Frontiers North Adventures

Who is Frontiers North Adventures?

The Churchill family company behind the Tundra Buggy, and the biggest permit holder on the tundra east of town. Lynda and Merv Gunter founded it in 1987 from their home in Churchill, Manitoba; their son John and his partner Lisa-Joy run it now, from an office in Winnipeg, and it is a certified B Corporation, 100% Canadian-owned.¹ It holds 12 of the 18 permits for tour vehicles in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area, where the bears wait for Hudson Bay to freeze; Great White Bear Tours runs the rest.²³

Frontiers North sells everything from an eight-hour day on the tundra to six-night packages with three nights at its own lodge among the bears, with return flights from Winnipeg in every package. It runs no ships, so you will not find it in our voyage finder. We have not traveled with Frontiers North; what follows comes from its own trip pages and terms, read on October 15, 2026, and from reporting on the permits.

What is a Tundra Buggy?

A purpose-built tundra vehicle, first designed and engineered in Churchill in 1979. Each one seats 40 in pairs, has a heater, a flushing washroom and windows that open, and has an open-air rear platform with a metal grate floor for photographing bears, "even right below your feet".⁴⁵ Package tours carry no more than 22 guests per buggy, so everyone has a window, and day tours are held to 36, though its autumn day tour page says those tours are "capped at 40".⁴²⁵ That cap of 22 is the number to compare: it is six more than Natural Habitat's 16, and smaller than the 36 or 40 you share a day-tour buggy with.

Two of the buggies run on electric propulsion, and Frontiers North aims to convert the rest of its touring fleet by 2030.⁵ Walkers and wheelchairs are not allowed on board, for lack of storage space.⁵

How much does a Frontiers North polar bear tour cost in 2027?

From CAD 8,927 per person, with two sharing, for the 5-day Subarctic Discovery from Winnipeg. Every package below includes all meals and the trip between Winnipeg and Churchill, by air both ways or by rail on the way north on the train trip; you get yourself to Winnipeg.⁶⁷ The per-day figure is our arithmetic.

The town-based trips are the cheapest per day; by our arithmetic the lodge trips cost about 40% more per day, but they put you in the bears' area overnight. Frontiers North says many trips sell out six to 12 months ahead, and the train version already has.¹²⁷

Can you take a Tundra Buggy day tour?

Yes, in 2026, if you can find a seat. The autumn day tour costs CAD 657.14 for an adult, starts with check-in at Fifty Eight North in Churchill by 7:45 a.m., returns about 5 p.m., and includes a light lunch that may be soup and sandwiches.⁵ Of its fall 2026 dates, only October 17, October 26, November 17 and one November 18 group were not sold out when we looked.⁵ Day tours are paid in full when booked, cannot be refunded or transferred, and are open to children from age 5.¹²

For travelers starting in Winnipeg, the One Day Polar Bear Adventure flies to Churchill and back on a charter, with about six hours on the tundra alongside Dr. Stephen Petersen of the Assiniboine Park Zoo; part of the price goes to the Assiniboine Park Conservancy's polar bear research. It costs CAD 2,107.62, and the only date listed is November 17, 2026.¹³ Neither day-trip page listed any 2027 dates yet.

What is the Tundra Buggy Lodge like?

A lodge parked at Polar Bear Point inside the wildlife management area, so you are first onto the tundra each morning and last back, on full eight-hour days. It sleeps up to 40 in two sleeper units of 20; each guest has a bunk with a privacy curtain, a personal window and a thermostat, and the sleeping quarters are upper and lower berths with twin mattresses.¹⁴⁹ Evenings bring talks by Polar Bears International scientists in the Thanadelthur Lounge, which has wifi and a rooftop deck for the northern lights.¹⁴

Natural Habitat Adventures runs the rival lodge: 29 guests, each in a compact private cabin, for $15,895 plus $1,689 air for 6 days.¹⁵ Frontiers North's lodge sleeps more people in less private berths; its 7-day Town and Polar Bears package costs CAD 16,927 with flights.⁹

Which Frontiers North trip should you book?

• Shortest and cheapest: Subarctic Discovery, two buggy days for CAD 8,927.
• More of Churchill itself: the 5-night Classic, with museums, local restaurants and dog sledding around the same two buggy days.⁸
• The most hours with bears: the Photo Adventure, which spends four full days on the tundra and is open to any skill level.¹⁰
• The science: Conservation Journey, co-hosted with Polar Bears International, which receives part of each guest's fare.¹¹
• The slow way north: the train trip, about 48 hours on VIA Rail in a sleeper cabin; watch for 2028 dates, since 2027 is full.⁷

These picks are ours.

What are Frontiers North's booking terms?

A CAD 750 deposit per person, non-refundable, and full payment 120 days before departure, when you must also show proof of comprehensive insurance; comprehensive insurance has been mandatory on package tours booked since June 1, 2020.¹² Cancel up to 121 days out and you lose only the deposit, which you can keep as a "True North Deposit" for a later trip; from 120 to 61 days you lose 50% of the invoice, and from 60 days, all of it.¹² Multi-day trips take children from age 8, prices assume two sharing, and the terms state plainly that wildlife sightings are not guaranteed.¹²

How does Frontiers North compare with Natural Habitat and Churchill Wild?

Frontiers North is the volume player: the most vehicles, the only day tours, and the lowest 2027 package price, with bigger groups than Natural Habitat and none of Churchill Wild's walking. Each company's prices are shown in its own currency.

On cancellation terms Frontiers North and Natural Habitat are close; Churchill Wild says its safaris are non-refundable. On group size, Natural Habitat wins. On price, Frontiers North's Canadian-dollar packages include the flight that Natural Habitat bills separately. For the wider choice of where to see bears, read our polar bear tours guide and our Churchill page.

Is Frontiers North a responsible choice?

On paper, yes: a B Corp, an electric-vehicle plan, and trips that pass money to Polar Bears International and the Assiniboine Park Conservancy.¹⁵¹¹ It also works in a closed market. Manitoba cut the tundra fleet back to 18 vehicles in 2025, citing the decline of Western Hudson Bay bears and concern about bears getting used to vehicles, which removed rival Lazy Bear Expeditions' two permits.³ Lazy Bear's lawyer told a Winnipeg court in September 2026 that this "has created a permanent duopoly"; a judge had found the province acted improperly and ordered it to reconsider, but in June 2026 it kept the total at 18.²² The Western Hudson Bay population was estimated at 618 bears in 2021 and is judged very likely to have decreased.²³

Who should skip Frontiers North?

Travelers who use a walker or wheelchair, since mobility aids are not allowed on the Tundra Buggy.⁵ Anyone who wants the smallest group, which Natural Habitat's 16 beats. And anyone hoping to stand on the tundra with a bear, which only Churchill Wild's walking safaris offer among these three.