The Hudson Bay Adventure

Sometimes a vacation on the beach is not what you are searching for. Sometimes it has to be a little bit different. One special vacation is the Hudson Bay in Canada. The bay is located in northeast Canada between Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and Nunavut.

The Region around the Bay is mainly characterized as taiga or tundra and the huge Bay is completely frozen in wintertime. Therefore, it is called the “icehouse of North America”. The region is very barren and sparsely populated. Lately, the residents are getting more and more tourism, due to the fact that more people are searching for extraordinary vacation destinations.

The main attraction in Hudson Bay is the Polar Bear Safari. Local Guides are offering a tour over the frozen Hudson Bay in so-called “Tundra Buggys”. If you have never seen a Tundra Buggy, imagine a 6m high, white, all-terrain school bus with huge tires. The vehicle has extra security walls, a snowplow and is built high off the ground, to provide extra security in case a polar bear wants to attack.

The first tours to observe and document the polar bears have taken place in the early 70s. Since then, the region opened more and more for tourists and several providers are offering tours now. You will stay in a lodge directly in the middle of the tundra. These lodges are mostly directed at the coast of the bay.

This all sounds very calm for an adventure trip, and this is where climate change comes into place. In the last decade, the Bay is defrosted for a longer time and the region south of the bay is getting warmer as well. The population of Grizzly and Polar bears are mixing together, which can result in a dangerous meet-up.

Since the polar bears can’t find enough food during the summertime, they are more likely to walk into the small towns and are getting used to humans. This means, that they are getting closer to the Lodges as well. If you are face to face with a 3-meter tall and up to 500 kg heavy polar bear, you will think twice about your movements. This is exactly why the tourists are not allowed outside without an armored guide or Ranger.

If you are lucky (or unlucky), you might experience this encounter by yourself as well. It is not unusual that the bears are tapping at the windows and circling around the Lodge in search of food. Guides and Rangers know how to deal with the bears and want to save the decreasing population at all costs. Due to this, they might only try to distract the bear or shoot them with pepper spray, if needed. Most Rangers haven’t used their guns in decades, but have been very creative, to protect the tourists and the species at the same time.