We would of course prefer having you book your trip through WildWatch. However, we expect you to comparison shop. So we'll provide you with
enough information to understand what each vendor offers you for your money. Information on pricing is provided below. Other suggestions can
be accessed by clicking here:
WHAT IT COSTS TO GET WHAT YOU WANT
The cost of a viewing trip depends primarily on the costs of transportation and of lodging, if you overnight there. (Most of the overnight cost is
likewise dependent on costs of transporting what the lodge provides to you -- food, lodging, etc.)
Road-accessible locations -- e.g., Russian River on the Kenai Peninsula, Chilkat River near Haines, or Salmon River near Hyder -- are cheapest, but
often offer the poorest viewing, because the bears are likely inundated by tourists and subject to sport hunting, if not to a year-around "predator"
extermination program. So you will likely see few bears, for relatively short periods and will have a high risk of not seeing any at all.
Good likelihood of being able to view bears that trust people enough to allow you within photographic range, for hours at a time, usually requires
traveling to a remote location that is accessible only by boat or airplane.
No matter which tour company you choose, per person fares for 1 person and up to 50# of camera gear and other luggage average $250 - $650,
depending on distance traveled and duration of stay. For example, a "half day" tour might include a 1 hr trip in each direction plus 2-3 hours on
the ground viewing wildlife. If you travel by boat, the cost will likely run around $250. If you fly, expect to pay $350 - $550. Some trips include
lunch; others don't. Many tour companies prefer half-day tours so that each guide or pilot can make 2 trips per day. However, some will extend
your on-the-ground time up to 6 hrs (total tour around 8 hrs) for a total fee of $550-$800.
Or, for an additional fee, you might be able to overnight in a lodge near the viewing site. The longer you say, the cheaper the per-day cost, since
the lodge has to cover only one round-trip flight. Lodges where you stay in a tent (e.g., in a so-called "Weather Port") average around $1000 to
$1200 per night for 2 or 3 nights, or around $1400 for a single "night" (i.e., for 24 hrs, starting when you leave the city airport or marina and ending
when you return there. If the lodge you stay in is a building or is a ship anchored along the coast, the accommodations will be much nicer, but
also cost a couple of hundred dollars more per night.
If you camp out, you don't pay the lodge costs; but you do pay additional costs of transporting your equipment and supplies.
GUIDES
If you book your tour through a lodge, your package will likely include guide services, as well as transportation, meals, and lodging. Likewise, if
your book a single-day tour through a water- or air-taxi service, your pilot will likely also be your guide, and may provide your lunch or snacks.
Some viewers are satisfied with that. If you don't know much about bears,other animals, and their habitat, then a pilot who doubles as a guide
may provide all the information about wildlife that you can absorb in a few hours. And if viewing takes place where the bears are highly
acclimated to people, a pilot's limited knowledge of bear behavior will likely suffice to keep you safe.
However, just as the main qualifications of an airplane pilot should be expertise in flying, the main qualifications of a bear viewing guide should be
expertise in bear behavior and safety. Just as thousands of hours of airtime are needed to cope with emergencies while flying in the Alaskan
wilderness, so too thousands of hours observing bears are necessary to know how to assure your safety when things go wrong -- for instance if
you run into a bear like the one which killed Tim Treadwell and his fiance Amie Huguenard.
If you want to really learn about bears, or to venture where bears are less tolerant, then we strongly advise securing the services of a guide who
has lived with these animals for night and day for years, researching, photographing, or filming them.
This is exactly the kind of guides employed by WildWatch -- the very best in the business.
Master Guide, Dr. Stephen Stringham, has researched bear behavior and ecology since 1969; he has written numerous scientific papers and
several books; he has produced two videos. Known as a charismatic speaker and story-teller, his talks are a spell-binding blend of high
adventure, humor and insight -- from the perspectives of mainstream science, Zen and indigenous cultures. But hearing his words is just the
start. Beyond words are experiences, as you come to know bears firsthand in ways you never dreamed possible.
When Dr. Stringham is not available, you may be able to book a tour with one of our adjunct guides such as Kent Fredriksson, a renown wildlife
photographer whose stunning images grace Dr. Stringham's books.
We provide tours to several locations in Alaska, mostly on or near the Kenai Peninsula, the western side of Cook Inlet, Katmai National Park and
Kodiak Island. The kinds of wildlife readily viewed in each area are listed in the chart below.
Your charge for this unique level of extra service ranges up to $200 per day (split among all the members of your group), plus any expenses for
the guide's transportation and lodging, in addition to your own costs for transportation and possibly lodging. When a air-taxi company provides
free transportation and possibly lodging for the WildWatch guide, the savings are all yours.
A portion of all our profits from guiding are re-invested in conserving viewable bears and bear-viewing opportunities, or in educating the public in
bear safety and conservation.
GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR
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