For many, grizzly bear viewing will be one of the key considerations when planning a safari. Katmai National Park is one of the best places in the world to witness them, and despite being such a vast and isolated environment, visitors tend to be situated in one area - Brooks Camp - which contains trails, lodges and boardwalks along the Brooks River, where bears can be seen catching salmon at Brooks Falls as the salmon make their way upstream. Much smaller than grizzlies, black bears are however much more commonly found in Alaska, with a population between 100-200,000 and varying in colour from black to brown and white.
The brown Kodiak bears found on the Emerland Isle of Kodiak here that are estimated at 3,500-strong are Alaska’s largest at up to 10ft tall and are known to flock to the mouths of streams during the mid to late summer months - the salmon spawning season. Kodiak’s hills are also punctuated with flowers over the tundra in the spring months and valleys are filled with tracts of dense, verdant rainforest, ideal for the other resident wildlife that includes elk, deer, mountain goats, wolves, sea lions, otters and whales. The best trip on which to see these huge grizzlies is our up close and personal Kodiak bear tour.
Kodiak Grizzlies, found only in alaska, are the largest of the grizzly bears, and you can walk with them on our specialist bear safaris.