Homer Day Tours

kachemak bay kayaking:

All kayak trips begin with a short water taxi from the Homer Spit to a kayak base on Yukon Island, famed for its abundant wildlife and spectacular scenery. Be sure to bring a full water bottle, wear layered clothes, fleece jacket, warm pants and socks, sun hat and warm hat if chilly.  Rubber boots can be provided if you do not have your own.

Yukon Island Day Trip
Our most popular kayak trip explores abundant sea otters and bald eagles in one of the most beautiful areas of the bay. Also expect to see seals, puffins and cormorants and occasionally whales.  Trip includes a hearty lunch, guide, kayak equipment, instruction and water taxi to Yukon Island.  Check in 1/2 hour prior to Tour start time.
10:00am–5:30pm.  $135.00 per person

Elephant rock 3/4 Day Trip
This abridged version of our full day trip is ideal for those on a tight timeline. You will still experience much of the scenery and wildlife of Yukon Island.  Trip includes a hearty lunch, guide, kayak equipment, instruction and water taxi to Yukon Island.  Check in 1/2 hour prior to Tour start time.
10:00am–3:30pm.  $115.00 per person

Eagle Nest 1/2 Day Trip $85
Our half-day trips provide a short but wonderful introduction to kayaking. get a taste of paddling while seeing dramatic scenery and wildlife of Yukon Island.  Trip includes guide, kayak equipment, instruction and water taxi to Yukon Island.  Bring your own favorite snack.  Check in 1/2 hour prior to Tour start time.
10:00am–1:30pm or 1:30pm–5:30pm.   $85.00 per person

Kayak/Hike Day Trip Package $175 ($15 savings)
Spend one day paddling Yukon Island and return to Homer for the night. Spend the next day taking our water taxi to the Glacier Lake Trailhead. Hike the 2 hours up to the lake, watch the Glacier, have lunch and then hike an hour back to on the Saddle Trail to your water taxi pick up. Boat leaves at 8:30 or 11am and returns by 2:30 or 4:30pm.  $175.00

Kachemak Bay Full Day Kayaking
This guided day trip is for both beginner and experienced sea kayakers.  Trips begin with a water taxi ride across scenic Kachemak Bay to Otter Cove Resort and the protected waters of the fjords in Kachemak Bay State Park.  Your guide will provide an orientation and whatever assistance you need throughout the day.  You'll be outfitted for the kayak and then spend the day paddling in spectacular scenery with abundant wildlife viewing opportunities.  Single and double Necky kayaks are used, which are stable for beginners and also provide the experienced paddler with a fun kayak.  
Depart 9:30am from the Homer Spit and return at 5:30pm.  $125. per person

glacier lake hiking and kayaking tours:

Water Taxi Option:
From Homer,  a small boat tour takes us to beautiful Kachemak Bay State Park. Enjoy a guided nature hike through a coastal rainforest, arriving at a pristine glacier-carved lake. After a brief safety talk, kayak around huge, deep-blue icebergs and explore the rugged shores of the lake. Soak in the sights and sounds as you enjoy lunch at this magnificent glacier. Hike out and return to Homer by boat.  This trip includes 2-3 hours hiking and 2-3 hours kayaking.   $148.00 per person including tax.

Or enjoy the option of traveling by float plane roundtrip to the Glacier Lake.

Fly-In Option:
Experience the thrill of riding in a floatplane over the glacier, then landing in a remote, glacier-carved lake. Leisurely paddle a stable sea kayak around mammoth icebergs and then to the face of the glacier. Explore and photograph the virgin landscape at the face of the glacier while learning first hand about the incredible power of moving ice. Paddle back to the trailhead and enjoy a casual 2 mile hike through a coastal rainforest. Finish your tour with a scenic boat ride back to Homer.  This trip includes 1-2 hours hiking and 2-3  hours kayaking.  $230.00 per person including tax.

homer Halibut and salmon fishing:

Experience World Class fishing for Salmon or Halibut (or both in a combination trip) in the dramatic setting of Kachemak Bay!   Your expert Captain will provide you with all equipment, bait and instruction.  A typical HALIBUT or SALMON full day fishing charter departs the dock about 5:30 - 6:30am depending on the time of year, and the ride out to the fishing grounds will be anywhere from 45 minutes to a couple of hours.    Since all of the vessels are twin diesel powered, they are fast enough to get you to the fishing grounds quickly.   The trip is more than a boat ride however, and you usually travel near the beautiful shore line and regularly see sea otters, whales, puffins, and other sea life.   The trip concludes about 6 p.m. The halibut fishing season runs from mid-May to the end of September with peak fishing occurring in July. The salmon fishing season runs from June through August with the peak fishing occurring mid July through mid August.  

Once at the halibut fishing grounds, you will be given instruction on the proper halibut fishing technique.  Your hook will be baited, and the halibut will be handled for you with help at all times.  Your Captain may stay in one spot all day or move several times - every day is different.   Sometimes the crew will fillet the fish on the ride home. If not, back at the dock they will haul your fish to the office, hang them for pictures and weights, then fillet them for you free of charge. 

Halibut fishing in Homer is probably the most consistent fishery in Alaska and these boats usually limit out every time.   While 100+ pound fish are fairly common and the average sport caught halibut is 25-35 pounds.    The limit is two halibut per day, four in possession.    You will need a lunch, you can pack it yourself or we can arrange a charter lunch that you can pick up in the morning - they are $10.  Fish freezing, vacuum packing, and shipping are available at an extra charge.   Items you will need to bring are: food, beverages, camera, and fishing license. Licenses may be purchased at check in.  Resident annual license cost is $15. Non-resident license costs are as follows: 1 day ($10), 3days ($20), 7 days ($30), 14 days ($50), annual ($100).

Full Day Only. Trips depart about 5:30am - 6:30a.m. & return around 6:00 pm

                       
Combination Halibut/Salmon
We troll for salmon most of the season, spring is a great time to get in some fishing for feeder kings, these are salmon that are just feeding in our area but will actually spawn in rivers elsewhere.  Around the first of May we start catching the big spawning kings including the trophy Kenai River fish.  In Homer, they have the advantage of having all of the King Salmon runs in Cook Inlet come right by their doorstep.   What this means to you is that you are fishing several runs of fish at one time, thus increasing your chances of success.  You can catch big spawners right on into July, with feeder kings also available the whole time.

In August there are several runs of the scrappy Silver Salmon in the area.   The first three weeks of August generally have the best Silver Salmon fishing and have historically coincided with a strong showing of feeder kings.  Good numbers of pink and sockeye salmon are also available at different times during the summer.

Most of the salmon fishing is done by trolling bait or lures near shore.   You are usually in the protected waters of Kachemak Bay, a short distance from Homer.  At times we use downriggers, other times we use trolling weights or divers, it depends on the depth of the fish, on occasion we mooch.  In May, June, and August we offer combination trips fishing for halibut and salmon the same day for just a few dollars more than a one species trip.
Full Day Only:   Trips depart about 5:30 to 6:30 am and return by 6:00 pm $225.00 per person with a minimum of 4 persons.

gull island wildlife cruise with lunch:

Enjoy this scenic, narrated cruise to the famous bird rookery at Gull Island, visit the sea otters at 60 Foot Rock and then on to a wonderful lunch at The Rookery Restaurant at Otter Cove.  This is a great way to see puffins, cormorants, kittiwakes, and other migratory seabirds while you learn about their diets, habits and migratory patterns, along with sea otters and often times sea lions and whales. Departs daily at 12 noon. $55.00 adults, $30.00 children under 12, includes lunch.    Trip returns to Homer at 3:30 PM.

Brown Bear viewing safari:

You'll depart from Homer's Beluga Lake via float plane (around 9 am and return in the early evening) for a spectacular flight across Cook Inlet to your destination for once in a lifetime Bear Viewing.  The day's destination will depend on the best bear viewing opportunities at that time, (which can depend on the salmon runs.)   It's a great place to take photos with the 7,000 ft. snow-covered volcanic mountains as a backdrop.  You will need to bring your own lunch and plenty to drink, along with insect repellent, warm clothes and rain gear — both jacket, pants, a hat and gloves, if you've got them.   If not, rain gear is available and hip boots are provided for this trip.  The weather could be hot and dry to cold and rainy, so you  will need to be prepared. 
$556.00 per person including entrance fee to the Katmai National Park.

JUNE TRIPS:    To the Southern Coast of the Alaska Peninsula and the Katmai National Park.   You'll pass Cape Douglas, a group of volcanic mountains which protrude into the mouth of Cook Inlet and is the start of Shelikof Strait (it's the body of water that separates Kodiak Island from the mainland). These mountains have glaciers that come all the way to the beach and beautiful blue-green lakes filled with giant icebergs that have calved from the icefields. There are dozens of streams and estuaries. From the plane, it's an easy walk of about 15 or 20 minutes to where you'll be for the day taking pictures of frolicking bears! This area often has tundra swans and many nesting ducks, along with foxes, too.   This is the breeding season and you'll witness lots of mothers with cubs and giant males, too!

JULY TRIPS:  Around the first of July, depending on the timing of the salmon run coming from Bristol Bay, you will go to the renown Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park. The flight takes about an hour and a half to get across Cook Inlet past McNeil River, (that's the other famous place to watch bears), then through the mountains and past all the huge interior lakes of Katmai and on to Brooks.   You'll fly over six and seven thousand foot mountains, beautiful mountain lakes and often, you'll see moose and caribou along the way.  The trail from the landing spot is an easy walking 1.5 miles to the viewing platforms at the falls. Brooks Falls is the most famous place in Katmai to see the bears. It's the place you've probably seen on the Discovery Channel of bears lined up to catch fish as they're jumping up the falls.  

END OF JULY TO FIRST OF AUGUST:  Most every year close to the end of July, the destination will change from the Brooks River and move to a high mountain stream called Moraine Creek. Since this place is farther from the ocean, it takes until the end of July for the fish to make it this far up. By late July, the fish will start to arrive and along with their arrival comes the Bears. These snow fed rivers are shallow, swift and clear and the bears start feeding with a frenzy. Its not unusual to see 15 or 20 different bears throughout the day. This trip has some of the worlds best bear viewing opportunities, but it comes with a price. You have to do a little hiking - from 1 to 1&1/2 miles depending on the landing spot. A person in average condition can make the walk in about 45 minutes to an hour.  And there's lots of bears and its not to unusual to see caribou from time-to-time.

AUGUST TRIPS:  Around the first of August the destination will change to the southern coast of Katmai National Park down the Shelikof Straits opposite Kodiak Island. The scenery is outrageous. You'll pass Cape Douglas, which is the start of the Aleutian Mountain Range. There are seven and eight thousand foot high volcanoes and beautiful blue-green glacial lakes. You'll head to a bay called Geographic Harbor - named after the National Geographic Society who did the first exploration of Katmai Volcano from there. The river is full of pink and chum salmon and it’s not uncommon to see 10 or 15 bears on the river right in front of you. The beach is full of clams and bears are excellent clam diggers. If you were to choose a place in all of Alaska to watch bears, this is the place. Words cannot describe how beautiful it is here!

SEPTEMBER TRIPS:   The weather is in a transition from summer to fall and the colors and fragrances can be breathtaking. Everything has a feeling of urgency before winter sets in.  September trips will try to stay on the coast as long as the bears stick around and the weather allows, but sometime in the middle of September, the trips will head back to the Interior of the Katmai National Park to the red salmon streams. About this time of year, bears start another distinct phase called "hypophasia." They "powerfeed" as much fish as they can before true winter sets in.   The bears are fat and have time to play with each other. The photo opportunities with the brilliant fall colors and big bears can be outstanding.