Bear Viewing Tours

Kingfisher Aviation focuses on viewing bears on Kodiak Island and the Katmai Coast. Summer is the ideal time to observe bears and our season starts in mid May and runs through October. Depending upon the time of year, the bears will be feasting on grass or salmon, while congregated together in small areas along various river systems. It is not uncommon at times to see anywhere from 3 to 8 different bears at a single moment. Keep in mind that on any given day, the environment may change, and the numbers of bears may vary.

The trip starts in Kodiak, where you will climb onboard Kingfisher Aviation's Found Bush Hawk floatplane. A scenic hour flight over the emerald isle’s serene fiords and majestic mountains holds the opportunity to see whales, bears, and deer from the air on the way to the bear viewing area. Depending upon the best bear viewing, we will take you to a place located in either Katmai National Park or the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge.

The trip lasts approximately 4 hours with about 1-2 hours of bear viewing on the ground.

May-June (Katmai) read more....

June - August (Frazer) Frazer Lake is recognized as one of the premier bear viewing destinations on Kodiak Island. The river system is home to the second largest returning sockeye salmon run on Kodiak. The salmon tend to get backed up at the entrance of the ladder, and the bears take advantage of situation and feast on silver bright sockeye salmon!

read more....

August - October (Katmai) Katmai Coast in August & September is an excellent area to watch bears fishing in rivers on the tidal flat areas. The pilot will splash down the floatplane in one of the saltwater bays – most likely in Geographic Harbor or Kukak Bay. Most of the areas that are concentrated with bears are very tide oriented, and we try to plan the tour around an incoming tide.
read more....

Photo Albums Photos from past years about our bear viewing. read more....

What to Bring If you are going on a bear viewing tour, here are some suggested items to bring. read more....
Maps
1829 Mill Bay Road
Kodiak Alaska 99615
phone: 907-486-5155
toll free usa: 866-486-5155
updated January 2006