|
Alaska has some of the best bear
viewing opportunities in the world! No other mammal so dramatically
projects the image of true wilderness as the Grizzly or Brown Bear of the Last
Frontier. The sight of a giant Brown Bear fishing for salmon
in the waterfalls of a coastal stream, or of a grazing mother Grizzly Bear -
lumbering across the tundra in search of berries with her spring cubs in tow,
could easily be the greatest highlight of your entire journey to Alaska.
Let us take you to where these magnificent creatures roam - and bring your
camera!
Take off from
Lake Hood Seaplane Base and keep your eyes open to look for Beluga Whales as you
fly across Cook Inlet. Your scenic floatplane tour continues into
Katmai National Park, which encompasses 4 million acres and includes 15 active
volcanoes. After you land on Naknek Lake, the Park Service will give you a short
briefing where you will learn bear etiquette and safety rules. Now you are ready
to discover why Brooks Falls and these mighty bears are world-renowned! You’ll
view these extraordinary giants as they grab, chase and scurry for the feisty
salmon shooting up the rocky falls. Grizzlies here at Brooks are not just great
fisherman, they can literally catch the “flying” fish in mid-air. These will be
the pictures of a lifetime! Lunch is included for this excursion.
10
hour tour. (Best Viewing June 25 - September 10)
$659.00 per person
Take
a scenic flight along Cook Inlet into Lake Clark National Park. This 4
million acre park is home to the Illiamna and Redoubt Volcanoes. Upon landing,
an experienced guide will take you to view these magnificent bears in their
natural habitat. These huge grizzlies might by fishing for salmon, swimming
playfully or frolicking with their cubs. Enjoy a lodge-style lunch in one of the
most beautiful settings in the world! On your return flight back to Anchorage,
you'll look for wildlife such as beluga whales, moose, and trumpeter swans just
to name a few! 6
hour tour. (Best Viewing June 1 - September 20) $639.00 per
person
After a scenic
50 minute float plane flight 70 miles southwest of Anchorage, you'll land at the
entrance of Lake Clark Wilderness Preserve and the Redoubt Bay Lodge - home of
spectacular bear viewing. There an experienced natural history
guide will take you by pontoon boat through bear country, where you'll look for
bears as they fish for salmon, and don't forget to watch for other wildlife
along the way. A homemade lunch is included.
6 hour tour. (Best viewing June 10-August 31)
Tour times: 8am-2pm and
12:30pm-6:30pm
$489.00 Per Person.
Take off by seaplane for an all day bear viewing
expedition past glaciers and volcanoes to the land of the giant brown bear in
southwest Alaska. Your pilot will fly you to places like Lake Illiamna, Katmai
National Park, Lake Clark or elsewhere to find the highest concentration of
bears. Each bear viewing expedition is totally unique! During your 200-mile safari,
numerous bears can typically be spotted from the air as they fish streams
teeming with salmon or roam the expansive coast and often, several locations are
available to view bears from the ground. A picnic shore lunch is also
included.
10 hour full-day
tour. $659.00 per person.
 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.
$576.00 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.
 Admiralty
Island (known as the "Fortress of the Bears" by the Tlingit natives) is world
renowned as one of the greatest bear sanctuaries in the world.
After a scenic, brief floatplane flight from Juneau Airport, you'll land
and explore Admiralty Island's world famous Brown Bears in the wild with your knowledgeable guide.
Moderate physical activity is required on
these tours, including climbing in and out of the floatplane; wading a few step to
shore; and walking a minimum of ½ mile over uneven ground. Permits, flight, guiding
services, and gear (binoculars, boots, rainwear) are provided. Just bring
your sense of adventure and lots of film for this spectacular
Bear Viewing Tour!
Available
May-Sept, including a very limited number of dates at Pack Creek during July 5-Aug 25.
 The Bear Country
Tour
Come experience the awe and majesty of the “Fortress of the Bears.” Your
experienced bush pilot and guide will choose the best possible bear viewing
destination from among the several locations on Admiralty Island, or the secluded
wilds of Chichagof Island. Once there, your pilot will lead you on a wilderness
trek, making sure your every sense is tuned to the presence of the great Alaskan
Brown Bear who call this country home. Tour
Duration: 3 hours, departing from Juneau Airport.
$395 per person 2 person minimum. 5 person and/or 800 lbs. Max
load
The Bear Country Tour
with
1-hour Glacier Flightseeing Add-on.
See Alaska from an eagle’s eye perspective by adding an hour for scenic flying
to your Admiralty Island Bear Viewing adventure. Most choose to combine bear viewing with
glacier flightseeing. Add 1 hour Glacier Flightseeing
for an additional $80 per person.
Pack Creek Bear
Viewing Tour:
Tour Duration: 5.5 hours departing from Juneau
Airport. $495 per person.
|
