Manitoba sauvage : aventure arctique à Churchill

Flight to Winnipeg and transfer available upon simple request.
Additional stay and departure from Toronto available on request.

Individual arrival in Winnipeg and check-in at the hotel.

Welcome to the capital of Manitoba, a vibrant city shaped by Indigenous and Métis cultures.
Take advantage of your first evening to explore The Forks Market, an iconic indoor market located at the meeting point of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. Its halls are filled with gourmet food stalls and local crafts, perfect for tasting Manitoban specialties.

Overnight at the hotel.

In the morning, you will join your guide for a 3-hour guided tour. Set off on foot to discover the Saint-Boniface district, located on the east bank of the Red River, opposite downtown. This neighborhood is the main center of Francophone culture in Western Canada.

The guided tour invites you to immerse yourself in the Franco-Manitoban heritage of Old Saint-Boniface. During a walk of about 4 kilometers, you will discover emblematic places, historical monuments, and the stories of the people who shaped this unique district.

Afternoon at leisure.

Visit the Gabrielle-Roy House, the childhood home of the Franco-Manitoban writer. This wooden house, now a museum, features period interiors and traces the author’s life with personal objects, photographs, and archival documents.

Overnight at the hotel.

A full day dedicated to cultural discovery.

In the morning, visit the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, located close to your hotel. This contemporary building houses a series of interactive exhibits on the struggles for fundamental rights in Canada and around the world.

Continue with the Manitoba Museum, just a few minutes’ walk away. This museum covers the natural and human history of the region through several galleries. The section dedicated to New France and the fur trade helps shed light on the historical context in which Winnipeg developed.

In the evening, attend a French-language performance at Théâtre Cercle Molière, the oldest French-language theatre in Canada.

Overnight at the hotel.

12:05 pm: train departure towards Churchill.

You settle comfortably aboard the Winnipeg Churchill train and start admiring the surrounding landscapes. During the journey, the large windows let you observe the changes in nature and climate. With a bit of luck, you’ll spot moose, foxes, or other animals typical of this boreal region.

Technical stops punctuate the route in small isolated communities, providing a glimpse into life in remote areas. The southern farmland gives way to dense forests, and then to wilder nature—slowly, you are entering the territories of the Canadian Far North.

Overnight on board.

The train continues its journey northward, crossing increasingly impressive landscapes.

When you wake up, you find yourself in the heart of the boreal forest, surrounded by winding rivers, wetlands, and small lakes. As you progress, the vegetation becomes lower, and the forests gradually give way to taiga, then to subarctic tundra.

The dining car is available; you can have your meals there and also enjoy the common areas.

The luckiest among you might see the northern lights or shooting stars from the panoramic car!

Overnight on board.

09:00 am: arrival in Churchill. No road leads here: you can only get here by train (or by plane)!
On the coast of Hudson Bay, nearly 1,000 km north of Winnipeg, this small town in Manitoba has less than 1,000 inhabitants and yet enjoys a world-famous reputation: it is the capital of polar bears and belugas!

After reaching your hotel and dropping off your luggage, set off to discover the town center.
There you’ll see the Anglican church and the Parks Canada Information Centre, ideal for a first immersion into the region’s wildlife, flora, and human history. Stroll the streets to admire the outdoor murals: large, colorful paintings created by Canadian and international artists. These works tell the story of the North’s identity, mixing Arctic wildlife (polar bears, belugas), Indigenous traditions, wild landscapes, and local culture.

Overnight at the hotel.

Summer season:

Set off on a boat excursion to meet the belugas. Your cruise includes a stop at the Prince of Wales Fort, a site steeped in history and timeless beauty. This imposing stone fortress has watched over the mouth of the Churchill River for more than 250 years. Built to control the resources of Hudson Bay, the fort occupied a key strategic position for the region’s defense. Roaming its ruins, you travel back in time and imagine the extreme conditions in which it was built: nearly 40 years of construction, carried out in an Arctic climate where every stone laid was a feat.

Winter season:

Board a Tundra Buggy to go in search of polar bears. In this all-terrain vehicle specially designed for crossing the frozen tundra, explore the vast Arctic landscapes and discover the secrets of its ecosystem thanks to fascinating explanations from your naturalist guide.

Keep your eyes peeled: an Arctic fox might appear around a snowdrift, an Arctic hare could bound across the snow, or a caribou might venture out onto the plain. With a bit of luck, you’ll spot the first polar bears waiting for Hudson Bay to freeze so they can head out on the ice to hunt.
And while Churchill is famous for its bears, the region also attracts birdwatchers from around the world: more than 200 bird species nest or migrate here each summer, adding another dimension to this exceptional area.

A light lunch is included during the excursion.

Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, start your day with a visit to the Itsanitaq Museum, home to a remarkable collection of Inuit artifacts linked to traditional life in the North. This venue offers a wonderful insight into the region’s cultural heritage and how communities have adapted to the Arctic climate.

At the end of the morning, head out to explore Churchill on foot: from the shores of Hudson Bay to the street murals in the town center, this isolated town offers a unique atmosphere of history, nature, and Nordic culture. Depending on the season and weather conditions, you can continue your discovery with an outdoor activity:

• In summer, a kayak excursion on the bay might give you the chance to observe belugas up close as they swim up the shallow waters (not included).
• In winter, put on your snowshoes for a trek on the frozen tundra, discovering Arctic landscapes and their elusive wildlife (not included).

Overnight at the hotel.

Free time in Churchill depending on your return flight.
End of your Winnipeg–Churchill train adventure