Seeking the northern lights in Manitoba

There are no roads leading to Churchill in the far north of Manitoba, Canada—only a 1,000-mile railway track that takes two days and two nights to chug along from Winnipeg, and a tiny airport where light aircraft buzz in and out. To the east is the mighty Hudson Bay. In every other direction, the wide expanse of subarctic tundra, blanketed in snow for some nine months of the year.  

Despite its isolation, there are plenty of reasons that travelers venture here. In summer, the Churchill River estuary is filled with thousands of beluga whales breeding and feeding. In fall, polar bears outnumber Churchill’s less than 1,000 residents, as the huge predators return towards Hudson Bay when the water begins to freeze, meaning that they can venture back out onto the ice to hunt for seals. And in winter, visitors come to chase the magical phenomenon of the northern lights—visible for about 300 nights a year in the skies above Churchill.

Positioned directly under the auroral oval—the band around the North Pole where the lights occur—and away from any unpredictable coastal weather, Churchill is geographically blessed with a front-row seat for the swirling bands of the aurora borealis. One of the best places to catch the show is from the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, 30 minutes outside town, where you can stay overnight on a learning vacation. Now an operational research center, until the ’70s it was used as a suborbital rocket-launch site. 

For an even more quirky aurora-viewing location, Dan’s Diner is a pop-up dining car in a tundra buggy parked on the frozen Churchill River. Only open during February and March, inside it serves a multi-course menu that might include scallops or bison meatballs. It’s all eaten under huge skylight windows through which, if you’re lucky, the night sky will dance green and purple above your head. 

Equally colorful, but by day, are Churchill’s many murals which were painted by artists in 2017 to bring awareness to climate change and the need to protect oceans and animals in the area. There are polar bears, beluga whales, and Arctic birds, as well as the rallying cry: “Know I’m Here.” It might be far-out, but Churchill is hard to forget. 

Day 1

Where to stay

Near the train station, the Iceberg Inn is a cozy, old-timey spot with polar bear art on the walls. 

Iceberg Inn

184 Kelsey Blvd, Churchill, MB, R0B 0E0

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10am

Offbeat art-appreciation

Get your bearings and check out some of the amazing SeaWalls Churchill murals around and just outside town. One, by American artist Pat Perry, is painted on the side of a crashed cargo plane nicknamed Miss Piggy.

1pm

Break for a burger

If you’re visiting in the fall to combine polar bears with northern lights, stop by the Tundra Pub (open June to November) for its veggie, multicolored Borealis Burger. Otherwise try the bison burger at Ptarmigan. 

4.45pm

Dinner and a northern lights show

Board a tundra buggy to drive out to Dan’s Diner (pictured) to feast below the aurora. 

Day 2

10am

Set out on a sledding adventure

Dave Daley has always loved dogs; he also loves sharing his Métis culture on dog-sledding trips (pictured) into the surrounding boreal forest. 

1pm

Stop for a slice

Grab a True Canadian pizza (pepperoni, bacon, mushroom) at the Dancing Bear.  

3pm

Load up on local history

The one-room Itsanitaq Museum tells some of the stories of the Inuit people of Canada’s north through carvings made of whalebone, soapstone and caribou antler, and other ancient artifacts. 

6pm

Eat Arctic-style

Tuck into pan-fried Arctic char or braised peppered elk at the Lazy Bear Café. 

8pm

Chase the lights

Track down the northern lights the expert way, on this top tour with local guide Tiffany Spence.

Day 3

10am

The science bit

Head to the Churchill Northern Studies Centre for guided tours of their indoor aurora dome, historical rocket range, and to hear all about the working base’s latest research into subarctic science. 

12pm

A classic Canadian lunch

Ptarmigan dishes up the nation’s favorite dish, poutine (cheese curd topped fries with gravy). 

1pm

Learn the bear necessities

Discover more about those big white bears at Polar Bears International House. 

4pm

Take an aurora-spotting hike

Snowshoe through boreal forest, spotting foxes and Arctic hares—and hopefully, the lights—on this guided adventure.

Fiona Kerr

Writer

Fiona Kerr is a food-loving travel journalist and former features director at Condé Nast Traveller. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Telegraph, Elle Decoration and the The New York Times. When she gets to a new country, her first stop is usually the local supermarket.