Tundra Buggy Lodge
Organized by the family-owned Frontiers North Adventures, a unique adventure awaits those who dare to sleep out in the ice-cold wilderness of Manitoba in a specially designed large-scale truck.
The owners came up with the ingenious idea of setting up their establishment in the middle of the tundra on Hudson Bay, in the heart of the polar bear habitat.
Your expedition starts in the Arctic town of Churchill, located next to Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. With over 300 nights of auroral activity annually, Churchill is known for its wildlife and has some of the world's most concentrated aurora borealis activity.
You will board a custom-built Polar Rover vehicle to transfer to Tundra Buggy Lodge from Churchill.
These Polar Rovers are all-wheel-drive off-roaders with four fat tires and massive ground clearance, allowing them to traverse the roughest terrains. Their square body looks like it was drawn by kids, but it's perfectly adapted to the harsh weather of the Arctic.
It's also more equipped than you would expect. It has a comfortable heated interior with a proper flush toilet, and there is an outdoor terrace in the back for taking photos of the wildlife and the whitewashed surroundings.
These Polar Rovers are the vehicles that will take you on tours during your stay at the lodge.
While traveling out of town, keep an eye out for Arctic wildlife against the vast, wide-open landscape – you might even spot your first-ever polar bears along the way!
Once you reach the tundra outpost, one of the expedition leaders will give a polar bear presentation to provide an enlightening introduction to your northern adventure.
Tundra Buggy is a centipede-like moving hotel in the Canadian Arctic that can deliver the experience of a remote science station.
The super-long structure is made up of five parts, like railroad cars. And just like on trains, each "wagon" has a different function. You have sleeping compartments, a spacious restaurant, a lounge, and a staff quarter.
Food is served in the Tundra Lodge dining room three times a day.
You will be sleeping in a bunk bed compartment with ten upper and ten lower sleeping berths in one car. Thick curtains are provided to create more privacy and reduce noise from the corridor. If you are a light sleeper, the staff will provide earplugs for the night.
On both ends of the Tundra Buggy, you'll find open-air observation decks where you can get up close with the white bears.
There is a short timegap between the end of October and the beginning of November when polar bears swarm Churchill, and it's known to be the best place to observe them in their natural habitat.
You may observe protective mother bears with cubs, young males engaging in fights, and lone bears wandering the tundra, awaiting ice formation on the bay, signaling the beginning of their winter seal season.
Around 300 bears inhabit the 50-kilometer coastline between the cape and the village.
It's the polar bears you came for, but you can spot plenty of wildlife like wolves, Arctic foxes, and moose.
