Your travel specialist on: Light footprints

Have you been everywhere, and looking for something different? Maybe this is something for you to consider. It’s unexpectedly warm inside your Polar Rover yet looking out at the snow white bears tussling in front of your picture windshield, you can practically see the arctic winds whirling over the tundra. Welcome to the Polar Bear Capital of the World. Every fall, the majestic creatures march in droves through Churchill, Manitoba to the edges of Canada’s Hudson Bay where they wait for winter’s ice to form and their hunting season to begin. I am a Canadian Specialist, and the Canadians are very concerned about the effect global warming is having on this part of the world and they are not experiences the extra cold winters that they used to get.

Intimate access to the world’s greatest concentration of polar bears is your privilege when you are part of a Natural Habitat Adventure journey, a rare opportunity to access the full range of the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. You’re joined by expedition leaders on this once in a lifetime excursion, transported to a custom designed tundra vehicle destined for close encounters with the bears as they go about their daily lives. Capturing the perfect snapshot of polar bear cubs is as easy as rolling down the windows during a special photography focused tour. Your Churchill wildlife adventure extend even beyond the Polar Rover. You will fly over the bears hidden snow dens by helicopter, spot the silvery winter camouflage coat of an arctic fox and even ride along on a dog sledding adventure.

Once you have experienced these moments first hand, your view of the world and its fragility will never be the same, perhaps inspiring you to seek out even more encounters with wildlife in their natural habitats throughout the globe. You will take comfort in Natural Habitat Adventures dedication to leaving a light footprint on each of its ecotourism experiences, from the icy tundra to the tropical Galapagos Islands and the African savanna, excursions are 100 percent carbon neutral, emphasizing sustainability in the world’s most delicate ecosystems.

Go on our website – www.allhorizonstvl.com – and read about three wonderful unusual offers. Classic Polar Bear Adventure, 5 nights Offer 1221564. They even provide you with cold weather gear including a park and boots during your trip. Alaska’s Coastal Grizzlies, Kodiak to Katmai, 7 nights offer 1222056, only a privileged few get to see Katmai National Park , and the Wild Side of China, a Nature Odyssey, 11 nights, Offer 1222311. You will go deep in the Minshan Mountains of Sichuan province, great rivers and gorges divide lush forests that shelter some of the world’s most endangered wildlife. All three of these journeys book up very quickly, since the air space is limited. You only have a few weeks each year when this adventure is possible.

These creatures are called the bucket list bears of the world. Picture China’s most iconic animal and you surely envision a masked panda munching on a shoot of bamboo. A safari into the Sichuan forests and the Tibetan Plateau leads you to grand panda research bases that focus on breeding and rehabilitation. Then enjoy exclusive access to the remote reaches of a wildlife reserve where the last of the giant pandas live in untouched surrounds.

Coastal grizzlies outnumber humans on the Alaskan Peninsula and one of the best places to spot these behemoths is in Katmai National Park. A summertime cruise on an eight passenger boat grants up close views to brown bears and their cubs splashing for salmon and digging for clams in the waters. Reach the remote wilderness by floatplane and when you step ashore you will come closer than you ever imaged with bears only a few yards ago.

Are you ready for an adventure?

Maureen Jones

Maureen Jones is president of All Horizons Travel at 160 Main Street. Members of her staff are experts in business travel, cruises, and all types of leisure.