The first time I saw a Polar Bear I was on
expedition, crossing Ellesmere Island, on our way to the North Geomagnetic Pole.
Our location was a 1000 miles inside the Arctic circle and five hour flight from
base camp. Our small tent stood alone in the vast Arctic wilderness.
Un-zipping the tent door and looking out into the night, I turned my head
slightly, and almost immediately set eyes on one of the most powerful and majestic
animals in the world, the Polar Bear. There he was, an 8ft male, standing on all
fours and only 10 feet away (Of course as the seasons go by the story brings the
bear closer and closer).
This is when you begin to truly understand where you are and who’s in charge.
I froze for what seemed like an eternity as I watched its huge chest expand
as it inhaled the cold arctic air. Its deep, unforgiving eyes looked straight at
me and for a moment as we weighed each other up...
Combined with Snowball guides and local Inuit expert trackers, we will travel by
snowmobile, across the stunning Arctic wilderness, in our search for the Polar Bear.
On our journey, we're likely to encounter much of the Arctic wildlife indigenous
to this region, including Caribou, Muskox, Arctic Wolves, Hares and Foxes. To increase
our chances of contact with a Polar Bear, we'll cross nearby Bathhurst Island, and
head for the tellingly-named, migratory route: 'Polar bear Pass'.
This is a unique opportunity to learn to live, travel and survive on a real Arctic
expedition, working closely with expert Inuit trackers - searching for "Nanuq" -
the Polar bears of the Canadian high Arctic.
As for my earlier encounter, well, we managed to discourage the bear from becoming
too inquisitive, but despite keeping his distance, he tracked our team in the days
that followed and his constant presence reminded us that we were merely visitors
here - in the domain of the Polar Bear.
Expedition Summary
The Expedition will be leaving every year in April/May time.
|
Day 1 |
Depart UK to Ottawa – Canada. Hotel. |
|
Day 2 |
Depart Ottawa to Cornwallis Island – High Arctic. Hotel. |
|
Day 3 |
Acclimatisation and preparation for the expedition. See training section for details. |
|
Day 4 |
Training and preparation for expedition. Hotel. |
|
Day 5 |
Depart resolute by snowmobile, for a 7 day, 6 night expedition to explore the surrounding
islands off Cornwallis Island. Our journey will take us North to Bathurst Island
and Polar Bear pass, returning via the Polaris Mine on Little Cornwallis Island. |
|
Day 11 |
Arrive back into Resolute Bay. Hotel. |
|
Day 12 |
Rest day back in civilisation and a chance to take in some of the sights of Resolute
Bay. |
|
Day 13 |
Depart Cornwallis Island to Ottawa. Hotel. |
|
Day 14 |
Depart Ottawa to UK. |
Payment details
|
Total cost of expedition (excl. flights listed below) includes all
UK training.
|
£5500 |
Flights
|
UK to Ottawa:
|
£500 |
|
Ottawa to Cornwallis Island:
|
£1500 |
All flight costs are approximate and depend on current airline
prices.