As we boarded the small, dilapidated plane in the far north of Canada, we weren’t sure whether the butterflies in our stomachs came from the fear of flying in such a small plane or from the excitement of the adventure ahead.
In just an hour we would land at a remote camp along Hudson Bay, where we would spend the next five days hoping to cross paths with the Arctic’s apex predator: polar bears.
We’ve been lucky enough to experience some incredible wildlife encounters, from swimming with orcas to visiting a family of wild gorillas, but something made me think this would be one of our most incredible adventures yet, and looking back, I can say that that feeling was absolutely right.
The Arctic Kingdom camp is a collection of 6 small huts along the main migration path for polar bears in the Arctic. Our cabin was perfectly decorated to match the atmosphere of the experience, with polar bear pillows, polar bear art on the wall and plenty of quirks to remind you how remote this camp really is. Our ‘sink’ was a metal mixing bowl with a hot water dispenser, and our shower drew water from a nearby frozen river. In addition to the sleeping huts, there was also a communal hut where we ate and relaxed together.
We barely had time to get settled because just as we headed to the dining hut, our guides announced that there was a polar bear just outside the camp. And on just now outside the camp they meant less than 3 meters from the fence.
Our expert Inuit guides, Moses and Cam, gave us a real-time tutorial on how to handle a polar bear encounter, using the ‘red light green light’ method: only approaching if the polar bear was coming towards us and stop when he came towards us. stopped.
I can’t think of a better word to describe this experience than breathtaking, and even that seems like an understatement. For more than 30 minutes this polar bear stared at us as curiously as we looked at him and played in the snow. It was so close that we could hear the polar bear breathing as we looked into each other’s eyes.
The emotions of this encounter were so crazy that we would have been completely content if we hadn’t seen another polar bear the entire trip, but just as the first polar bear wandered away, ANOTHER polar bear approached camp. This magical place wasn’t just a polar bear migration route, it was a polar bear highway!
For the next three days it felt like we were living in a National Geographic documentary. We woke up every morning to the chef, Mish, whipping up incredible dishes like fluffy pancakes and eggs benedict to fuel us on our adventures. Our afternoons were spent taking hundreds of photos of every polar bear that came our way and the snow-white arctic fox that decided to make itself at home in our camp. We filled the polar bear-less hours with walks outside of camp and games of Canada’s favorite sport, hockey. When our fingers were too numb to move, we went to the common room to warm up with soup and coffee by the fire.
On the penultimate day, we woke up to what could only be described as a dream spoken to life: a mother and two polar bear cubs. The cubs were so curious, they walked closer to our camp and made little noises as if they were trying to say hello to us. This perfect little family stationed themselves right outside our camp as the babies rolled in the snow and shared a snack with their mother. Kara’s eyes filled with tears, which could have come from the icy wind or from the indescribable experience of witnessing these majestic creatures in their natural habitat.
It will come as no surprise to those who know us that we decided to end this magical journey with a polar plunge into the icy Hudson Bay. It seemed to us that this was the best way to become one with the polar bears. Having done polar dives in both Antarctica and the North Pole, we consider ourselves polar diving experts, but the adrenaline rush we get every time never gets old.
On our last evening, as if to say goodbye, the Northern Lights provided a grand finale. The vibrant green ribbons dancing across the night sky were some of the most incredible we had seen in our lives – well worth standing outside in the bitter cold.
It’s hard to describe this experience in a way that does justice to how amazing it was to come face to face with all the wild polar bears. Watch our video documenting this unique opportunity to experience it for yourself. We promise it will be worth it.
