The World's Densest Winter Snowy Owl Population: Five days in the field on the Saskatchewan prairie, where a typical day in the field turns up 10–15 owls.
Guided by a Local Owl Expert: A Saskatoon naturalist co-guides every field day, leading us to the farmland territories where owls return to each winter.
Ethical, Non-Baited Photography: Capture natural hunting and perching behavior using the van as a mobile blind, with no baiting, ever.
Two Prairie Regions: A mid-trip overnight in Regina adds a second area of owl-rich farmland, plus chances for other raptors like Golden Eagles, Gyrfalcons and Short-eared Owls.

Book Now

Trip Description:

Photograph the ghosts of the prairie where they gather in greater numbers than anywhere on Earth!

A white owl perched on a weathered fence post, golden eyes locked on yours. Wings spread wide as it lifts off across a field of drifting snow. Frost glittering in the low winter sun. Snowy Owls are one of the most sought-after subjects in wildlife photography, and most photographers spend years hoping for a single good encounter. On the open farmland of Saskatchewan, international owl researchers report the highest winter density of Snowy Owls anywhere in the world. Our local expert typically finds 10–15 owls on a single day in the field. Snowy Owls of the Saskatchewan Prairies puts you in the middle of it for five days in the field.

What sets this trip apart is who you're with. We've partnered with a Saskatoon naturalist and wildlife rehabilitator who has spent years guiding birders and photographers to the province's wintering owls. We knows the back roads, the farmers' fields, and the individual birds that return to the same territories each winter. Our local expert joins us every day in the field as our co-guide, while your Backcountry Journeys photo guide handles the driving, the group and your photography instruction.

This is an ethical, non-baited owl workshop, and we're proud of that. Rather than luring birds in with food, we find owls on their own terms: hunting from fence posts, resting on hay bales and gliding low over the snow. Our van becomes a mobile blind. We approach quietly, photograph from the vehicle and step out only when it won't disturb the bird. The result is natural behavior and honest images, and owls that are still there for the next photographer.

We spend most of the trip based in Saskatoon, fanning out each day across the surrounding farmland. Midway through, we travel south and spend a night in Regina, giving us a second region of prairie with its own concentration of owls. Along the way, keep an eye out for other winter specialties of the northern plains, such as Golden Eagles, Gyrfalcons, Prairie Falcons and Short-eared Owls.

With a maximum of just 6 guests in one vehicle, everyone gets a window seat, room to work and plenty of one-on-one instruction. We handle everything from your winter-ready transportation and hotels to all of your meals, so all you need to bring is warm clothes and a long lens. If you've always dreamed of a frame-filling portrait of a Snowy Owl in its wild winter world, this is the trip!

What's Included

All listed meals and non-alcoholic beverages during the workshop
All transportation during the workshop
All lodging during the workshop
Airport drop-off on the final day
All permits and park fees
Professional photography guiding and instruction
Gratuity for service staff

What's Not Included

Flights to and from Saskatoon, SK (YXE)
Meals not listed as included on the itinerary
Lodging outside workshop dates
Alcoholic beverages
Souvenirs and personal items
Gratuity for photography guide and local guides. Please refer to our FAQ section for more details about gratuities
Trip Insurance & Medical Evacuation Insurance (required) - see plans here.

Details

Final Balance Due 180 days prior to Trip Start

Standard terms & conditions apply. Please see our Cancellation / Transfer policy on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Trip Insurance Required

Trip Itinerary

Most meals included – (B,L,D) denotes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 1: Arrival & Orientation in Saskatoon (D)
Welcome to Saskatchewan! Plan to arrive at Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport (YXE) by mid-afternoon, so you'll have plenty of time to make your way to our hotel. In the evening you'll meet your BCJ photo guide at a welcome dinner and orientation. We'll go over the week ahead, check camera settings for cold-weather shooting, and talk through the field ethics we follow around the owls, so we're ready to go when our local owl expert joins us tomorrow morning.

Day 2: Snowy Owls of the Saskatoon Prairie (B,L,D)
After an early breakfast we'll meet our local guide and head out onto the farmland surrounding Saskatoon. Our days follow the short winter light, roughly 9 AM to 5 PM. We drive the quiet grid roads scanning fence posts, power poles, hay bales and snowy fields, where white owls can be surprisingly hard to spot until you know how to look. When we find a bird, we approach slowly and use the van as a blind, photographing from the windows and stepping out quietly only when the owl is relaxed. Lunch is a casual stop in a small prairie town, and we're back in the field until the low afternoon sun turns the snow gold.

Day 3: Owls in Flight & Winter Light (B,L,D)
With a day of practice behind us, we'll try to focus on more ambitious images today: owls lifting off a post, gliding low over the snow and hunting the field margins. Our guide will help you dial in shutter speeds, autofocus tracking and exposure for a white bird on a white landscape. Between owls, we watch for other winter raptors such as Rough-legged Hawks, Prairie Falcons and the occasional Gyrfalcon. Sunset light on the open prairie can be spectacular, so we stay out until the last of it.

Day 4: South to Regina (B,L,D)
Today we travel south toward Regina, about a 3-hour drive, photographing owls along the way through a second region of prairie farmland. Our guide knows where the birds are concentrated this season, and the change of scenery brings new territories and new compositions. We check in to our hotel in Regina for the night, with dinner in town.

Day 5: Regina Owls & Return to Saskatoon (B,L,D)
We spend the morning searching the farmland around Regina, then work our way back north to Saskatoon through the afternoon, stopping for any owls, eagles or falcons we find. In the evening we celebrate the week with a farewell dinner back in Saskatoon.

Day 6: Final Morning in the Field & Departure (B)
Our final morning with our local guide is reserved for the images still on your wish list. We may revisit a cooperative owl from earlier in the week, go looking for other subjects, or simply make the most of the low morning light. We'll then transfer you to Saskatoon Airport (YXE) around 12 PM for your flight home. Please plan on a late afternoon or evening departure.

Please note: itineraries may change because of weather, road conditions, owl locations, and other circumstances beyond our control. This is a general plan for the week and we may need to adjust the order of events accordingly.

Please note that the exact sequence of the itineraries on all photography trips will be based on weather and lighting conditions. The goal on these trips is to make sure we are at the right place at the right time for the perfect light on our subjects. Also, itineraries can change for a variety of other circumstances including floods, forest fires, national park closures, road closures, and more. Due to the nature of wildlife and landscape photography, we do not guarantee any specific sightings or specific compositions.

START RESERVATION

Physical Requirements

Nearly all of our photography happens from the van or within a few steps of it, so there's no hiking involved. If you can get in and out of a passenger van comfortably many times a day, you'll be well prepared. The real challenge on this trip is the cold, not the terrain. When we step out to photograph, you may be standing in snow along a road shoulder or field edge for 10–30 minutes at a time, sometimes in a stiff prairie wind. Footing can be icy, so winter boots with good traction (or slip-on ice cleats) are a must. The prairie is flat and elevations around Saskatoon are only about 1,600 feet (500 m).

Our field days run about 8 hours, following the short winter daylight, with a fair amount of time seated in the vehicle as we search for owls. The drive to Regina and back adds two longer travel days of about 3 hours each way, broken up with photo stops. The van is always nearby to warm up, and you can stay inside and shoot through the window whenever you like.

Why Choose Backcountry Journeys?

UNPARALELLED
PHOTOGRAPHY
TRIPS

Divider Text

Explore over 100 worldwide photo tours and workshops tailored to photographers of all skill levels, from iconic U.S. National Parks to Africa's untamed savannahs.

THE BEST TEAM
IN THE
BUSINESS

Divider Text

We're proud to offer unmatched photography trips led by exceptional instructors who not only excel in photography but also serve as expert guides.

WORLD-CLASS
PHOTOGRAPHY
COMMUNITY

Divider Text

Join the Backcountry Journeys Tribe, where shared adventures in breathtaking locations foster lasting connections with fellow photographers in a warm, inclusive atmosphere.

[Block//Review]

[Block//Trip Reviewer//First Name] - [Block//Date Of Review %n/j/Y%+0]

[Block//Linked Trip (Single)//Trip Name]

Verified Guest

Worry Free Travel Guarantee!

HERE’S THE DEAL

We offer one of the most rock solid guarantees in the travel industry - our worry free travel, peace of mind guarantee to you!

We’re so confident that the Photography Trips we offer will not only meet but exceed the lofty expectations set forth on our website – if your trip experience does not 100% match the promises laid forth on our website we will gladly give you a credit toward a future trip.

Natural events such as wildlife & weather are certainly out of our control but every aspect of the trip including logistics, accommodations, vehicles, itinerary & your expert trip leaders will match the lofty promises we’ve made on the site – we guarantee it!