Kodiak, Alaska

Kodiak, Alaska: Home of the largest brown bears in the world +

NORTHERN LIGHTS, BREACHING WHALES, WILD HORSES, SEA OTTERS, SEA LIONS, PUFFINS, EAGLES, FOX, ERMINE, AND SO MUCH MORE!

This trip is led by Michelle Theall, the executive editor and award-winning photographer for more than a decade at Alaska Magazine. Kodiak is her second home, and she loves showing it off to her clients. This trip is PACKED with wildlife photography each day with so much variety beyond the amazing and captivating Kodiak brown bears. Yes, you’ll see the Kodiak bears, and enjoy their cubs…which have distinctive white fur around their necks for several years. They’ll be fishing for silver salmon, which will be running. But also, the night sky gets dark enough for us to see and photograph northern lights, if the sky is clear. Both horned and tufted puffins can be seen on our marine tour. Bald eagles are everywhere, and whales are abundant. We’ll also head out on an ATV tour to find more bears, wild horses, and fox, as well as other species, perhaps mountain goats up on the ridges. BONUS: You can fly-fish with a guide if you buy a fishing license!!!

Trip Level

While this trip is perfect for shutterbugs, others who enjoy wildlife viewing and unparalleled stunning landscapes will get a true Alaska adventure. To join this trip, you must be able to walk up and down stairs, and ride comfortably in boats, and shuttles, and in off-road vehicles on rough terrain. The activity level is rated 2-3 / moderate. Avid photography enthusiasts (beginners to professionals) should bring (you can rent them too) a digital SLR or mirrorless camera, a 300mm lens or longer and be familiar with basic manual menu settings prior to the trip.

The Trip at a Glance

• 5 days and 4 nights of fully guided, safe bear and nature viewing in the heart of bear country and on the island of Kodiak.
• Comfortable accommodations with modern amenities and hearty meals. Single rooms with no additional fees.
• Small group size: 8 tour participants
• Marine wildlife photography tour, ATV wild horse tour, fly-fishing.
• Daily photography instruction, along with educational dialogue about bear behavior and the flora and fauna of Alaska, while shadowing Michelle Theall, Alaska Magazine’s executive editor and award-winning photographer for the title.
• Daily bear-viewing excursions along the coast and rivers.
• Nightly alerts for northern lights opportunities.

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Itinerary

9/11: ARRIVAL

Guests arrive in Kodiak, Alaska before 6pm. After checking into your lodging (or prior to check in) you are free to explore downtown Kodiak and the harbor, which are all within walking distance of our hotel. Bald eagles, sea otters, and sea lions are frequent visitors!

6pm: We will officially kick off our Kodiak adventure with a group welcome dinner at the Chart Room restaurant at the Best Western downtown, which serves local fare and brews. We’ll talk about the best settings for marine wildlife photography for the next day.

Dress code here is casual, as it will be for our entire trip. Leave those fancy-pants clothes at home.

Tonight, as will every night, we’ll be checking the aurora forecast for the possibility of northern lights! To capture them, we need high aurora activity AND clear skies. Sunset is around 9pm each night and sunrise 7am-ish. Fingers crossed.

9/13: MARINE WILDLIFE TOUR

8am: Be packed up with your camera gear, water, mud boots, layers (including rain gear—jacket and pants), and we’ll load up the van after a hearty breakfast and head to the docks.

8:30am: We’ll meet our captain at the harbor to load onto the boat. Our Marine Wildlife Cruise is an all-day trip (from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm) and averages about 50 miles round trip. The Trophy II is a custom-built catamaran designed as a day charter boat. It’s stable, fast, and quiet. The large deck and walk around cabin give guests unobstructed views for photography from anywhere on the boat. The cabin comfortably seats up to 10 plus crew and includes a bathroom (with electric toilet) and small galley to store extra gear, lunches, and snacks. We hope to see: Whales, Sea Lions, Sea Otters, a variety of birds including the Tufted and Horned Puffins, Kittiwakes, Oyster Catchers and so much more—including bears on the shoreline. Box lunches, snacks and beverages are included.

4pm: We’ll head back to our lodging for showers and a quick rest before meeting for dinner at Henry’s downtown.

5:30pm: Dinner at Henry’s. Review of the day’s shooting, editing, and plan for tomorrow.

We’ll watch for northern lights opportunities.

9/12: KODIAK WILDLIFE ROAD TOUR

7am: After breakfast, depending on weather and light and any intel, we’ll head out to our bear viewing spots on rivers and beaches, scope out the harbor for sea lions hauled out, look for puffins and bald eagles, fox, and more bears. Then…repeat…

Lunch: Depending on where we are around 11 or Noon, we’ll grab lunch at the Rendezvous.

Our tour will then head “out the road” all the way to Chiniak and then on to Pasagshak, where we’ll be looking for wild bison, fox, whales, and of course, bears. There’s also a fossil beach and a surfer’s beach at the end of the road. Photographing people surfing in Alaska is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Dinner: At the end of the day, we’ll grab a well-deserved meal and share images and stories before getting a good night’s rest for tomorrow’s adventure.

As always, guests will be notified of aurora activity and opportunities.

9/14: SALTERY COVE ATV EXCURSION

7am: Be packed up with your camera gear, rain gear, snacks, water, and mud boots, and we’ll load into the truck to grab a quick breakfast at Harborside before heading out the road to our rendezvous point with the ATVs.

We’ll gear up at the Saltery River and take turns riding on the ATVs and in the side-by-sides as we cross rivers and beaches in search of all types of wildlife from seals to foxes (Kodiak has its own gorgeous sub-species) to bears to wild horses. This 8-hour tour takes us into the interior of Kodiak to wild places and experiences that can’t be accessed by the paved road system. It’s the real deal, and we could find anything behind any curve. Spectacular views abound. We’ll stop for a picnic lunch before continuing our search for more flora and fauna. For those who are interested (and have pre-purchased a fishing license in town), you can fly-fish for silver salmon on the river.

On the way home from Saltery River, we’ll check multiple locations for bears that are likely to be fishing for silvers. And, we’ll stop for other wildlife opportunities.

Dinner: We’ll hose off at our lodge and meet for dinner to share stories and images.

We’ll continue watching for aurora activity for image opportunities.

9/15: MORNING TOUR AND DEPARTURES

After breakfast, depending on weather and light and any intel, we’ll head out one last time to our bear viewing spots on rivers and beaches, scope out the harbor for sea lions hauled out, look for puffins and bald eagles, fox, and more bears.

PHOTOGRAPHY INSTRUCTION AND IMAGE REVIEW

Throughout the tour professional photographer, Michelle Theall, will help with equipment and give hands-on instruction regarding technique, composition, and post-editing. In between activities and meals, we’ll schedule time to review images, have presentations, and discuss relevant information to help you hone your craft. That said, at any time during the trip, feel free to ask for tips, guidance, settings, etc. The best instruction happens if you shadow her in the field for minute-to-minute tips and instruction.

*Please note that items on this itinerary may shift due to weather, tides, wildlife sightings, or transportation cancelations, etc. You will be notified should this occur. We highly recommend travel insurance. In general, we cannot guarantee other wildlife or bird sightings or the weather—but we’ll try our best to put you in the right place at the right time for the best opportunities. We recommend that you be prepared to go bear viewing in all types of weather—rain won’t keep the bears from showing up to catch salmon in the rivers. A bear’s got to eat, after all.

Airfare to and from Kodiak and your home, trip insurance, and gratuities, not included. Full terms and conditions available with deposit.

For more information or to secure a spot on the trip, please contact info@wilddepartures.com ASAP or book immediately by submitting your deposit below. Payment by check is preferred to keep costs down. Email for specifics. Or, call: 720-635-1380 for additional details.