Culturally diverse and naturally wild, get to know Canada’s prairie province of Manitoba in the country’s warm-hearted core where welcoming Canadians, epic wildlife, cultural experiences, dramatic surroundings and outdoor adventures await.
Embrace radical openness in Canada with open spaces, open minds, and open hearts on an autumn or winter venture, exploring Manitoba’s cultural capital and beyond, for wondrous wildlife and wilderness.
Radical Openness shares the storytelling heart of Canada, where travellers can connect directly with welcoming locals, diverse communities and the pristine natural environment for an enriching and unforgettable travel experience that is uniquely Canadian in context.
Learn more about Manitoba’s deep interconnectedness to land, cosmos and seasons with Giiwe Media owner and Anishinaabe photographer Aaron McKay.
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Air Canada flies direct from Australia to Vancouver and then onwards to Winnipeg in Manitoba and other Canadian cities via its domestic network. You can also fly nonstop to Vancouver with Qantas from Australia.
It’s also easy to get around Canada by road and rail, so you can explore beyond the urban gateways. Car hire is easily accessible from Winnipeg airport or downtown.
Prefer the scenic route? Take the slow travel approach on the VIA Rail train routes from Vancouver, Toronto and Edmonton. You can also visit Churchill on the two-day Winnipeg-Churchill train – the only dry land connection to the northern port.
Why Manitoba shines in autumn and winter

If polar bears, belugas, wolves and the northern lights are on your wish list, Manitoba’s autumn and winter months deliver an abundance of once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunities.
Churchill is the spot to see bears and beluga whales in the wild – September to October is prime polar bear time, while belugas are on the move in summer. The remote Wapusk National Park, 45km south of Churchill, protects one of the world’s biggest mama polar bear maternity dens. Due to its subarctic location on Hudson Bay, Churchill is also ideal for catching the aurora borealis from February to March.
Manitoba’s not just ice and Arctic wildlife; it’s a land of contrasts with pristine lakes, prairie grasslands, rivers and forests. It’s also culturally diverse – the capital, Winnipeg, has the country’s largest Indigenous population as well as 63 First Nations across the province, highlighting Manitoba’s unique connection to nature and the seasons.
Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the largest city in the Canadian Prairies but retains that small-town appeal, welcoming visitors to the Manitoba capital with friendly neighbourhoods and a multicultural dining scene plus world-class art, architecture and cultural exhibits.
Topping the list are the Qaumajuq art museum – the world’s largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art – within the equally renowned Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024.
Pair your cultural immersion with the nearby Forks Market for dining, shopping, public art and green spaces. The Exchange District also has independent restaurants, boutiques and galleries to browse within heritage buildings. Take a historical walking or riverboat tour to glean more local insights.

In autumn, The Forks hosts an architecture and art installation competition to source six innovative warming huts, which are installed along the Nestaweya River Trail for winter. The trail serves as a seasonal skating route on the river. Between January and February, the popular RAW:almond event celebrates culinary arts and contemporary design in a unique pop-up dining experience.
Discover more about Winnipeg’s wintry appeal, warming huts and seasonal creativity in action with local architect Peter Hargraves of Sputnik Architecture.
In mid-February, the Festival du Voyageur is the annual celebration of Métis, First Nations and Franco-Manitoban culture and trading history. Western Canada’s largest winter festival features traditional music, French-Canadian cuisine, snow sculptures, sleigh rides and historical reenactments.
Assiniboine Park

If you’re short on time, you can see Canada’s amazing Arctic wildlife without venturing outside Winnipeg. The historic Assiniboine Park houses extensive parklands, Assiniboine Park Zoo and The Leaf indoor horticultural attractions, making it an ideal addition to a Winnipeg itinerary all year round.
Assiniboine Park Zoo has polar bears, arctic foxes, muskox, reindeer, seals and other northern species in the Journey to Churchill exhibit. Visit in winter to see the resident polar bears and seals swim via underwater viewing tunnels.
Meanwhile, The Leaf features six different domains across four distinct biomes among 12 hectares of green space and gardens. This includes the Indigenous Peoples Garden – a gathering place that celebrates Indigenous cultural connection to nature and a collaborative project that also highlights the Manitoban landscape
Gimli and the Interlake Region

Explore Manitoba’s lesser-known Icelandic heritage cultural community on an Interlake road trip. Gimli is 100 km north of Winnipeg, while Hecla is approximately 175 km away, or a two-hour drive. So named for its location between two inland oceans: Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba, the Interlake region is renowned as a birding and boating destination.
Relax on the beaches, go on a boat tour and visit Hecla Island Provincial Park on Lake Winnipeg for hiking trails and kayaking among the islands or ice fishing in winter.
The town of Gimli is also the centre of the community’s Icelandic settler heritage, celebrated with a statue at Viking Park and an annual festival. Stop at Interlake Brewing Co. in Gimli for a refreshing craft beer and filling pub fare in any season.
Churchill

On the banks of Hudson Bay in subarctic Manitoba, Churchill is polar bear central in October and November and the only place on Earth to offer a polar bear walking tour.
Embark on a polar bear safari experience with Churchill Wild, arriving by bush plane and staying at one of the three wilderness lodges. Take a daily, guided hike across the tundra to spy polar bears and other Arctic wildlife up close in their natural habitat. In winter, visitors can book with Frontiers North Adventures for Northern Lights packages.

You can also explore the tundra with Wapusk Adventures dog-sledding and aurora-viewing tours or enjoy a Nanuk Operations multi-night northern lights stay and snowshoeing experience with Kiwi owner-guide Caleb Ross.
For something unique, join the pack on an unforgettable nine-night Cloud Wolves of the Kaska Coast tour in either November or March, contributing to a citizen science project to track, photograph and study wild wolves with Churchill Wild.
Riding Mountain National Park

Around a 3.5-hour drive west of Winnipeg, Riding Mountain National Park is bursting with natural diversity from grasslands to forests, lakes to wetlands. Visit in autumn for fall foliage and black bears, explore Clear Lake townsite, Wasagaming, see the plains bison in the Lake Audy Bison Enclosure and hike Gorge Creek or Bald Hill for scenic backcountry vistas.
In winter, Riding Mountain National Park is a mecca for cross-country skiing with a 200km groomed trail network for the likes of snowshoeing and fat-biking as well. Keep an eye out for elk, moose and bison within the 3,000sqkm wilderness and look up at night for the northern lights.
Fast facts about Manitoba in autumn and winter:

- How to get there: Air Canada flies direct from Australia to Vancouver with domestic flights available to Manitoba’s capital, Winnipeg. You can also fly nonstop to Vancouver with Qantas or with one stop in Auckland through Air New Zealand, via Nadi with Fiji Airways or to Winnipeg with Qantas via Los Angeles.
- When to go: The autumn season in Manitoba runs from September to November and the winter season runs from December to March.
- Did you know? The northern port of Churchill is the world’s polar bear capital with a population of around 900. October and November are the best months to see them in the wild.
- A natural fact: Manitoba is famous for bears and belugas – and snakes? Every spring until early September, tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes slither from Narcisse Snake Dens for the biggest gathering of its kind in the world.
- Another natural fact: Spruce Woods Provincial Park is home to the Spirit Sands, a unique desert-like area with dunes up to 30m high and curious flora and fauna.
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