Kodiak Brown Bear Center

The Bear Viewing Experience Due to the remoteness of the Kodiak Brown Bear Center, getting here offers some unique and exciting transportation opportunities that epitomize the “Alaskan Experience.” From the City of Kodiak, you will board a proven and dependable float plane flown by a highly experienced Kodiak based pilot. These aircraft have been an integral part of Alaska’s aviation history for over 50 years. They are renowned throughout the aviation industry as reliable and safe aerial workhorses. Your 45 minute flight to the Kodiak Brown Bear Center from Kodiak will expose you to some of the Island’s most breathtaking and awe-inspiring scenery and habitat. During your flight, you may see humpback whales and sea otters in coastal fjords, mountain goats on rugged peaks, Sitka black-tailed deer roaming through meadows, and bald eagles soaring overhead. When you arrive at the Kodiak Brown Bear Center and get settled in, we provide you with an in-depth educational presentation and safety orientation to acclimate you to the environment of Karluk Lake, Karluk Lake history (former Alutiiq village sites), bear behavior, our bear viewing program and etiquette, so that all of us – including the bears – will have a safe, enjoyable, and rewarding experience. We take no more than six clients at a time to one of our bear viewing locations. This ensures our clients will have the best possible bear viewing experience while minimizing the impact and disturbance to our bears. We believe the best bear experiences are when you and the bears can go home at the end of the day, each with a good story to share! From the Kodiak Brown Bear Center on Camp Island, you will embark on a short boat ride to one of our bear viewing locations. Each location offers you a unique glimpse into the life of these bears and highlights the grandeur of Kodiak Island. With our highly trained and experienced guides, you will be immersed into the bear’s environment to observe, study, and gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for these legendary bears. Our bear viewing locations each have a different level of difficulty to access. Based upon your physical condition and abilities, you will be ushered to one of our bear viewing sites. Our modern guest cabins incorporate all the luxuries of a five-star resort. Each guest cabin has its own private deck overlooking Karluk Lake. Imagine waking up each morning and stepping out to take in the majestic vistas Karluk Lake offers, or listening to the bears fishing across the lake or at nearby Thumb River on a still night. Our cabins have electricity, full bathroom facilities, wireless internet access, and comfortable beds with fresh linens. Delicious meals prepared by our talented and friendly staff are just a short walk away in our dining cabin. Your day starts with a hearty breakfast, followed by a briefing from your guide about the day’s planned bear viewing destination and activities. Departure times may fluctuate depending on the weather and available daylight. At the end of the briefing you will board our specially designed catamaran for your safe and scenic ride to one of our bear viewing locations. At the end of the day you will have the opportunity to partake in a maqii. The maqii (or banya, in Russian) is the age-old Alutiiq tradition of taking a relaxing steam bath in the evening to reflect on the day’s events. Built similarly to a Western sauna, the maqii has a stone floor, cedar benches and is warmed by a wood-fired stove. Stones line the outside of the wood stove, upon which water is splashed to produce the thick therapeutic steam for which the maqii is famous. Taking a hot maqii is the best way to relax both muscles and mind after a long day spent bear viewing or sport fishing, and wonder about what adventures tomorrow will bring!