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Offering some of the best wildlife spotting in Canada, Manitoba offers year-round nature encounters and outdoor activities, says charlotte Flach

Summer

At Canada’s epicentre lies the beating heart of Manitoba, home to the remote frontier town of Churchill.

Nestled on Manitoba’s northern Hudson Bay coastline, it has a tiny population of only 900 people and abundant natural habitats, making it a magnet for wildlife.

In the warmer months, the blue ocean hues and pink of the flowering fireweed are at their best, in time for thousands of beluga whales which migrate to the Churchill and Seal river estuaries from Hudson Bay.

July and August are the high season for watching them swim and play, with opportunities to get close to pods, on a zodiac, boat, kayak, Aquaglide™ or stand-up paddleboard. Paddle sports like kayaking and canoeing are a great way to navigate Manitoba’s thousands of lakes and waterways. Boating and fishing are northern Manitoba’s biggest draws, with Whiteshell Provincial Park perfect for both. For a minimal-effort way to watch the world go by, a two-to three-hour lazy river tube float experience on the Pinawa Channel takes in some of the Manitoba’s most spectacular scenery.

Fall

With changing leaves and cooler temperatures, fall is a great time to visit Manitoba. Hiking and biking excursions in Riding Mountain National Park are favourite ways to see the seasonal hues coming into their own.

A brisk hike up to Bald Hill offers incredible views of the Pembina escarpment, with fiery red-, orange- and yellowdappled trees on full display.

Clients can base themselves in Wasagaming, a quaint town site with shops and restaurants; or camp in tents, yurts, and oTENTIKs – a cross between a tent and an A-frame cabin – close to the beautiful surroundings of Riding Mountain and Clear Lake.

Autumn is also a great time to get cozy in a remote ecolodge, an authentic wood-frame Canadian lodge or wait until the tundra freezes to visit a tundra vehicle lodge, complete with outdoor bear viewing platform.

Also great as the cold closes in is the Thermea by Nordik Spa-Nature, an outdoor oasis offering a hot-coldrest cycle, then head inside for a dry sauna, specifically the Aufguss ritual, and steam rooms.

Year Round

With wildlife experiences that rival a safari in Africa or a visit to the Galapagos Islands, clients are spoiled with year-round bucket list wildlife sightings that range from beluga whales in the summer to polar bears in the fall.

Churchill is known as the ‘polar bear capital of the world’, with almost 1,000 roaming the Hudson Bay shoreline in the autumn. In the most accessible destination to see the bears in the wild, they can be sighted from the safety of massive tundra vehicles in October and November or by trekking ground-level on an eco-friendly walking tour at a fly-in eco wilderness lodge. Mothers and cubs can be spotted roaming the summer tundra in July and August.

The town also boasts over 300 nights of aurora borealis activity a year, with the peak months to see the lights being February and March when the skies are darkest and clearest. Get a 360-degree view from a bubble-like Aurora Dom, recline in an Aurora Pod, or observe from the open-air deck of a yurt deep in the boreal forest. Clients can even dine under the Northern lLghts in a Tundra Buggy as part of a culinary experience with Frontiers North Adventures.

Manitoba also has a year-round culture calendar that includes museums, Indigenous experiences and attractions celebrating Franco-Manitoban culture.

Winter

When the temperatures drop below zero, Manitoba shines under the bright winter sun. Cold temperatures, snow and frozen lakes make Manitoba an ideal choice for snowmobiling, skiing and ice fishing – so wrap up warm and enjoy a winter wonderland.

Experience the verdant green of the boreal forest, through crisp-white snow, on a dog sledding adventure. Then learn how the mushers care for and read their dogs, with Indigenous-owned Wapusk Adventures. Or skate across the frozen waters of the the Nestaweya River Trail at The Forks in downtown Winnipeg, one of the longest skating trails in Canada.

As a deep frost sets in, Manitoba’s lakes ice over and create the perfect conditions for keen fisherman looking to learn a new skill. Ice fishing day trip options and remote all-inclusive lodge experiences offer anglers of any skill level the opportunity to reel in a monster catch.

Held in February, Festival du Voyageur embraces the cold wintry months through a blend of historical and contemporary celebration.

Bonding the traditions of the past with the vitality of the Franco-Manitoban community of today, Festival du Voyageur showcases Fort Gibraltar’s historical characters, snow sculptures created by artists from around the world, lively music and dancing, and French-Canadian food.

Spirit Animals

Cloud wolves: Join National Geographic photographer Jad Davenport in search of the elusive Cloud Wolves of the Kaska Coast. Based at the Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge on the Hudson Bay, guests act as field naturalists, tracking and collecting data about the wolves behaviour and interaction with First Nations communities. churchillwild.com ojibwe horses : Thought to have spiritual powers, the Ojibwe Spirit Horses originally lived freely alongside Indigenous communities acting as both service animals and companions. Visitors can learn about their significance to the Metis people as part of the Spirit Horse Encounter at TJ Stables in Chatham, Ontario. ontariossouthwest.com spirit bears: The Kitasoo/Xai’xais territory is home to the largest existing population of spirit bears – rare white-coated black bears. In the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia lies Spirit Bear Lodge, which offers wildlife tour packages from three to seven nights. spiritbear.com orCas: Orcas are known as the true ‘guardians of the sea’. Aboriginal Journeys is an Indigenous-owned company that offers whale watching from Campbell River, British Columbia. The three- to five-hour boat tours track orcas, humpback whales, dolphins and porpoises. aboriginaljourneys.com bison: Bison have spiritual significance to First Nations people, providing a source of food, clothing and shelter. Following an absence of over a century, 16 bison were reintroduced to Banff National Park in 2018. The herd has since grown to over 60 with 16 calves born in spring 2022. travelalberta.com