Classic Canadian Tours

06/08/2024

The Khutzeymateen never disappoints. The one-day adventure to the West Coast to view bears, whales, eagles, and other marine life is a Classic Canadian Tours favourite.

Listen to this broadcast segment on CBC with Brian Keating, one of Classic Canadian Tours' naturalists, to hear about the bears we encountered on our May 26th trip:

https://classiccanadiantours.com/our_tours/grizzly_bear_tour/tour_stories

04/22/2024

Enjoy this video that captures the experience of Classic Canadian Tours' one-day West Coast Grizzly Bear Tour. We are booking our spring tours to the Khutzeymateen with departures from Calgary on Sunday, May 26 and Edmonton on Sunday, June 9.

Here is a sneak peak of what to expect when you join us on one of our Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Tours. Our tours are known to be one of the best wildlife vi...

03/28/2024

Grizzly bears have a distinctive profile. Pointy snout, dramatic claws and that hump.

You might think that bulge is a fat deposit, but it’s a muscle which allows these bears to be powerful diggers. This spring, you can watch grizzlies at work on the clam beaches of the Khutzeymateen. Travel there with Classic Canadian tours on Sunday, May 26th from Calgary and Sunday, June 9th from Edmonton.

03/12/2024

A new crop of polar bear cubs. This map, updated just a few days ago shows the position of three tagged Western Hudson Bay females at their denning sites in Wapusk National Park, southeast of Churchill. (blue circles on land).

Happily, when these females emerged from their dens this year, they had cubs. Two had double cubs, one had triplets. Depending on the hunting skills of their mothers, these cubs should arrive in Churchill later this year. This photo shows a mum and her nine month old offspring taken last year.

Travel with Classic Canadian Tours to Churchill, Manitoba this October and November to view a portion of the life cycle of the Western Hudson Bay bears.

03/08/2024

Going by boat is best. Visiting the Khutzeymateen means entering a landscape devoid of buildings and roads—just sky, ocean, and an inlet teeming with wildlife.

Travel on the 72-foot catamaran, The Inside Passage, with Classic Canadian Tours on Sunday, May 26th and June 9th.

02/26/2024

Springtime in the Khutzamateen is noisy. Screeching eagles, wind and waves, the roar of lions; sea lions, that is, engaged in breeding and eating.

The world’s only grizzly bear sanctuary is full of life; check it out with Classic Canadian Tours on May 26th and June 9th.

02/22/2024

The Khutzeymateen is a grand place for young grizzly cubs. Fresh grass to munch on, clams to dig, and, best of all, a mother bear keeping a weather eye out for dangerous males.

Be part of the ferment of spring, and visit the Khutzeymateen with Classic Canadian Tours on Sunday, May 26th, from Calgary and Sunday, June 9th, from Edmonton.

02/03/2024

Polar bears are solitary creatures. One of the few times you’ll see them interacting is in Churchill, Manitoba, as they await the sea ice freeze-up. At this time, you may see young males sparring or just checking each other out. The females with cubs will be expending energy, avoiding large males. It’s busy on the tundra; come and view the action with Classic Canadian Tours from Calgary on October 25th and November 2nd, Edmonton on October 27th and Saskatoon on November 8th.

01/28/2024

When polar bears head out on sea ice, it’s hard to know exactly where they are, but this map drawn up just a week ago provides some wonderful information showing the location of ear-tagged bears.

So what’s happening?

Six of these bears are still on land and likely in dens. With their cubs, these females will return to the ice in mid-March. Fifteen of the females are out hunting on the ice. We don’t know when these polar bears will return to land, but we know that Classic Canadian Tours will be back in Churchill, Manitoba, in October and November of this year when the bears gather on the shoreline, waiting for the bay to freeze again.

Join us on October 25th and November 2nd from Calgary, October 27th from Edmonton, and November 8th from Saskatoon.

11/07/2023

It’s almost time for the big freeze-up. But the ice is not quite hard enough, so they conserve energy for their return to the sea, their preferred hunting ground. Classic Canadian Tours looks forward to returning to Churchill next fall to watch this amazing migration unfold.

11/05/2023

The polar bear season is over for Classic Canadian Tours. But for the bears, it's the start of a new cycle. It's time for this female and her cub to head out on the ice and start to bulk up for the coming year.

11/04/2023

As the Classic Canadian Tours flight left Churchill on Sunday night, the Aurora Borealis sparkled. Passengers seated on the starboard side of the aircraft got a nice view and photos like this.

10/31/2023

Polar Bear Week is from October 29th to November 04th this year. The week is dedicated to the world's largest land carnivore. What a great idea. This mom and her 10-month-old cub welcomed the Classic Canadian Tours expedition to the tundra on Sunday.

10/28/2023

Polar Bear Week is underway. This handsome bruin showed up to greet Classic Canadian Tours guests on our first trip.

10/25/2023

Polar Bear Week this year is from Oct 29th to Nov 4th. The week coincides with the fall polar migration to the Churchill area, where the bears gather to wait for Hudson Bay to freeze over so they can return to the ice to hunt seals. Classic Canadian Tours sets out this Friday on our first one-day mission of the season.

10/23/2023

It is a lean season for polar bears. Without sea ice, they are reduced to munching on seaweed. This beach debris is rich in minerals but no substitute for seal meat. In Churchill, Manitoba, it is a waiting game for winter. Classic Canadian Tours is looking forward to catching up with the bears again over the next few weeks.

10/19/2023

Enjoy this video that captures the experience of Classic Canadian Tours' one-day West Coast Grizzly Bear Tour. We are booking our spring tours to the Khutzeymateen with departures from Edmonton and Calgary.

Here is a sneak peak of what to expect when you join us on one of our Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Tours. Our tours are known to be one of the best wildlife vi...

09/30/2023

We know fall is here, and so do the bears. Polar bears have spent the last few months on land, and now they are heading towards Churchill, Manitoba, preparing to move onto the sea ice. Join Classic Canadian Tours in late October/early November for an encounter with North America’s largest land carnivore.

08/01/2023

Join Classic Canadian Tours on the weekend of September 29th for Northern Lights viewing in Yukon and a tour of the historic City of Whitehorse.

07/01/2023

Happy Canada Day, everyone!

06/26/2023

It's a wrap. Classic Canadian Tours' Grizzly Bear trips are over for another season. The one-day safari into the Khutzeymateen showcased the abundant wildlife of the west coast; humpback whales, sea lions, sea birds and that apex species, grizzlies. Here you see a blonde female excavating clams with her impressive claws.

06/14/2023

Procreating is a long-distance affair for Harlequin ducks.

Together, females and male ducks fly a thousand kilometres from the west coast to the glacial rivers of the Rockies. There they breed, and then, leaving his mate and her nest of eggs behind, the male heads back by himself to the British Columbia coastline. He will only be joined by his family group in late summer.

This past week on Classic Canadian Tours' first trip of the season, there were male Harlequins aplenty; and grizzlies, humpbacks and much more. Discover the wonders of wildlife with Classic Canadian Tours.

05/12/2023

Heads up! Spring is here, and the grizzlies have returned to the Khutzeymateen. Next month you will have two chances to see them with Classic Canadian Tours on their one-day safari to the BC coast: June 10 from Edmonton and June 24 from Calgary.

05/04/2023

These grizzly bear cubs seem to be enjoying playing in the mud. But there is a purpose to this. The mother is teaching them how to forage for clams when the tide is out. Join Classic Canadian Tours for a one-day safari into the remote Khutzeymateen wilderness. June 10 from Edmonton and June 24 from Calgary.

03/11/2023

Can you get fat eating grass? The answer is yes. But you have to keep at it. In the springtime, this plump grizzly can eat up to forty kilograms of sedges daily! See these bears in action on June 10th (from Edmonton) and 24th (from Calgary) on tours to the Khutzeymateen with Classic Canadian Tours.

03/02/2023

Turf to surf. After starting with grass, this grizzly is headed for a second course down on the seashore. Perhaps clams or mussels. Travel with Classic Canadian Tours to the Khutzeymateen to watch feasting grizzlies. Trips June 10th (from Edmonton) and 24th (from Calgary).

02/26/2023

Visitors to the Khutzeymateen want to see grizzlies, but equally dramatic are the sightings of whales, sea lions and eagles, which are best viewed from the top deck of the 72-foot catamaran The Inside Passage. Go to sea with Classic Canadian Tours this spring: June 10th (Edmonton) and 24th (Calgary).

02/17/2023

With our weak sense of smell, we humans can only imagine the olfactory joys of a beach to the nose of a grizzly—juicy clams, perhaps some rotting delicacy, lush springtime grasses.

Travel to the Khutzeymateen with Classic Canadian Tours and see what the bears are munching on. Saturday, June 10, Edmonton or Saturday, June 24, Calgary.

02/12/2023

Just back from the Hawaiian Islands!

Last spring, this Humpback made a splash for our guests on the Grizzly Bear West Coast tour. After wintering off Maui's shores, we hope to see him again this June. Join us on our one-day adventure Saturday, June 10th, from Edmonton, and Saturday, June 24th, from Calgary.

02/07/2023

For bears, spring is a time for two important activities. First, after a long hibernation, it is time to feast on lush sedges and succulent shellfish. Secondly, with the gathering of males and females, it is time to create the next generation of grizzly cubs. Join Classic Canadian Tours this spring for our one-day safari into the Khutzeymateen on June 10 (from Edmonton) and June 24 (from Calgary).