What to Expect on Your Adventure
Your day begins at our lodge on Beluga Lake Seaplane Base. When you arrive, our pilots and guides will welcome you, review the weather, and walk you through a quick safety briefing before departure.
From there, you’ll board one of our Alaska bush aircraft located at the airport for an incredible flightseeing trip to Katmai National Park and Preserve. The flight is typically about one hour, depending on the winds.
Along the way, you’ll fly over some of Alaska’s most stunning landscapes, which may include:
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Volcanoes
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Glaciers
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Mountain ranges
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Remote coastal beaches
Wildlife sightings are also common during the flight, including whales, sea otters, orcas, and other coastal wildlife.
We offer bear viewing at multiple locations within Katmai National Park and Preserve and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Because bears move throughout the parks during the summer, we adjust our locations throughout the season to give you the best possible viewing opportunities.
Simply put, we go where the bears are.
Trip Details
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Two trips daily: morning and afternoon
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Total trip time: about 6 hours
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Departure times may vary slightly depending on weather and ocean tides
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We always aim to give you as much time on the ground viewing bears as possible
Because we operate within coastal areas, exact meeting times may shift slightly with the tides. We’ll contact you before your trip with your confirmed departure time.
Have questions or want to book directly?
Call us at 907-313-0738— we’d love to hear from you.
Guided Bear Viewing
Katmai National Park Bear Viewing Trips
Why we are Different
Join us for a guided bear viewing adventure in the world-renowned Katmai National Park and Preserve! With over 52 years of flying and guiding in Alaska, we’ve carefully crafted some of the most unforgettable bear viewing experiences the state has to offer.
Our experienced pilots and guides stay with you the entire time, ensuring a safe, informative, and truly memorable adventure you’ll remember for a lifetime.
The Alaska Air Guides Difference
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We go where the bears are, not just one or two scheduled viewing platforms like most tours
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Experienced Alaskan pilots and guides with decades of local knowledge
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A fully guided experience from start to finish
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Incredible opportunities to safely observe bears in their natural habitat
Bear Viewing Season:
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June through September
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We do small groups with a maximum of 10 guests per day
Departure Locations:
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Homer (our home base)
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Soldotna / Kenai
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Girdwood
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Anchorage
Cost
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$1,250 per person
(plus taxes)
Spots fill quickly during peak season. Give us a call to reserve your adventure today!
About Bear Viewing in Katmai National Park
Our goal is to deliver an experience you can’t find anywhere else! Many operators focus on the easiest, most cost-effective location, often crowded and sometimes unguided. While enjoyable, those trips don’t capture the true Alaskan experience. We go further. Our trips are designed to take you beyond the crowds and into truly wild places, guided by real Alaskans. You can experience Alaska the way it’s meant to be.
What will I see on the flight over?
The flight over to see the bears is one of the highlights of the trip. Depending on our trip location for the day, you can expect to see the beautiful Kachemak Bay, St. Augustine Island volcano, glaciers, coastal beaches, and plenty of wildlife, including bears, moose, whales, Orcas, Sea Otters, and more. Note: Sometimes the weather and cloud coverage can affect what we are able to see.
What time do we meet for our trip?
All our trips are tide and weather-dependent, we offer a morning and afternoon trip. We will reach out to you prior to your trip with an exact meeting time for that day. (Typically, these times are between 7:00 - 9:00 AM for the morning and 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM for the afternoon
Should I bring food and water?
Yes, and yes, we recommend bringing plenty of water and a light lunch / Snacks as our trips can span up to 6 and 7 hours total and we can walk up to 4-5 miles. Note: We must make sure not to leave anything behind for the bears. It's best to bring food and snacks that are easily contained
Do we have a guide or are we on our own?
Yes! Our trips are fully guided by one of our master bear guides and pilots
How large of a group can you take over?
We can take up to 5 guests per trip, although we typically do two trips per day, so if you have a larger group, we can schedule two separate private trips to accommodate larger groups.
Should I bring pepper spray or a gun for protection?
No, we don't allow our guest to bring these on the plane and into the park
What if my group is larger than 5 people?
No worries, we can schedule up to two trips per day (up to 10 people) and for even larger groups we can schedule a custom trip to fit the needs of the group size
Are we guaranteed to see bears?
Yes, although bears are wild animals and are always moving, we go to the best locations to find them. In our years of operating, we have never gone without seeing a bear
First of all bears! We fly to the best bear viewing spots Alaska has to offer, and those spots change as the bears move throughout the season. Each location is unique. For coastal bear viewing, it's common to see the bears clamming on the beach, whereas later in the season it's more common to see them start to turn their interest to catching fish as the salmon runs start in the streams. We have also seen Wolves, foxes, Moose, and many other animals while on the ground guiding.
What will we see on the ground?
How many hours will we spend on the ground with the bears?
Typically 3+ hours on the ground with slight variation due to coastal tides.
Yes, in fact very safe, the bears in the park are not accustomed to associating humans with food, and they have plenty of it where we go. We have never in 52 years had an incident.
Is it safe?
Please reach out by phone or email if if you have any other questions!
More Questions
In the event we cancel a trip due to weather, you will receive a 100% refund, or we can reschedule you for a date and time that works for you (availability permitting). Cancellation of trips anytime 60 days before your trip, you will receive a full refund. After that time, payments/deposits are non-refundable. If it's an unforeseen circumstance, please let our team know, and we will do what we can to fill your spot and waive that fee.
What is your cancellation policy?
Alaska Air Guides FAA Safety Standards:
To maintain safe aircraft operations and comply with Federal Aviation Regulations, guests must provide us with their precise weight (Including gear, cameras, etc.) of each person in your group. To ensure accuracy, you and your gear will be weighed at the time of check-in. If you have misrepresented your weight, and that leads the total aircraft load to exceed the legal limitations for us to fly you may be subject to forfeiture of your seat, and no refund will be issued. Note: If this were to happen we will make every effort to accommodate our guests and will attempt to re-schedule you for another trip. *Charges could apply*.
No, but a good pair of hiking shoes that are comfortable to walk in is a plus
Will we need waders or hip boots?
How physically strenuous is the tour
Hiking distance can vary depending on where the bears are located. On average, guests can expect around 4 miles of hiking throughout the day, though it may be less or slightly more. Our guides adjust the pace and distance to accommodate your group’s comfort level and physical abilities.
What else should I bring?
Besides plenty of water and snacks. We recommend carrying a backpack or bag with rain gear, a camera, extra memory cards, batteries, and any medication you may need throughout the day.
Questions Most Frequently Asked!
We start the day off by meeting at our Lodge (Homer Floatplane Lodge). From there, you will meet with your pilot/guide, and they will give you a bear safety briefing before boarding the plane. We will then take you to one of our bush planes located at the airport, from there you will board the plane and start the adventure. The flight time is anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on winds and our location for the day. From there you'll land and the bear viewing begins you can expect to be on the ground with the bears for at least 3 hours. Your guide will be with you 100% of the time and will guide you through the park to get a up-close look at the bears and other wildlife that may be around at the time. After your time on the ground, you will depart the park and enjoy the scenic flight back to Homer.
What to expect?