Program Directed by
John Ralston
If you have questions or would like to talk further about this program, please get in touch!
Leadership
Travel programs with the Smithsonian Institution for grades 8–12
Challenge yourself academically at the world's most prestigious universities
Non-profit organization offering student travel scholarships
High school youth summit focused on public health, climate change, and equity
Campus-based climate change program for grades 9–12
The Arctic tundra is one of our planet’s most stunning wildlife habitats: an endless snowscape in the winter that bursts with life when summer arrives, drawing migrating species such as caribou, beluga whales, and—most famously—polar bears. Travel to the Canadian Arctic this summer to experience this habitat and wildlife up close, using an Arctic research facility in Churchill, Manitoba, as your base. Choose either the Photography or Wildlife Conservation track, and delve into your focus area as you set out with a program expert, leaders, and peers to learn more about the unique adaptations that allow species to survive the extreme Arctic conditions, and how they and the communities that live there are coping with a changing climate.
This itinerary represents our best projection of the group’s schedule. However, we may implement changes designed to improve the quality of the program.
Meet your fellow high school student travelers and your leaders in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Get to know your group during the first overnight in Winnipeg, then spend a day together in the city. Learn more about the program and each other during an in-depth group orientation, then fly northward to Churchill early the next morning. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
Begin your Arctic adventure in the remote town of Churchill, nicknamed the “Polar Bear Capital of the World.” Dive into an in-depth orientation, take a walk in this former fur-trading outpost—home to fewer than a thousand people—and learn about everyday life on the icy edge of Hudson Bay. Head across the bay with naturalist guides to hike from the Prince of Wales Fort to the harbor at Sloop Cove, looking for bear and other wildlife along the way. Spy names carved into the rocks, marks left by early European fur trappers, and hear the history of some of these individuals as shared by our Parks Canada guides. Photograph the wilderness that surrounds the town during a hike along the rugged shores of Hudson Bay. Learn about the educational outreach initiatives being done by Polar Bear International and their studies on bear behavior, biology, and population distribution. Visit the Itsanitaq Museum for a look at life on the tundra through the ages, and check out the exhibits on narwhals, sometimes called the “unicorns of the sea.” Attend a presentation by Parks Canada guides from the local Indigenous community to learn more about the history of Churchill and the surrounding areas, including the troubling history of the forced relocation programs that began in the 1950’s. Practice the art of dog sledding on a lesson with a local dog sledding team and learn about the importance of this unique form of arctic transportation. Visit Churchill's Polar Bear Holding Facility and discuss their work to maintain human-polar bear coexistence through detaining and relocating the curious polar bears that wander into town.
Head to the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, a research facility at the edge of the tundra that has hosted National Geographic-funded scientists and conservationists. Learn about the behavior of polar bears, arctic foxes, and other wildlife from the resident researchers, and get a firsthand look at how rising temperatures have affected the surrounding ecosystems.
Venture out onto the tundra on foot and in our all-terrain vehicle in search of polar bears, which arrive each summer with their cubs to roam the wilds surrounding Churchill, waiting for Hudson Bay to freeze over so they can hunt seals and other marine life on the pack ice. Under guidance from naturalist guides observe bears from a safe range, and photograph their white coats against the magenta fireweed that blankets the tundra each summer. Return to the Churchill Northern Studies Centre for a presentation by members of one of the remaining Indigenous fur trapping families in Churchill to hear about the practice of trapping and how the industry has changed in recent decades.
Encounter and photograph other wildlife who inhabit the far north, including caribou, red foxes, and a host of migratory birds. Kayak in waterways that teem with beluga whales, which migrate here in the thousands during the summer months to feed and give birth to their young. These marine mammals are known as the “canaries of the sea” for the singing noises they make. Watch them play at the water’s surface, and listen to their clicks and whistles as we learn how scientists are working to decipher their communications. With the help of our host biologists, investigate the ecological health of an estuary that serves as a temporary habitat for calving belugas. Present your independent project and celebrate your time together in northern Manitoba. The next day fly to Winnipeg for a final night in the city.
The next morning, continue on from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to your final destination. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
This itinerary represents our best projection of the group’s schedule. However, we may implement changes designed to improve the quality of the program.
Meet your fellow high school student travelers and your leaders in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Get to know your group during the first overnight in Winnipeg, then spend a day together in the city. Learn more about the program and each other during an in-depth group orientation, then fly northward to Churchill early the next morning. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
Begin your Arctic adventure in the remote town of Churchill, nicknamed the “Polar Bear Capital of the World.” Dive into an in-depth orientation, take a walk in this former fur-trading outpost—home to fewer than a thousand people—and learn about everyday life on the icy edge of Hudson Bay. Head across the bay with naturalist guides to hike from the Prince of Wales Fort to the harbor at Sloop Cove, looking for bear and other wildlife along the way. Spy names carved into the rocks, marks left by early European fur trappers, and hear the history of some of these individuals as shared by our Parks Canada guides. Photograph the wilderness that surrounds the town during a hike along the rugged shores of Hudson Bay. Learn about the educational outreach initiatives being done by Polar Bear International and their studies on bear behavior, biology, and population distribution. Visit the Itsanitaq Museum for a look at life on the tundra through the ages, and check out the exhibits on narwhals, sometimes called the “unicorns of the sea.” Attend a presentation by Parks Canada guides from the local Indigenous community to learn more about the history of Churchill and the surrounding areas, including the troubling history of the forced relocation programs that began in the 1950’s. Practice the art of dog sledding on a lesson with a local dog sledding team and learn about the importance of this unique form of arctic transportation. Visit Churchill's Polar Bear Holding Facility and discuss their work to maintain human-polar bear coexistence through detaining and relocating the curious polar bears that wander into town.
Head to the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, a research facility at the edge of the tundra that has hosted National Geographic-funded scientists and conservationists. Learn about the behavior of polar bears, arctic foxes, and other wildlife from the resident researchers, and get a firsthand look at how rising temperatures have affected the surrounding ecosystems.
Venture out onto the tundra on foot and in our all-terrain vehicle in search of polar bears, which arrive each summer with their cubs to roam the wilds surrounding Churchill, waiting for Hudson Bay to freeze over so they can hunt seals and other marine life on the pack ice. Under guidance from naturalist guides observe bears from a safe range, and photograph their white coats against the magenta fireweed that blankets the tundra each summer. Return to the Churchill Northern Studies Centre for a presentation by members of one of the remaining Indigenous fur trapping families in Churchill to hear about the practice of trapping and how the industry has changed in recent decades.
Encounter and photograph other wildlife who inhabit the far north, including caribou, red foxes, and a host of migratory birds. Kayak in waterways that teem with beluga whales, which migrate here in the thousands during the summer months to feed and give birth to their young. These marine mammals are known as the “canaries of the sea” for the singing noises they make. Watch them play at the water’s surface, and listen to their clicks and whistles as we learn how scientists are working to decipher their communications. With the help of our host biologists, investigate the ecological health of an estuary that serves as a temporary habitat for calving belugas. Present your independent project and celebrate your time together in northern Manitoba. The next day fly to Winnipeg for a final night in the city.
The next morning, continue on from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to your final destination. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
Known as the “Polar Bear Capital of the World,” Churchill, Manitoba, draws wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, climate change researchers, birders, and adventurers from around the world. This remote town has become a hotspot for polar bear observations as it is situated in a part of Hudson Bay which is the first to freeze again after the summer. Hundreds of polar bears gather around Churchill waiting for the sea ice to return where they hunt their main prey, ringed seal. During the summer months, approximately 3,000 beluga whales flock to the Churchill River Estuary to feed, calve, and molt their skin. Manitoba is located in the traditional territories of the Cree, Dakota, Dene, Ojibway and Oji-Cree First Nations, as well as the Metis nation. Churchill is home to several significant historical sites such as tent rings and summer campsites that have been attributed to the first inhabitants of the Churchill area, dating back 3,000 years.
English and French are both official languages of Canada. English is the most commonly spoken language, followed by Cree, Inuktitut, French and Dene. The languages of Dakota, Michif, Ojibwe and Ojibwe-Cree are also used in Manitoba.
Light rain and temperatures in the mid-50s°F/13°C are most common during the summer. Churchill is known for dramatic weather shifts and summertime temperatures vary widely, ranging from the low 40s°F/5°C to low 70s°F/21°C. Days are long with the sun shining an estimated 19 hours a day!
The food on this program will likely be very similar to fare in the United States and we encourage you to try local specialties, should you come across them. Vegetarians and travelers with dietary restrictions can certainly be accommodated as well.
Known as the “Polar Bear Capital of the World,” Churchill, Manitoba, draws wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, climate change researchers, birders, and adventurers from around the world. This remote town has become a hotspot for polar bear observations as it is situated in a part of Hudson Bay which is the first to freeze again after the summer. Hundreds of polar bears gather around Churchill waiting for the sea ice to return where they hunt their main prey, ringed seal. During the summer months, approximately 3,000 beluga whales flock to the Churchill River Estuary to feed, calve, and molt their skin. Manitoba is located in the traditional territories of the Cree, Dakota, Dene, Ojibway and Oji-Cree First Nations, as well as the Metis nation. Churchill is home to several significant historical sites such as tent rings and summer campsites that have been attributed to the first inhabitants of the Churchill area, dating back 3,000 years.
English and French are both official languages of Canada. English is the most commonly spoken language, followed by Cree, Inuktitut, French and Dene. The languages of Dakota, Michif, Ojibwe and Ojibwe-Cree are also used in Manitoba.
Light rain and temperatures in the mid-50s°F/13°C are most common during the summer. Churchill is known for dramatic weather shifts and summertime temperatures vary widely, ranging from the low 40s°F/5°C to low 70s°F/21°C. Days are long with the sun shining an estimated 19 hours a day!
The food on this program will likely be very similar to fare in the United States and we encourage you to try local specialties, should you come across them. Vegetarians and travelers with dietary restrictions can certainly be accommodated as well.
Review specific program expectations here. For more general information:
Choose either the Photography or Wildlife Conservation workshop, and break into teams to delve further into your area of focus.
Photography Workshop • Create a portfolio showcasing the many facets of the tundra. Learn to photograph wildlife using polar bears and caribou as your subjects. Experiment with color as you frame your friends in fields of magenta fireweed, and capture vivid constellations across the night sky and—if we’re lucky—the swirling flares of the Northern Lights. There is a supplemental fee of $150 for this track.
Wildlife Conservation Workshop • Examine the tundra’s complex ecosystems and learn about the uniquely adapted life that thrives in these harsh landscapes. Discuss the latest research on resident and migratory species and investigate the health of area waterways on tidepooling excursions. See firsthand how findings are being used to protect area wildlife from the effects of rising temperatures.
This is a physically active summer travel program that includes several active excursions in an Arctic environment. To get the most out of the program, you should be enthusiastic about outdoor activities such as light hiking and kayaking. You do not need to have previous experience to participate, but it is important that you have a desire to be physically active, and that you are interested in trying all activities.
In Churchill, we stay in a family-run hotel in the center of town. During our time at the research station, we stay in dormitory-style accommodations.
We eat meals at the research station or residence, and take packed lunches while out exploring the tundra or kayaking. On occasion the group may stop at local cafes for snacks and warm beverages.
Review specific program expectations here. For more general information:
Choose either the Photography or Wildlife Conservation workshop, and break into teams to delve further into your area of focus.
Photography Workshop • Create a portfolio showcasing the many facets of the tundra. Learn to photograph wildlife using polar bears and caribou as your subjects. Experiment with color as you frame your friends in fields of magenta fireweed, and capture vivid constellations across the night sky and—if we’re lucky—the swirling flares of the Northern Lights. There is a supplemental fee of $150 for this track.
Wildlife Conservation Workshop • Examine the tundra’s complex ecosystems and learn about the uniquely adapted life that thrives in these harsh landscapes. Discuss the latest research on resident and migratory species and investigate the health of area waterways on tidepooling excursions. See firsthand how findings are being used to protect area wildlife from the effects of rising temperatures.
This is a physically active summer travel program that includes several active excursions in an Arctic environment. To get the most out of the program, you should be enthusiastic about outdoor activities such as light hiking and kayaking. You do not need to have previous experience to participate, but it is important that you have a desire to be physically active, and that you are interested in trying all activities.
In Churchill, we stay in a family-run hotel in the center of town. During our time at the research station, we stay in dormitory-style accommodations.
We eat meals at the research station or residence, and take packed lunches while out exploring the tundra or kayaking. On occasion the group may stop at local cafes for snacks and warm beverages.
If you have questions or would like to talk further about this program, please get in touch!
If you have questions or would like to talk further about this program, please get in touch!
Providing immersive summer travel programs for middle & high school students since 1951.