KITTI0005

We need to book bear viewing in late July and wondered if Kodiak Island or Katmai NP is better as far as more bears to see, more viewing time-which is the all around best choice. I know how expensive all of them are. We want to do a day trip. Thanks for any and all info you may give.

atravelynn

Kitti,

I believe Katmai has the advantage over Kodiak because there is less hunting in the Katmai region.

In July 2004 I spent a week at Hallo Bay Wilderness Camp in Katmai. You fly from Homer. It was awesome with dozens of bear sightings per day and excellent photo opportunities. Bears were grazing in the meadows, claming during low tide, and fishing in the streams. Also saw red fox, eagles, and wolves. All viewing is on foot. Short and/or long hikes are done. You can stay for a few days or just go for the day too. I’m going back! Hallo Bay’s website: http://www.hallobay.com/

Natural Habitat www.nathab.com also has a Kodiak/Katmai combo trip. I’ve never done it, but I’ve done other Nat Hab wildlife trips that were great. Most of the bear viewing is done by small boat in Katmai rather than Kodiak.

Then there is Brooks Falls where the bears fish for salmon on the falls. An amazing place. Planning my 3rd trip in July 06. That’s the problem, you have to book so early if you wish to use their cabins and cabin stays are limited to 3 days. Camping reservations do not fill up as fast and allow for a week rather than 3 days. http://www.katmailand.com/lodging/brooks.html

Have a great time with the bears. Email me if you wish.

KITTI0005

We just booked a day trip with emeraldairservice and it sounds great. We also read great reviews on it as well as Hallo Bay. I believe we chose this one b/c of the amount of hours spent with the bears. I would love to do the Brooks Falls but I understand there are some restrictions where there is not at emeraldairservice. Thanks. Would love to hear how Hallo Bay and Brooks Falls compare to one another once you do Brooks Falls this year. Have a great time!

jq

I second the recommendation for Katmai coastal area especially Hallo Bay. We took the one day tour with them on Aug 31st last yr and it was great. Could have used a couple more hours there, but their landings on beach are controlled by tides. We saw about 5 or 6 bears total and spent the whole morning with one female, as close as 15' a few times!!! Brooks Falls is the photos you see on the Alaska bear shows, with the three platforms and sometimes 20-35 bears fishing in the falls and river. You are looking down on them and it gets really crowded there and they can limit your viewing time. Costs more too. Check out Hallo Bay's website for info on the bears and what they will be doing in different months.

bigcountry

hi jq and travelynn,
thanks for the info on hallo bay. i am thinking about doing a 3 day overnight trip in aug. partially based on your recommendations. just had a couple of questions.

1. how were the bugs?
2. if either of you stayed overnight, how did you enjoy the cabins? they look pretty decent from the website but curious to hear any feedback
3. how was the food, guides etc?

neither my wife nor i has ever seen a bear before so the obvious choice would be to go to brooks falls, but being able to be in such a small group and on ground level with the bears seems much more appealing.

thx in advance.

jq

Bigcountry
Wow, I would sure like to stay 3 nights. Or even one. While we saw 5 bears, and one close up for several hours, I talked to the people we were with who spent the nite and they said they had 8-20 together down by the river after dinner. Darn tides, money and time crunches!! We looked at the tent cabins, they are described on Hallo Bay's site. They appeared to be a plastic material, with hard ribs, with wood floor and I think a heater in each. They only have 8 and I think I read they usually have only 8 overnite guests at most. The dining area was pretty large, with kitchen, meeting/eating area. They made sandwiches to order and we grabbed fruit, cookies. etc to take with us. The guides seem very good. We were happy with John. It was a very laid back day except when our heart was racing as one of them got real close to us. We did put on deet bug stuff and I think we saw some bugs flying around. Seems like there were more nats than mosquitos due to lots of dead salmon along the creeks and riverbed from spawning. We would love to go back and can't believe we really did this as we are not adventurers. My wife got really great video, when she stopped shaking!!!
I'm sure you will have a great trip to whereever you go. The camping experience at Brooks Falls sounds interesting too.

DaveS

Our family (kids 11 & 13 at the time) spent three nights at Hallo Bay in August '03. In response to your questions we experienced:
- No bugs at all
- Tent cabins are sturdy weatherproof units on a platform. Sleep on cots with sleeping bags. There is a heater, wash basin, and small storage area. Clean and comfortable.
- I'd describe the food as homestyle, not fancy, but tasty and filling. Everything comes in and out on the plane. Always had homebaked cookies or brownies, coffee/tea, and various snacks (nuts etc.) available.
- Guides were excellent, personable, and knowledgable.
We looked at Brooks as well and are very happy with our choice. Amazing to be so up close and experience the bears in their natural habitat.

jq

Hey Dave
How did the kids like being that close to the bears? Or did they do better than Mom and Dad? My wife wasn't too sure about that, as we were sitting in the river bed watching them walk closer and closer to us.

DaveS

We spend a fair amount of time hiking and such in bear country. Saying that, it is a bit unnerving having bears approach so close the first few times after spending years trying to avoid encounters. Hopefully next time you can stay a couple of nights and relax with the bears more.

atravelynn

Bigcountry,

Sorry for the delay in response. I rarely leave the Africa site. I think you can relate!

My comments are similar to those of DaveS.

1. Bugs were not too bad. I had my netting, but did not need it, unlike Denali where I used the netting daily. Rain gear was very helpful.

2. I stayed a week and would have stayed a little longer if I could! The accommodations are really more tentlike than cabins at Hallo Bay Wilderness Camp. They were warm (heater if needed) and dry even in a 36 hour 40 mph rainstorm!

Most of your time is spent out of the tents in the dining tent or outside. Compared to luxury tents in Africa (which I believe you are familiar with) they are far simpler and smaller with less ambiance.

But they were good enough for me to plan another approx. 1 week return.

3. Food was great and too much of it. Lunches were usually packed to stay out all day. Treats, coffee, tea, etc. were always available. I think there is no alcohol, but you could check. There is a full time cook.

Guides are bear lovers and very knowledgeable. They respect the bears and are cautious. The 3 guides I encountered were all great with their own distinct and enjoyable personality.

Have a great trip and say hi to the bears!

bigcountry

thanks for the info guys, i just reserved a 3 night stay in the middle of aug. cant wait. anything a must bring that wouldnt be obvious? thanks in advance

atravelynn

Good rain gear for you and your camera. Hopefully you won't use it!

Allowing an extra day at the end of your trip does not hurt either, in case the weather prevents your departure.

jq

If you are going with Hallo Bay and Homer Air, be sure and read all the info on their web site on weight limitations. I think it is 250lbs each including all your luggage, camera gear, etc. If one of you is small, this may be ok, otherwise it could be tight for 3 days. You will need rain gear even if nice, since morning grass and bushes can be wet as well as the riverbed.Bug repellent, lots of film, batteries, memory cards. I used monopod to save weight.

DaveS

Agree - don't buy a cheap poncho or vinyl two piece. Get good quality, you will probably need it elsewhere in Alaska like a Fjords boat trip or like. Also, on our second day the plane couldn't get in so both the group coming in and out were delayed a day. One stuck in Homer, the other @ Hallo Bay (lucky ones). Bring a bottle of wine or liquor if you like to have a cocktail.

jq

Dave
I was kinda hoping the weather would turn bad for an hour or two until the tides got too high and we would have to spend the night!!! Unfortunately, I thought it was way overpriced for the limited amount of extra time there. You leave about 8:30 the next morning right?

bigcountry

thanks for the advice guys.
one more question i have. since everyone is saying to plan to stay an extra day or so in homer in case of bad weather, i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for things to do there in case there are no delays. i had been thinking we could head over to denali for a day or so but if there is a bunch to do near homer maybe we will stay closer to there. are there any fjord day trips nearby or anything else that is interesting? thx in advance.

repete

Plenty of good things to do on an extra day in Homer -- it's something many folks would love to have.

Denali is nearly 500 miles away by road BTW so ``heading over'' would be a challenge.

Kayaking, whale watching or halibut fishing are possibilities as are trips to Seldovia or Halibut Cove. Tidal pool hikes are another option. There's also the Pratt Museum. If none of these interest you, spend the day at the Salty Dawg.