Walking With Wild Polar Bears: A Churchill Wild Adventure
Susan Bradfield Photography image: Third Place in the People’s Choice Award in the Churchill Wild 2025 Photo Competition
A Polar Bear Safari on Foot: My Photography Experience With Churchill Wild
More than a decade ago, I stumbled across an online article about Churchill Wild — the only company offering ground‑level walking safaris with wild polar bears along the remote Hudson Bay coast in Manitoba, Canada. The idea of meeting polar bears on foot stayed with me from that moment. I promised myself that one day, I’d go.
In July 2025, that dream finally became real. My sister, our husbands and I travelled to Seal River Heritage Lodge, one of Churchill Wild’s remote eco‑lodges perched on the edge of the tundra. The lodge is warm, welcoming and beautifully simple, with sweeping views across the land and sea. Even stepping off the small plane felt magical — greeted by the friendliest staff and a plate of homemade cookies before our safety briefing and first walk.
Across five days, we experienced moments I still struggle to put into words. Polar bears up close. Mothers with cubs. Arctic birds. Beluga whales in the bay. And even the rare sight of polar bears hunting belugas. Every encounter was guided with deep respect for the animals and their behaviour and the land, and at every moment we felt safe, informed and completely in awe. It was one of those rare experiences that stays with you long after you return home.
Although this was not a specific photography tour, the guides were incredibly empathetic to many of us with cameras. An added bonus was one of the guides was a professional photographer and he was willing to share tips and his knowledge from years of photographing these amazing creature.
This year, I entered Churchill Wild’s photography competition and was honoured to receive an Honourable Mention in the Polar Bear Photography category, along with third place in the People’s Choice Award. I’m hopeful I can put this prize toward a return trip — because once is absolutely not enough. My sister and I are already on the waiting list for the Cub Emergence experience, and I can’t wait to go back with her and the boys.
Some places change you. Churchill Wild is one of them.
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