Kodiak Island is home to the largest grizzly bears in the world, and this small group trip offers fabulous opportunities to view them gorging on the salmon that swim up the rivers to spawn.
Few natural sights are quite as arresting as Alaskan brown bears feeding on summer bounty. This short trip focuses on the renowned bear populations of Kodiak Island and Katmai National Parks, using a private chartered boat to reach out-of-the-way places that most visitors never see. The boat can follow bears as they lope along the shore to fish and dig for clams, and you have a fantastic vantage point while watching from a safe distance.
Typical Itinerary
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Day 1:
Fly to Anchorage
Fly from London to Anchorage, arriving later the same day, and make your own way to your hotel. If time allows, you may wish to arrive in Anchorage a day or two earlier to have a chance to explore this beautiful city.
Accommodation: Copper Whale Inn, 1-night
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Day 2:
Fly to Kodiak Island
Fly from Anchorage to Kodiak Island and transfer by courtesy bus to your accommodation. The rest of the day is free to settle in or perhaps see some of Kodiak’s native and Russian heritage.
Accommodation: Best Western Kodiak Inn, 2-nights
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Day 3:
Explore Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge by boat
Today you’ll explore Kodiak’s coastal waters and shorelines on a chartered boat trip. Kodiak, the largest island in the Gulf of Alaska, is rich in brown bears, whales, seals, seal lions and otters. More than 3,000 bears live in Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, which is also an important staging post for seabirds and wintering wildfowl whose combined population exceeds one million. In summer, plentiful food attracts nesting migrant birds; some 237 bird species have been recorded here. As well as exploring the waters by boat, there will also be some time spent on the coastal trail, lined with wild flowers and Sitka spruce trees.
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Day 4:
Floatplane to Kukak Bay & board 'Grizzly Ship'
Early this morning you’ll depart by floatplane from Kodiak to Kukak Bay, and board your boat, home for the next four days. The plane pulls up right alongside the boat, and then you’ll set off, cruising slowly towards Hallo Bay, where coastal grizzlies are commonly found, foraging for food.
Accommodation: ‘Grizzly Ship’ M/V Ursus, 4-nights
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Days 5-7
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Explore Katmai National Park & Hallo Bay
Alaskan brown bears are North America’s largest land predators - adult males can weigh 400 kilogrammes – and bears dot the shoreline. You’ll go ashore by Zodiac for an even closer view, exploring the beaches on foot, where you may even see wolves. It’s not uncommon to find massive grizzlies in great numbers; trips regularly see as many as 30 to 40 of them at once, and these bears put on quite a show in their efforts to fill up on enough protein-rich food to prepare them for a long winter in hibernation. You’ll see them catching salmon, digging for clams or browsing on sedge grass. Depending on the season, you may see bears mating or cubs playing on the shore.
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Day 8:
Return to Kodiak
It’s time to leave the wilderness of Katmai behind and return to Kodiak by floatplane for your last night.
Accommodation: Best Western Kodiak Inn, 1-night
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Day 9:
Fly to Anchorage
This afternoon fly from Kodiak back to Anchorage, and make your own way to your hotel.
Accommodation: Copper Whale Inn, 1-night
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Day 10:
Depart Anchorage
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Day 11:
Arrive UK
Please note: On occasion a different vessel may be used.
EXPEDITION VESSEL
