Many great Arctic explorers met their demise as they were about to reach their destination. I didn’t want to up the numbers but, as I squeezed into the seven-seater Turbo Beaver en route to Canada’s 59th parallel, I was convinced mine was inevitable. I needn’t have feared.

Just as we were about to take off, our pilot, Nelson, turned to us in a Top Gun moment, gave a thumbs up and said “Let’s do it!” Indeed. We soared across the tundra, hugging the Hudson Bay coastline, peeling our eyes for any sign of polar bears. I was sure I had glimpsed a thatch of white fur, but my enthusiasm was soon deflated; “It’s a boulder,” Nelson deadpanned.

Unlike Parry, Byrd and Fiennes, our destination is not the North Pole. Nor do we want to be in the history books alongside the great explorers; I just want to make my lifelong dream a reality and quietly observe polar bears in the wild. Polar, panda, brown, black and grizzly – I’m a big fan of bears in all forms. We tend to anthropomorphise bears, but in reality they are far from cuddly cartoon Winnie, Yogi and Baloo. Scary and adorable, bears have a compelling alchemy of attraction, danger and repulsion. Yes, bears are sexy. Plus I’m jealous that they get to hibernate.

Dymond Lake Lodge is our first stop in search of the great ice bears. In the far north of Manitoba, the lodge is 30km (19 miles) from Churchill, the nearest town, which is a two-and-a-half-hour flight from cosmopolitan Winnipeg. The Turbo Beaver is the only way to get to Dymond Lake.

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Safely on the ground, nerves were soothed with hot coffee and freshly baked gingersnaps. What a relief I’m not forced to eat boiled leather and lichen, as Sir John Franklin was on his 19th-century Arctic expedition.

Jeannie Reimer owns the cosy wooden lodge with her parents and husband Mike; together they welcome guests for hunting, fishing, and wildlife adventures. For six weeks of the year – mid-October to the end of November – all attention is turned to the polar bear migration. While Jeannie supervises the kitchen, Mike facilitates the round-the-clock polar bear watch to be sure we catch a glimpse should a bear come near, but most importantly for our safety.

Polar bears may be cute, but they kill; males can reach 3m (10ft) high and well over 700kg (1,500 pounds). Hence, we are always escorted by bodyguards armed with rifles and pepper spray, and I felt more Victoria Beckham in LA than Arctic explorer. I’m enthralled by the prospect of spotting a polar bear, whether it tries to attack me or not. And seeing one is a distinct possibility. This stretch of the Hudson Bay is the launchpad for more than 1,000 bears’ annual migration north in search of seals for food. For the bears to start their trip, the bay needs to freeze. Until that happens, the bears are hanging out on the desolate, scrubby tundra in a state of walking hibernation. So we explore the tundra on foot with super-strong binoculars and very warm coats. We watch, wait, and watch some more. We spot a falcon, a weasel, a wolf, snow buntings and seals. But no bears... yet.

When the harsh Arctic wind gets too much, an afternoon cookery lesson or a spot of beauty therapy is an antidote. Complimentary treatments are on tap and my freshly painted hot pink nails will no doubt attract the bears’ attention. Unfortunately the cacophonous chitchat and laughter from the 14 women on the expedition scares the bears away.

Oh, did I forget to mention this is a ladies-only escape? For one week in the polar bear calendar, women are invited to Dymond Lake to get in touch with their wild side. And boy were we wild. Ronnie ran morning yoga sessions and country line dancing lessons. Susan led power tundra walks. Wendy coaxed us out of bed at midnight to see the Aurora Borealis. Happy-hour blueberry Martinis induced some highly entertaining antics, including Orla’s spontaneous Irish dancing and Ronnie’s flat-chested Dolly Parton impersonation.

In all of this fun and frolicking, the serious issue of global warming looms large. After all, we are women with a mission to see polar bears, the unofficial poster child for climate change. I questioned whether travelling to the Arctic could be justified, if my carbon footprint will be indelibly marked on the landscape. Am I (and the environment) going straight to Hell?

Our guide, Ian, insists “the more people see bears, the more they want to protect them”. As I hadn’t yet seen a bear, I had to take his word for it. One thing is certain: global warming affects the bears’ migration. Bears get on to the ice later, which means they are leaner, weaker and less likely to survive till the spring thaw. Overall the Arctic population of polar bears is stable, between 20,000-25,000, but predictions for the future are concerning. I was surprised to learn that polar bears are a threatened, but not endangered species. Polar bear hunting is a legal (albeit highly controlled) activity in certain territories, and Native Canadians are given hunting privileges in accordance with their heritage and experience. Despite the hunting, one way polar bears may survive is through crossbreeding with their distant cousin the grizzly.

There’s no doubt bears – preferably alive – are good for business. Our final stop is Churchill, the “Polar Bear Capital of the World”. Hotels, restaurants, bars and gift shops in the town of 900 people are liberally decorated with bear motifs.

After our jaunt at Dymond Lake with not a bear in sight, we were keen to go even wilder and board a tundra buggy. A cross between a tractor, a moon buggy and a bus, the tundra buggy is eco-friendly, camouflaged white and specially built to cross the rocky terrain of the Arctic. It was a surprise, then, that we broke down an hour into our expedition. Needless to say there’s no AA in the Arctic and we gals didn’t want to ruin our manicures by pushing. Eventually we were rescued by another buggy, hosting a team from the charity Polar Bears International (PBI). Our misfortune turned 180 degrees, and PBI volunteers regaled us with tales of the conservation and research work they do around the world.

And yes. We saw polar bears. Three, to be exact. The moment we pulled up along a bank of tundra scrub and first saw a bear serenely sitting, watching, waiting for the ice to freeze was awesome. Gasps were followed by eerie silence. We knew we were privileged to witness nature at her wildest, rarest and most beautiful. I was amazed at the bears’ calm curiosity. Their stature and rippling muscle as they walked across the tundra. Their tiny ears and eyes. Their webbed feet and humped back and yawning stretches.

It was a life-changing moment, and Ian was right. Now I’ve seen polar bears in all their power and vulnerability, I definitely want to protect them.

Need to know

Amy Lame travelled with Canadian Sky (0870 9040930, www.canadiansky.co.uk) which runs The Great Ice Bear Tour in October and November from £3,599pp. Includes flights, guided tour, full board and two nights in Winnipeg. The next women-only tour starts on October 16, 2008.
More information: Canadian Tourism Commission: www.canada.travel. Polar Bears International: www.polarbearsinternational.com.

More teddy boys

Fleewinter (020-7112 0019, www.fleewinter.co.uk) offers sloth bear spotting in Sri Lanka’s Yala national park, from £1,300pp.
The Adventure Company (0845 4505311, www.adventure company.co.uk) goes to Denali national park in Alaska to see grizzly bears.
A 16-day trip next June starts at £2,099pp. An eight-day trip with Naturetrek (01962 733051, www.naturetrek.co.uk) to spot brown bears in northern Spain costs from £985pp.