Wild Bear Viewing

This itinerary starts BEFORE the accompanying cruise itinerary.

Upon arrival at the Anchorage airport, you will be met and transferred to the Hotel Captain Cook. The rest of the day and evening are at your leisure. Just a reminder that you will only be allowed 50 lbs of baggage per person on your flight to the lodge tomorrow, so you may want to spend some of your time this evening re-packing. Excess baggage can be stored at the air carrier's office for pickup upon your return from the lodge. Overnight at the Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, you will be met at the 4th Avenue entrance to the hotel by Rust's Flying Service and transferred to the float plane basin to board your bush plane for the 1-hour scenic flight over Cook Inlet bound for the Redoubt Bay Lodge. This unique lodge is situated at the entrance to Lake Clark Pass in a 171,000 acre critical bear habitat, the lodge is in a place of unsurpassed beauty. You will land and be greeted on the beaches of Lake Clark National Park. After hibernating all winter, bears awaken in the spring with an extreme hunger and a yearning for salmon. Starting in June and extending through October, masses of bears travel to the river and lake systems of Lake Clark National Park. The park's spectacular scenery stretches from the shores of Cook Inlet, across the Chigmit Mountains, to the tundra covered hills of the western interior. The Chigmits, where the Alaska and Aleutian Ranges meet, are an awesome, jagged array of mountains and glaciers which include two active volcanoes, Mt. Redoubt and Mt. Iliamna. Lake Clark and many other lakes and rivers within the park are critical salmon habitat to the Bristol Bay salmon fishery, one of the largest sockeye salmon fishing grounds in the world. After lunch at the lodge, spend the afternoon viewing bears. Bear viewing at Redoubt Bay Lodge is done primarily from the safety of their specially designed pontoon boats which can nose their way up to Wolverine Creek - a favorite dining spot for the bears. Brown bears have an especially good sense of smell, and under the right conditions, may be able to detect odors more than a mile away. When a bear stands upright, it is not to charge, but to test the wind and see better. Mating takes place from May through June with the peak activity in early June. The hairless young, weighing less than a pound are born the following January or February. All brown bears should be treated with respect. This is especially true for a sow and her young, as mothers are very protective of their offspring. Dinner this evening is at the lodge. After dinner, enjoy the peaceful Alaskan evening. Overnight at the Redoubt Bay Lodge, Lake Clark National Park.

After breakfast at the lodge, spend the day watching bears or participating in one of the daily activities. After lunch at the lodge, time at leisure for more exploring, some fishing or just relaxing. Dinner and overnight at the Redoubt Bay Lodge, Lake Clark National Park.

After breakfast at the lodge, fly back to Anchorage where you will start a transfer tour to Seward. Along the way you will visit a local artist's home for a visit and light lunch. You'll stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center whose mission is to provide care for injured and orphaned wildlife and to provide continued wildlife awareness and education to the public. Surrounded by mountains and hanging glaciers, the 140-acre Portage Valley preserve is a nonprofit operation that works to rehabilitate injured or sick animals. Besides bears, there are bison, moose, caribou, elk, eagles, owls, musk oxen, Sitka black-tailed deer and a variety of game birds. Visitors can drive through the area and see most of the animals from their vehicles, or walk the neatly cared-for driveway for a close-up tour. It's a great way to photograph wild animals in a setting as close to authentic as you can get. Continue on along the shoreline between the Chugach Mountains and the waters of Turnagain Arm. Then to Seward and your waiting cruise ship.