07/31/2026
📍Destination: Churchill, Manitoba, Polar Bear Capital of the World! 🐻❄️
This week the ITM team made the journey up north! Indigenous tourism is built around community and connection, and we believe in getting away from our desks and onto the land. Face time with our operators matters—regardless of the distance between us. By taking part in these incredible experiences, we can truly promote and assist with business development from first-hand understanding.
Also, as many of you may have spotted, we had a special guest join us: Andrian Makhnachov who turned out to be somewhat of a local "celebrity"!
Here’s a quick recap of our unforgettable northern itinerary:
🚲Wapusk E-Bike Adventures: Led by our very own Board Chair, David Paul Daley and his daughter Danielle, we cruised around local icons like the famous Miss Piggy plane wreck and the Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site. An absolute must-try!
🐻❄️ Sub-Arctic Tours: We were blessed to have the opportunity to spot a polar bear with Leroy Whitmore, owner of Sub-Arctic Tours. Through his decades of experience guiding and photographing polar bears, Leroy led us off the beaten path to (for some of us),our first in-person polar bear sighting!
🐶 Wapusk Adventures: We visited Dave Daley a second time at his dog yard where he walked us through the legendary story of his 2019 dog-sledding journey from Churchill to Winnipeg. We were also lucky enough to visit at the perfect time to meet a fresh litter of 3-week-old puppies! 🐾this was special as Dave hasn't had a litter in 7 years as his focus is rescuing—he truly views every single dog as a part of his family.
🌿 Dene Routes: Florence Hamilton, a Sayisi Dene woman, led us on her "Paths of Our Ancestors" tour—an immersive 3km walk on the land exploring rich history, stories, archaeological sites, flora, and fauna.
🛥 Custom Churchill Tours: We wrapped up our trip on the water with local guide Brendan McEwan of Custom Churchill Tours, taking in one final, breathtaking beluga watching experience from the boat deck.
A Huge Thank You To:
🏠 Aurora Inn: Thank you so much for the beautiful rooms and wonderful hospitality during our stay! Having a cozy, welcoming place to rest our heads made all the difference.
📸 Andrian Makhnachov: A massive thank you for drawing in so many new followers through your incredible outreach and helping us showcase our wonderful operators!
🤝 Travel Manitoba: Deep appreciation to our provincial tourism partner for making what we do possible and supporting this trip up north.
Here's a peek into the trip, and make sure to add these authentic Indigenous experiences to your Manitoba bucket list!
