What Are Summer Polar Bears Up To?

July 31, 2020

When we think of polar bears, it’s often images of icebergs or roaming frozen sea-ice and tundra. Yet, the Arctic has a summer like everywhere else with longer warmer days.

Are you wondering how polar bears spend their summer? They spend their winters out on the sea-ice, but when summer comes, where do they go?

Join us as we explore an area of Baffin Island where polar bears spend their summer days.

Where Do Polar Bears Spend Summer?

As winter comes to an end, and the vast expanse of frozen ocean begins to crack, and ice turns into open water, polar bears face the question of where to spend their summer.

Many will start to migrate towards the mainland or smaller archipelagos around Baffin Island. The reason there are so many on the eastern coast of Baffin Island is that they don’t need to travel far inland, just onto solid land.

Polar bears have evolved to have a very particular dietary design to store and maintain as much weight as possible because their summers are a slow season. They will do the majority of the year’s eating during the winters when it is easier to hunt seal. As the ice melts and the seals gain the advantage, polar bears tend fast through most of the summer. Sometimes they will try and hunt seal at night or scavenge for birds, but rarely are there high calory meals.

This means that polar bears prefer to rest during the summer months and exert minimal energy. Sleeping in the shade during the days, even swimming instead of walking because they float so well, keeps them cool.

Places like the community of Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut are known for their summer neighbours. The rocky shoreline and deep inlets are perfect places to rest during the day. The rolling fiords and nearby island chains are ideal for these famously solitary animals to find new places to explore.

How To Observe Polar Bears During Summer!

Arctic Kingdom’s Premium Safari Camp takes you on small group boat tours that explore the coastline and islands around Qikiqtarjuaq, where a healthy population of polar bears spend their summers.

The Canadian Arctic version of the wildlife safari to see one of the most remarkable animals on earth. From a safe distance and with the expert staff, you can enjoy breathtaking opportunities to observe and photography the Lord of the Arctic.

Spend your days searching for polar bears between activities like kayaking on the Arctic Ocean, visiting bucket list locations like Auyuittuq National Park as you boat up Coronation Fiord to the ancient glacier calving many of the icebergs floating past.

Our team of Inuit guides are from the local community and provide a knowledge of the land and wildlife that make our trips truly special. Take the opportunity to talk with your guides about their experience in the north. Many of them have spent much of their life at their camps throughout the area and have spent their lives alongside polar bears.

This team of trained guides focus on finding polar bear locations, either well-known locations or exploring potential hot spots.

Along with our Expedition Leader and Camp Staff, including a gourmet culinary team, there is no better way to explore the Arctic and see polar bears during the summer. It is truly a bucket list experience to spend your days surrounded by the Arctic’s most stunning landscape as your witness polar bears in their natural environment.

The summer is a spectacular time to experience our Polar Bear and Glacier Safari because it offers safe but intimate opportunities. Polar bears are famously docile during the summer, which provides perfect chances to get extraordinary photographs.

Rather than having to photograph them on the move or catching them poking out from behind shrubs, you’ll hardly need a tripod on this trip! It’s quite unique and striking to see them among rocky beaches and swimming when we expect to find them among the snow.

This unique and exceptional Polar Bear & Glaciers Safari is your chance to observe and photograph polar bears in comfort.