Igloos, Wildlife, and Inuit Insights on Manitoba Adventure

You’ve made your igloo, now sleep in it. Or just admire your frozen handiwork, but opt for a warm bed indoors.

Tours operating this March in the sub-Arctic reaches of the central Canadian province of Manitoba, near the Hudson Bay seaport of Churchill, will offer adventure seekers hands-on training in igloo building and other Arctic survival techniques.

Attractions include wildlife viewing in four wilderness eco-systems, spectacular ice formations on the frozen Hudson Bay coast, and luminous bands of green, orange and red northern lights pulsing across the night sky.

Participants will explore a boreal forest of fir, spruce, and tamarack that’s home to caribou, moose, and wolves; a tree line that’s home to red fox, badgers, and wolverines; a treeless tundra that’s home to arctic fox, arctic hare, and ptarmigan; and a seashore where seals are abundant on and under the ice.

"Sub-Arctic Survivor' Program

The nonprofit Churchill Northern Studies Centre hosts a six-day, five-night “Sub-Arctic Survivor” program March 1–6, 2007. The center is a working scientific research station built on a former rocket range. Despite the title, the program isn’t a survival exercise. Lodging is dormitory style with communal bathrooms, meals are served in a central dining hall, and there are computers with free Internet access.

During the day, there are snowshoe hikes, dog sledding, snowmobile rides, and the opportunity to gather and examine snow samples for scientific observation. Lectures cover life in the sub-Arctic winter, climate change, and wilderness first aid and medicine. Inuit (Eskimo) speakers and other First Nations people (Natives) give presentations.

Participants will learn to cut blocks of compressed snow and assemble them into igloos, or they’ll build quinzees, simple dome-shaped shelters hollowed out from snow mounds.

A farewell dinner on the final evening offers traditional fare like caribou and Arctic char, with fresh-baked bannock break and gooseberry and tundra berry jam.

The program costs approximately $718 U.S. per person ($850 CAD), depending on exchange rates, and covers lodging, most meals, and all activities, including transportation between Churchill’s airfield or train station and the research center.

Excluded is air or rail transportation between the provincial capital of Winnipeg and Churchill or transportation between home and Winnipeg. The program is recommended for ages 5 and older. Contact (204) 675-2307 or www.churchillscience.ca for more information.

"Fire & Ice Adventure" Also Offered

Tour company Churchill Wild will host a five-day, four-night “Fire & Ice Adventure” program March 23–27 at remote Dymond Lake Lodge, about 15 miles north of Churchill and accessible only by small aircraft or snow vehicles. The lodge, overlooking the tundra and the seashore, is luxurious by Arctic standards and prides itself on gourmet preparations of local game and foodstuffs. Caribou in wine sauce, stuffed snow goose, and wild blueberry trifle have appeared on the menu.

Local Inuit experts will teach participants to build igloos and will serve as guides on snow shoe and snowmobile outings from the lodge. The itinerary includes a trip by snowmobile or traditional Inuit sleigh to Fort Prince of Wales, a historic stone fortress built for the fur trade in the 1700s.

An annual 250-mile dog sled race will pass by the lodge, where racers rest their dog teams and speak with visitors.

The all-inclusive program costs approximately $3,629 U.S. per person ($4,295 CAD) double; single travelers pay an additional $422 U.S. ($500 CAD). For youngsters 5 to 13 years old, the price is about $2,949 U.S. ($3,495 CAD). The cost includes lodging, all activities, meals, transfers, and round-trip airfare between Winnipeg and Churchill. Taxes are included for U.S. residents. Airfare between home and Winnipeg is extra. Contact (866) 846-9453 or visit www.churchillwild.com.

Because March temperatures in Churchill commonly hover between minus 5 and minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit, participants in either program will need Arctic expedition clothing. Outfits can be rented from local suppliers upon arrival in Churchill, with advance notice.

Direct nonstop air service to Winnipeg is available from Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Las Vegas, with connecting service from many other U.S. as well as Canadian cities.

For information about Manitoba’s Arctic attractions and general travel assistance, contact Travel Manitoba at (800) 665-0040 or visit www.travelmanitoba.com.