1. Sneak a peak at our polar whites
In summer, polar bear central turns into the beluga belt, as thousands of 900-pound whales come to feed in the waters near the Hudson Bay. You can actually paddle or snorkel among these majestic creatures and watch them watching you! For a less hands-on approach, enjoy watching and listening to these highly vocal whales from a 32-passenger boat.
2. Snorkel with beluga whales
Churchill, Manitoba, a two-and-a-half hour flight north of Winnipeg, Manitoba's capital city, is known around the world as polar bear central. Venture out over the tundra in specially designed vehicles for safely viewing the bears. Photographers and wildlife enthusiasts so inclined can even eat, sleep and rise right out on the capes, in the midst of the glorious bears, as hundreds of them roam the coastline every October and November awaiting the freeze of the Hudson Bay.
3. Shop, eat and get cultured in Winnipeg
Winnipeg is a multicultural city proudly reflected in its festivals, art, music and food. Restaurants serve everything from Ukrainian perogies to a fusion of regional and Californian cuisine. Whether you crave theatre, music, opera or dance, performing arts offer an array of productions throughout the year.
Visual arts venues bespeak a vibrant community that goes well beyond the Winnipeg Art Gallery and its largest collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world. Shopping malls, casinos, museums and historic sites beckon. Families will love The Forks, the Children's Museum, Fort Whyte Centre and the Assiniboine Park Zoo, where wild animals delight, along with a statue of a very famous bear named after Winnipeg -- Winnie-the-Pooh.
4. Snowshoe & track wildlife at Riding Mountain National Park
Edged by a high, rugged escarpment, Riding Mountain National Park is an island of wilderness over the agricultural landscape. Wildlife thrives in the vast mix of forests, meadows and broad valleys, lined with more than 300 kilometres (180 miles) of trails, superb year-round. Keep a camera ready for sightings of moose, elk, beaver, black bear, fox, and if you're very lucky, lynx or wolf.
5. Fish on the fly
More than 10,000 trophy-sized fish are pulled out of Manitoba's plentiful waters every year. Fly-in lodges pepper the north and many more are road-accessible. Arctic grayling, brook trout, lake trout, northern pike and walleye thrive here. Winnipeg's Red River offers some of the best giant channel catfishing in the world. Flyfishing is best in Manitoba's western reaches.
6. See northern lights on northern nights
In 2002, Outside Magazine listed seeing the northern lights in Manitoba as one of the 'top 25 adventures of a lifetime.' Some of the best shows occur January to March, when nature sends her lasers to make shifting curtains of spectacular northern lights. A facility with see-through domes built into the roof makes light viewing a warm and comfortable experience for visitors unaccustomed to Churchill winters.
7. Hike, bike and paddle the parks
As is the province, so are the parks -- diverse. Sand dunes roll at Spruce Woods Provincial Park, ancient granite graces much of the Whiteshell and waterfalls amaze near Paint Lake Provincial Park. Manitoba's highest point, Baldy Mountain, peaks at Duck Mountain Provincial Park, where glaciers receded some 10,000 years ago.
Extensive trail networks attract hikers and bikers to broad valleys and lush Canadian Shield forests. Bike along one of the biggest lakes in the world at Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park or paddle for days in Grass River Provincial Park.
8. Unwind at the lake
Experience relaxation beyond compare. Camp or rent a cottage on some of the biggest and best lakes in the world. Soak up the summer heat on the water's edge and dive in when you can't stand it any more. Eat well, then later, float soundlessly in a streak of moonlight and gaze at a skyful, make that an eyeful, of stars.
9. Bird in Paradise
Recognized as a birder's paradise, Manitoba attracts two-thirds of Canada's more than 500 species of birds. In spring, the birds fly north in amazing flocks in the hundreds of thousands over our lakes, marshes and forests.
North American birding hotspot, Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre, won the coveted 2002 British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow award for Best Environmental Experience.
Delta Marsh also offers great viewing, as does Riding Mountain National Park, home to more than 260 bird species, including great grey owl and Connecticut warbler. Birders fly to Churchill for stellar sub-arctic birding.
10. Go a little bit country
Stay at a bed-and-breakfast or country vacation farm during one of the hundreds of small-town fall suppers, festivals or events listed in Travel Manitoba's Events Guide.
