Exclusive Wildlife and Bear Search

Wildlife and Bear Exclusive Search in Icy Strait, AK (Chichagof Island)
Price: $159.00
Choose Options My Cruise Itinerary
Summary
Shore Excursion Size ? Small
Shore Excursion Type Scenic
Shore Excursion Duration 4 Hours
Activity Level ? Easy
Shore Excursion Leaves From ? An approximately 5 to 10 minute walk from the cruise ship pier or cruise ship tender pier.
Food/Beverage Provided Not Included
Recommended Dress For all tours in Alaska, we recommend wearing layers with the top layer being waterproof. Sensible waterproof walking or hiking shoes are suggested.
Restrictions Guests must be able to walk over paved, gravel, and packed dirt surfaces, some of which are at an incline. A collapsible wheelchair can be accommodated with advanced notice at the time of booking. Due to the remote environment, the bathroom facilities are limited and there is one restroom break provided in the middle of the tour for guests. Please take this into consideration when booking this tour.

Exclusive Wildlife and Bear Search

Chichagof Island has been named "Bear Island" by National Geographic because it has the highest concentration of bears in the world at 1-2 brown bears per square mile. This Exclusive Wildlife and Bear Search small group tour will give you a flexible, up-close experience that the large group tours simply cannot offer.

There are many exciting things to see, such as a the scenic view of a muskeg, some of the ten varieties of edible berries found on the island, viewing an old growth forest, and potential sightings of the king of the island: brown bears.

Based on current bear movements, feeding habits, and daytime temperatures, there are short stops in key locations to scope out a magnificent view of these captivating creatures, and your wildlife guide knows them all. They will also share information about the area and the Tlingit Native population.

There is also a host of other wildlife that are quite frequently spotted during excursions, including mink, marten, red squirrels, otter, beaver, ducks, sea birds, Sitka black-tail deer, and plenty of bald eagles. So be sure to bring your camera.

Please note: Wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed. However, this tour can re-position quickly, and there is a much higher chance of sightings than with the slow moving, large tour groups. Due to the remote environment, the bathroom facilities are limited and there is one restroom break provided in the middle of the tour for guests. Please take this into consideration when booking this tour.

4.5 Stars4.7 / 5  |  84 ReviewsReview This Tour
Great Bear search
June 28, 2023
Friendly , really knowledgeable guide. We found a Bear coming about 10-15ft from our van.
Reviewer: Ashley C Fernando
5 Stars
Fantastic guide and experience
June 23, 2023
This tour was amazing we got to see a mated pair of coastal brown bears up close and we saw another bear just lounging in the distance. We also saw bald eagles and beautiful scenery. Our guide was awesome. He patiently answered our daughter and all the guests questions. He knew about all the local history and great spots to see wildlife. He taught us about the local plants and culture. Definitely worth the time.
Reviewer: Andrea H
5 Stars
Awesome tour
May 30, 2023
You see a lot of nature, wild Alaska, off the beaten path. We did not see bears because it was probably a little too early in the season but we saw lots of other wildlife. Guide was a male tribal leader so had a very authentic experience with him showing us Alaska.
Reviewer: jeane cole
5 Stars
Great local guide!
October 20, 2022
Our group of 8 enjoyed this tour with our local Tlingit guide. He shared a lot of local knowledge of the community and the flora and fauna. He gave his best effort, but even though we were unable to find any bears, our group thoroughly enjoyed the day!
Reviewer: Kim Lueck
5 Stars
Beautiful Alaska
September 29, 2022
This was a very nice, small group excursion. Although we only saw 1 bear, our guide provided information on the area and his native culture. We walked a trail that was beautiful. We went where the bears are often seen, but, it wasn't our day. We were very please with our tour and hightly recommend this excursion. If we get to Icy Strait, again, we will definitely book this excursion.
Reviewer: Kim Dorsey
5 Stars
Very nice ecursion to be recoomended
September 29, 2022
We had as guide a tribal leader who knew a lot of the wildlife and the local culture which he loved to share. He was in contact with other people who had seen bears earlier in the day and checked out those locations. Unfortunately did we not see any bears as it was aready late in the season. It was a small group of 8 people in a nice comfortable van. The only negative is that NCL is not on the main pier in Icy Strait Point and the directions to get to the meeting point were only from the main pier whch caused some confusion as you needed to do a walk of over 15 minutes through the woods to get to the meeting point (the cable cars were not functioning which would have made all a lot easier). So I suggest to include that in the meeting instructions. The guide was very patient and waited until all had arrived at the meeting point and did not cut short the excursion but instead extended the excursion time after he asked if everybody was okay with it. So overall a very positive experience.
Reviewer: Jean Marie Pfennings
5 Stars