Katmai Bear Viewing and Tours in Alaska
Providing the Ultimate Wildlife Experience Since 1978
Guiding Photographers and Adventure Travelers are our passion. We guarantee that you will get up-close images of grizzlies.
It takes more than experience to make this guarantee. It takes a combination of seaplanes, boats, and bushplanes with tundra tires. Our unique location lets us park our 3 sea/float planes and our 2 tundra tire-equipped planes at the lodge. Having instant access to all three combined with Alaska’s oldest bear viewing service guarantees you will see grizzlies. As avid photographers ourselves, we understand that seeing lots of bears is not enough. We get you into the proper position for light and background. Helping you capture fantastic images of wildlife is what we do best.
ITINERARY
Day 1 / Sept. 22, 2024 / Anchorage's Merrial Field
Departing from Anchorage's Marine Field at 3:00 PM on the Lake and Peninsula AirTaxi The turboprop plane will fly you directly to the small, remote Indian village of Iliamna. Arrive at 4:15 p.m. The lodge staff will greet us and provide transportation to the lodge, where the rest of the staff is eagerly waiting to meet us. After introductions, the crew will help get everyone’s gear into their rooms. Each room is comfortable, has a full bathroom, and has two beds. After you’ve had a chance to settle into your room, hors d'oeuvres will be waiting to be devoured. The "great room," with its amazing panoramic views of Lake Iliamna and Roadhouse Mountain, is our gathering place. Relax, socialize, play a game of pool, check out the many displayed Alaskan antiquities, or just sit back and soak in the view. Once everyone has gathered at the lodge, orientation will begin. This meeting makes sure any and all questions get answered in regards to what the week will consist of. Next, everyone will be individually fitted with state-of-the-art Gore-Tex waders and wading boots, all supplied by the lodge. If you have never experienced the joy of waders, you will be blown away by your newfound ability to remain perfectly dry through river crossings, swamps, and all! The gear is lightweight, comfortable enough for all-day wear, and totally impervious to the weather! In the meantime, our chef Kellam has prepared a multi-course dinner that will be served at 7:00 p.m. After you’ve eaten your fill, together as a group, we discuss the plan for what tomorrow will bring. Once details are set and everyone knows where they are going, what equipment to bring, and what aircraft to board in the morning, you are free to spend the remaining hours of daylight as you wish. Our entire staff understands that photographers have special logistical needs. Such as having the ability to stay out late for the best lighting or a need to bring extra, fragile, and expensive camera equipment into the field. This will come as no surprise to our team, and we will work to accommodate your unique situation.
Day 2 / Sept 23, 2024 Katmai National Park
Departing from Anchorage's Marine Field at 3:00 PM on the Lake and Peninsula AirTaxi The turboprop plane will fly you directly to the small, remote Indian village of Iliamna. Arrive at 4:15 p.m. The lodge staff will greet us and provide transportation to the lodge, where the rest of the staff is eagerly waiting to meet us. After introductions, the crew will help get everyone’s gear into their rooms. Each room is comfortable, has a full bathroom, and has two beds. After you’ve had a chance to settle into your room, hors d'oeuvres will be waiting to be devoured. The "great room," with its amazing panoramic views of Lake Iliamna and Roadhouse Mountain, is our gathering place. Relax, socialize, play a game of pool, check out the many displayed Alaskan antiquities, or just sit back and soak in the view. Once everyone has gathered at the lodge, orientation will begin. This meeting makes sure any and all questions get answered in regards to what the week will consist of. Next, everyone will be individually fitted with state-of-the-art Gore-Tex waders and wading boots, all supplied by the lodge. If you have never experienced the joy of waders, you will be blown away by your newfound ability to remain perfectly dry through river crossings, swamps, and all! The gear is lightweight, comfortable enough for all-day wear, and totally impervious to the weather! In the meantime, our chef Kellam has prepared a multi-course dinner that will be served at 7:00 p.m. After you’ve eaten your fill, together as a group, we discuss the plan for what tomorrow will bring. Once details are set and everyone knows where they are going, what equipment to bring, and what aircraft to board in the morning, you are free to spend the remaining hours of daylight as you wish. Our entire staff understands that photographers have special logistical needs. Such as having the ability to stay out late for the best lighting or a need to bring extra, fragile, and expensive camera equipment into the field. This will come as no surprise to our team, and we will work to accommodate your unique situation.
Day 3 / Sept 24, 2024 / Katmai National Park.
After enjoying a hearty breakfast, we will board one of the lodge’s aircraft, and the adventure begins! One of the main things that sets our lodge apart from any other is our fleet of five aircraft. Capable of landing on rivers and lakes with our seaplanes and on beaches, gravel bars, and ridge tops with our tuned bush planes. Our planes, paired with our 12 boats, all set aside for the exclusive use of our guests, bring an unparalleled experience unlike any other lodge. We never have more than 12 guests at the lodge at the same time, ensuring your individual ability to make the most of your visit. Today, you’ve set out to capture images of coastal brown bears fishing in Katmai National Park. We will land in Katmai on a small alpine lake in one of the lodge’s De Havilland Beaver float planes.
After landing, your guide will lead you on a short 15-minute walk, where you will find the confluence of two creeks. There, we will spend the day filming and photographing bears on the creeks as they chase fish in the shallow water. Your guide has led bear viewing trips here since 1978 and knows the area intimately. He will ensure that you get the best images and viewing experience possible. After a day of excitement watching countless bears fish, when your SD cards are full and your camera batteries are low, you will return to the plane and begin your short 18-minute flight back to the lodge. You will be greeted at the docks with the strong aroma of fresh smoked salmon, ready for eating. Only now are you faced with a tough decision: take a hot shower first or dive into the tasty Hors d’Oeuvres platter waiting in the lodge.
After dinner, we will again discuss what the next day will hold. We encourage everyone to share their prized photos or video clips from the day. With the blinds closed, the images can be displayed on a large-screen TV in the great room straight from your laptop. The lodge staff often joins in the background to see the amazing show. Dump your SD cards, recharge your cameras, and get ready for another day.
Day 4: Sept 25, 2024 Katmai coast
Today, you leave the lodge in the morning and arrive on the Katmai coast. The mission for today is to photograph bears digging for clams on the coast and eating sedge grass. Here, it is also common to see a wolf on or near this secluded beach. Today may require more walking than other days because the bears may be spread out along the tidal flats,digging clams, chasing salmon, or napping in the sedgegrasses. A 40-minute flight back to the lodge will fly you low over the glaciers and ice fields of Mount Douglas. And of course, a hot shower, hors d'oeuvres, dinner, and fellowship will follow. With swans nesting in the salt grasses, eagles patrolling the cliffs and waters from above, and sea otters playing in the surrounding streams, you are going to be happy you brought backup SD cards. Caribou, moose, and bears are also common sights along the way.
Day 5: Sept 26, 2024
We will spend the day rafting a river that is full of fish and bears actively fishing. We will film and photograph the pods of red salmon in the clear water. See bears catching fish! You will not be disappointed. A long day on the river will surely have you anticipating dinner, so early in the evening we go back to the comforts of the lodge.
Day 6: Sept 27, 2024
We fly to another secluded wilderness destination, the confluence of two creeks full of salmon. Again, landing on a small alpine lake in the lodge’s De Havilland Beaver float plane, we proceeded with a 15-minute walk to the creek. Yet again, you witness countless bears do their best to fill their bellies on sockeye salmon in the shallow water. Today may even turn out to be more productive than Brooks Falls. Early in the evening, whenever everyone is satisfied, you will wave your goodbyes to your newly found 600-pound furry friends and make your short flight back to the lodge.
