about wat'chee

Our Mission

Watโ€™chee Expeditions, established in 1994, is a full-service non-consumptive wilderness lodge located 40 miles south of Churchill, Manitoba owned and operated by Michael and Morris Spence. The lodge is a refurbished navy communications base adjacent to Wapusk National Park and the worldโ€™s largest polar bear denning area. Open for only a short period every year, Watโ€™chee Expeditions offers a unique opportunity in North America to see polar bear cubs and their mothers in their natural habitat. With a rare operating permit from Parks Canada, Watโ€™chee Expeditions brings visitors as close as 100 metres to the bears, while they learn about various aspects of the bearsโ€™ dens, habits and life cycle. Other wildlife viewing opportunities include ptarmigan, arctic foxes, caribou herds and wolves in addition to night time viewing of aurora borealis.

Watโ€™chee Expeditions was recognized by Travel Manitoba and awarded the Aboriginal Tourism Award at the 2008 Manitoba Tourism Awards. Watโ€™chee Expeditions was named a finalist in the Business of the Year category (single unit) in the Tourism Industry Association of Canadaโ€™s (TIAC) National Tourism Awards program.

Watโ€™chee Expeditions has long been a coveted secret of naturalists and wildlife photographers. Images and video taken at Watโ€™chee Expeditions have been seen around the world resulting in international exposure for Manitoba. Many pictures of polar bear cubs and mothers have been taken at Watโ€™chee Expeditions and are commonly seen in magazines, books, calendars, et cetera.

Watโ€™chee Expeditions is a beautifully refurbished navy communications base which stands 300 feet on top of an old beach ridge located about 40 miles south of Churchill, MB. Canada.

The lodge is a world-renowned destination for the adventurous naturalist, the avid nature photographer, or for any and all vacationers who want to fully experience the world-class travel opportunities that the Canadian sub-arctic has to offer.

Watโ€™chee in the Cree language means โ€œa hill covered with trees in the middle of the tundraโ€. Like an island surrounded by tundra, Watโ€™chee Expeditions is situated in the middle of the worldโ€™s largest polar bear denning area adjacent to Wapusk National Park.

Watโ€™chee Expeditions has a commanding view of the vast Hudson Bay lowlands that sprawl to the seashore of Hudson Bay, dotted by stands of one-sided spruce trees, tundra hummocks, small lakes and willow-lined creeks. This is the habitat of the Willow Ptarmigan, Cape Churchill, Caribou herds, Wolf, White Fox and the Polar Bear: โ€“ โ€“ the worldโ€™s largest land predator.

watchee expeditions