Tanya Smith Cox

Tanya’s love of the outdoors, travel, and hosting exciting nature adventures began while growing up in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, the “Polar Bear Capital of the World.” Her family were among the first visionaries to see the benefits of ecotourism in Canada. Her father, Len Smith, was awarded the Order of Manitoba for helping establish polar bear tourism adventures by building the first Tundra Buggy from scratch.

Tanya managed the Tundra Buggy Lodge along the shores of Hudson Bay for more than 14 seasons. In the late 1990s, she owned and operated the Bear Country Inn in Churchill. Living in the far north, in a town with one road running 17 miles, inspired her wanderlust. She later interned for a travel agency in Winnipeg, where she learned the ins and outs of the travel industry and developed her desire to see the world.

In 2014, Natural Exposures was awarded World Leading Specialist Holiday Company by the World Travel Awards. In 2019, Tanya received Highly Commended among 4,000 entries worldwide in Wanderlust UK’s World Guide Awards.

During her time in Churchill, Tanya met people from around the world, including her husband Daniel. Aside from traveling with Dan for 10 months each year, she enjoys organizing and researching the next photo tour destination from Montana while running their stock photography and assignment agency. Her travel and organizational skills, paired with Daniel’s photography knowledge, create a relaxed, vacation-like experience of adventure and learning.