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Leader: Weldon Lee Price: $6325 (based on dbl occp - single suppl avail) Deposit: $300 Limit: 6 Days: 7 days/6 nights From: Winnipeg, Manitoba Includes: lodging, complete meals, grnd transport (incl airport pick-up & deliv), 5 full days shooting
Polar
bears — or Nanuk as they’re called by the Inuit — fresh from their icy
winter playground, explore every inch of coastline. Sows with cubs are common.
The ground is adrift with wildflowers and bird life, including Willow Ptarmigan
and Snowy Owls. Hundreds of beluga whales gather along the coast each day. This
is the land of the Northern Lights. In
keeping with our tradition of photographing wildlife Up Close & Personal, we
offer this one-of-a-kind adventure that is uniquely different from Churchill.
Our base of operations is the Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, situated on a remote
stretch of Hudson Bay coastline at the southern tip of Wapusk National Park in
the Tatnum Wildlife Management Area of Manitoba, in Canada’s Sub-Arctic
wilderness. Not
only will participants have the opportunity to photograph polar bears as close
as 3-feet from inside the safety of the 8-foot high buffalo fence surrounding
the lodge, daily excursions onto the tundra via 4-wheel ATVs provide unmatched
opportunities to photograph the bears and other Arctic wildlife in their natural
environment as never before. Participants
will learn how to make award winning wildlife images as we do everything in our
power to transform this adventure into a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Join
us on this Adventure to The
Land of the Polar Bear
Itinerary
Day
1 (Saturday) - Your adventure begins at the Hotel Fort Garry in Winnipeg,
Manitoba, where you will join our group for dinner at 7PM. Day
2 (Sunday) -
This morning you will embark on your journey to The Land of the Polar
Bear. At Gillam you will change planes for a brief 45-minute flight to the coast
of Hudson Bay and Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge. The flight from Gillam will take you
over a Northern Taiga Forest, where you will join the mighty Nelson River and
follow it to the tidal flats of Hudson Bay. Here, you will see York Factory, the
original Hudson Bay Company posting, where Canada's history as a nation began,
with 300 years of fur trade to its credit. With a little luck, you will witness
hundreds of beluga whales in the mouth of the Nelson and Hays Rivers. Upon arrival at Nanuk, you will be introduced to the Lodge
program and have lunch. In the afternoon you will be taken on an interpretive
walk on inland Palsa Bogs, Eskers, Tundra Ponds and the Taiga Forest. Dinner is
served at 6:00 pm. Following your meal there will be evening talk: "Travel
in Bear Country". If the night is clear you should have a view of the
amazing Aurora Borealis. Day
2-6 (Mon-Fri) – Daily excursions aboard 4-wheel ATV’s will offer
unmatched opportunities to photograph polar bears, including sows and cubs, in
their natural environment as we explore the river deltas and coastal eskers. But
that’s not all. Beluga whales, Arctic hare, Arctic fox, Willow Ptarmigan, and
Snowy Owls may also fill your viewfinder from time to time. Polar bear
photography is not limited to ATV excursions. Some days up to five bears have
been sighted against the lodge fence. Talk about eye-to-eye contact! Afternoon
teaching sessions, when shooting allows, focus on digital and wildlife
photography, as well as Photoshop. Time is also set aside a couple of afternoons
for rest and downloading of images. A word of warning:
Afternoon schedules are often interrupted whenever a polar bear visits
the lodge. Supper is served at 6:00 p.m. The Lodge has programs scheduled for
two separate evenings – “Arctic Wildlife and Northern Lights” and
“Traditional Lifestyles of the North.” Day
7 (Sat) – Today, you will return to that place called reality, but not
before a few last minute photo ops at Nanuk. An afternoon charter flight will
transport you to Gillam, where you will dine at the Aurora Gardens before
boarding your Calm Air flight to Winnipeg and a night of rest at the Hotel Fort
Gary. This
itinerary is meant as a guide. Various
factors will dictate when, and if, we visit certain locations.
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Dates: August 23-30, 2008