If you’ve ever wanted to sleep with a bear you’re in luck. Welcome to one of the world’s most specialized hotels.
The Great White Bear Tundra Lodge, located on the subarctic tundra outside the small Canadian town of Churchill, Manitoba, is a custom “rolling hotel.”
Each year, it is moved to an area of high polar bear density for easy bear watching.
This custom “train” of connected bedrooms, dining room and lounge car is built on wheels, allowing it to be stationed for optimal bear viewing each season. Tour operator Natural Habitat Adventures offers 32 rooms in the lodge, each with a single compartment similar to sleeping quarters on a train with either an upper or lower berth.
The lodge has six shared toilets, four showers, a lounge area for viewing bears and a dining car with sliding windows for viewing and photography.
Natural Habitat Adventures, which is a partner of the World Wildlife Fund, also has “rovers” that can shuttle guests from the lodge in safety.
If the idea of a luxurious visit to polar bear country gets you excited, pull out your wallet — a six day, all-inclusive trip including air travel from Winnipeg to Churchill will cost $5,595.
Make plans well in advance. You’ve got plenty of time until next bear viewing season, which runs from October through November. —Sean McCoy
