Alaska Grizzly Encounter: Kodiak to Katmai

Limited to 8 Travelers
A very important feature of our Alaska grizzly bear tour is the small group size, as this intimate wildlife encounter is best and most safely experienced with fewer travelers.

• Trip price includes: Accommodations, services of Nat Hab's professional Expedition Leader(s), boat crew and local staff, all meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on final day, beer and wine on board the Ursus, some gratuities, airport transfers on Day 1 and final day, gear including chest waders and boots for shore excursions, all activities and entrance fees, all taxes, permits and service fees.
  
• Internal air cost includes: All float plane flights within the itinerary (this will be listed separately on our invoicing).

Travel to and from the start and end point of your trip, some alcoholic beverages, some gratuities, passport and visa fees (if any), optional activities, items of a personal nature (phone calls, laundry and internet, etc.), airline baggage fees, airport and departure taxes (if any), required medical evacuation insurance, optional travel protection insurance.

Difficult
This brown bear adventure requires a high level of physical prowess and mobility in terrain and conditions that can be difficult to navigate. The ground is often uneven, slippery, and difficult to traverse due to tall, dense grasses, high water levels, and challenging weather. Travelers must be able to step up into and out of floatplanes, and step into and out of small open boats in potentially unstable conditions. We may need to walk up to three miles to reach our daily bear-viewing location, depending on where the bears currently are, in varied and challenging conditions that may include rough, uneven terrain, mucky sand, thick marsh grass, shallow creek beds, and walking through water and mud while wearing chest waders (which can feel a bit awkward and uncomfortable)—while carrying all of your own gear including camera equipment. In order to maximize bear-viewing opportunities, we spend long days ashore, sometimes returning late to the ship for dinner. Once at the bear-viewing site, physical activity is limited. We may spend several hours in essentially one spot with little movement, sitting on low buckets. At times, we may sit for several hours in chilly temperatures, rain and/or wind.

For safety reasons, it is not possible to split the group, for individuals to return to the ship early, or to stay in one place while the rest of the group moves. Transfers between the Natural Habitat Ursus (our small ship) and the float plane, and to the smaller skiff we use to access our bear viewing locations, require the ability to make a large step up or down onto an unstable surface. It is generally not possible to view bears from the Ursus. Travelers must be of sound health and able to maintain a positive attitude in a wild and remote setting.

Medical Form
Due to the extremely remote nature of this adventure, we require that all travelers submit a medical form before departure. This form must be completed and signed by your primary care physician and submitted to Nat Hab via your adventure portal.  It will be sent to you either 90 days before your departure date or 2 days after you book the trip (if within the 90 day window).

On custom or private departures with smaller groups, our ability to accommodate varying levels of physical abilities or interests is limited, since these trips are staffed with a single Expedition Leader who may be assisted, pending availability, by local guides.

This trip involves watching grizzlies on foot in unprotected open areas. While bears are unpredictable and sighting them can never be guaranteed, our groups have never missed seeing them. The unpredictability of bears can also lead to dangerous situations. They are wild animals, and we ask travelers to heed the rules set by our staff and to understand that this trip can, potentially, present harmful situations. We ask that all travelers take their own safety into consideration when signing onto this (and any) adventure. On this rare adventure, we encounter giant Alaskan brown bears from an uncommon and fascinating perspective, at eye level! Very few people in the world have an opportunity to see these powerful and beautiful creatures in such an intimate context, and we are very proud that our guests are among the select few who do.

Arrive in Kodiak in time for a 6:30 pm welcome dinner and orientation on Day 1. Exact times of our flights between Kodiak and the Natural Habitat Ursus vary according to weather and other logistical factors. We are scheduled to return to Kodiak on Day 7. You are free to depart from Kodiak anytime on Day 8, but we strongly recommended choosing a flight in the afternoon in the unlikely event that poor weather prevents us from returning by float plane as scheduled on the itinerary. Should travelers be required to remain in Kodiak longer than anticipated due to inclement weather, either before, after or during the trip, they will be responsible for their own expenses.