Churchill Travel Forum

Hi all,
what can I realistically expect/hope to see in February? From my readings, I understand that this is the best time to see the northern lights, but will I see any polar bears? I don't really have the opportunity to go at any other time of year unfortunately (to see belugas, wildflowers, birds).
Thanks!

I think it's a very long way to go and incredibly expensive (poor value) especially considering that there really isn't a whole lot in Churchill to begin with. It's a very tiny, remote town and wouldn't be the type of place that would attract tourists with exception to its proximity to the polar bears. You can see northern lights in a lot of other places without having to go all the way to Churchill. If that's the only reason for going, I'd look at other options and compare.

Oh, just clicked on your profile and I see you're from Canada. So you probably already have a good idea of what to expect from Churchill. I just wrote what I did above because a lot of people outside of Canada really don't understand the remoteness of the place, and don't realize the size of Churchill, or that there are other options if all you're interested in seeing are the northern lights.

Polar bears, I've told, stay out on the ice all winter, but come back to land once the ice melts. For some reason October/November sticks out in my mind for the "best" viewing time for polar bears.

No worries, I appreciated the honest reply. Do you have any suggestions where to see the northern lights that is cheaper? I agree it does seem wasteful to go up there when nothing else is going on.

We have had Northern Lights entertaining us in Winnipeg in the past. But, interestingly there have far fewer nights with Northern Lights in the past five years than there were previous to that. I have no idea why (perhaps it is because of global warming -- global warming seems to be the cause of all sorts of calamities).

I am amazed that you would consider Churchill in February. Most Winnipegers dream of Florida or Mexico in February, not a place that is colder than Winnipeg.

Well I'm not really a Winnipeger you see, not even a Manitoban, so I want to make the most of my time here now since I don't know if/when I'll be back! I'd much rather go in the summer or October to Churchill, but my schedule doesn't allow it. I don't think I'll be going in February either though, now that I've read your replies. :(