Tundra Buggy Adventure

We took a full day Polar Bear Tour with Tundra Buggy Adventure. Our guide, Trevor, was very knowledgeable and engaging. He answered all of our questions. Best of all, we saw 11 bears. In one picture frame I was able to capture one mama with one cub and another mama with two cubs. An experience that should not be missed.

Disappointing and Unorganized Experience – Not Worth the Hype We had high hopes for our Churchill Tundra Buggy Day Tour, having booked it well in advance on Jul 30, 2025. Our confirmation clearly stated an 8:00 AM departure time, so we arrived promptly at 7:30 AM. However, nobody showed up, and it wasn’t until much later that we learned the departure time had been changed to 10:00 AM—without any notice or communication. For a tour that stresses preparation and timing, this level of disorganization was incredibly frustrating. We also expected an informative experience with a knowledgeable commentator to guide us through the sights, share information about the tundra, and explain the wildlife and history of the area. Instead, there was complete silence from the driver, who offered no commentary throughout the entire journey. It was a bumpy, monotonous ride with zero context or engagement. As for the wildlife—what we came all this way for—our group didn’t see anything until the very end of the tour. We caught the sight of a polar bear with her cub, but they were extremely far away. It was only thanks to my iPhone 15’s 15x zoom that I could get even the slightest glimpse. Overall, this tour was a letdown from start to finish. Between the poor communication, lack of guidance, and minimal wildlife sightings, it felt like a waste of time and money. Would not recommend.

Had the most amazing experience, thanks to our super knowledgeable guide, driver, spotter and overall host for the day (Jim). The tundra buggy we went on was electrical, which was a major bonus in my eyes. We had soup, sandwiches, cookies and hot drinks on the buggy while parking meters away from a polar bear!

We had 2 trips planned on this Buggy. The guides were fantastic and showed their appreciation, knowledge and respect. We saw about 10 bears the first time, and about 12 the second. This really is an experience of a lifetime. Totally recommend!

We had an amazing time with Jim Baldwin as our guide and driver. Not only is the tundra an amazingly beautiful place, but we got to see a polar bear up close and personal (something that is quite rare in the summer months). Jim was great at answering all our questions and showed a true understanding and respect for the area and the animals. His knowledge of all the different species of birds was quite impressive. Thank you so much. I’d give you guys 10 stars if I could.

Saw 7 bears in the churchill wildlife mngt area and 2 just outside near the radar site. So a total of 9 polar bears !!!! We were with Dillon as our guide....very knowledgeable and full of energy thruout the stay.

What a spectacular day! We spotted two adult males within the first half hour. After lounging on the rocks one of them went for a swim in the bay:). On our way to visiting Anne, a sub-adult female, our guide Jim expertly maneuvered in position to see a resident bald eagle, cranes and other birds that the others got really excited about (hey man, I’m here to see the bears:). We happened across an arctic fox and a caribou! Jim stopped for lunch when we found Anne laying on a rock as the tide came in. As we finished lunch Anne came to visit Jim (pretty much her boyfriend). We had a close up encounter with Anne who did not disappoint! And to top it off as Anne and the caribou headed off their paths crossed. They came face to face and sized each other up, had a laugh at the noisy tourists and moved on.

Great! JP great guide. He had a lot of information. We saw a lot of bears.

Had a nice day tour in early August. Our guide/driver Jim had great stories and was always on the lookout for animals. Though it wasn't technically polar bear season yet, we still saw one from a distance, as well as tundra swans, ptarmigans, a red fox, a bald Eagle, and many other birds. A lunch of sandwiches, soup, and dessert was provided halfway through. A bathroom is on board as well. It's a long day, but a fun adventure.

We had a day off during our October 2008 Earthwatch adventure and of course we had to see a Polar Bear in the wild. Little did our group realize that later in the trip, we would be chased off one of the research sites by a Polar Bear. Fortunately, that bear was chased away with a "cracker shell" blast from another guy down the road. It's common practice by the way that someone has a gun when we go out as a group. The goal is to scare a bear away, but after 2-3 unsuccessful attempts at that, live ammo is available. Polar Bears are strong, they are fast, and they will kill. They only look cuddly from a distance. And as the joke went in our group, "I only have to outrun you!" So naturally our choice was the original Tundra Buggy. It was a little early in Polar Bear season and it was pricey, but this was perhaps our only opportunity. We were picked up at their gift shop on Kelsey and tranported to the Tundra Buggy "depot". These things are huge and I believe they were originally built on a bus chasis. There was plenty of room, heat, and hot soup available. There were also adequate bio facilities are on board since this trip out to Cape Churchill lasts several hours out and back. The Tundra Buggy guide was the son of the owners and he gave an excellent narrative as we went. This Tundra Buggy also stayed on the roads that they were allowed to be on (this is sensitive land and habitat after all) and we did indeed see our bear (it's one of my Yelp pictures). And an Arctic Fox too! This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that should not be missed. As we watched that bear for what seemed an hour, I couldn't get enough of just watching and marveling at the beauty of it all.

We had the most amazing day on the Tundra Buggy this past Monday! Marc was an incredible guide, truly a natural at what he does-knowledgeable about the polar bears, knew the best areas to observe, and made people laugh. An absolutely must when in Churchill!

We did the day tour charter flight from Edmonton, Canada. We booked through Canada adventure travel. You get up in the morning, fly to Churchhill, load on the tundra after you are done seeing polar bears, you go back to the plane and fly back to Edmonton. For those who are short on time or don't want to be off the grid for long, this is an excellent trip. The polar bears are very obliging. In October, the polar bears haven't eaten for several months, so they go to Churchhill and wait for the ice to freeze so they can go out and hunt on Hudson Bay. The tundra buggy is bumpy, but warm, and the food served on board is excellent.

The Tundra Buggy's are probably the most fun but bumpy way to go find Polar Bears in Churchill. The bus basically looks like a school bus from the inside but is on giant tyres that are about 1.5m in diameter that get over almost any terrain. I have been on two tours in October and on both tours I was quite lucky to see Polar Bears quite close to the bus, as well as Males Sparring and a Mother and Cub right next to the bus. But no matter what tour you're on and what you see, as long as you see a Polar Bear and the way it moves you will surely gain an appreciation for this unique population that calls the Hudson Bay home. And a Tundra Buggy is probably the safest way to do it. The drivers are usually fairly knowledgeable and are great at spotting Polar Bears off in the Distance. If you are going to make the trek all the way to Churchill during Bear Season, you should definitely fork out the money for one of these tours even if it is pretty expensive.