at frontiersnorth.com/what-to-wear/summer Page 2 of 6 @FRONTIERSNORTH @FRONTIERSNORTH FRONTIERS NORTH ADVENTURES FRONTIERSNORTH.COM ©DAN HARPER ©DAN HELPFUL TIPS FOR YOUR ADVENTURE Passports All international travellers are required to have passports to enter Canada. 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. Page 3 of 6 @FRONTIERSNORTH @FRONTIERSNORTH FRONTIERS NORTH ADVENTURES FRONTIERSNORTH.COM ©ERIC LINDBERG 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. Page 4 of 6 @FRONTIERSNORTH @FRONTIERSNORTH FRONTIERS NORTH ADVENTURES FRONTIERSNORTH.COM ©ERIC LINDBERG POINTS OF INTEREST AROUND CHURCHILL The Churchill Inukshuk Located directly on Hudson Bay, 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.