Homer Bear Viewing

[WalleyeLJ]

I know not a lot of people will be able to make it out to Homer, but one of the premiere bear watching companies is having a 50% off group on sale that started to day and ends tomorrow, which I just booked for July 8th. We had already booked a bear watching flight to Wolverine Creek out of Soldotna, but didn't think that my dream of doing one of the Homer flights to Katmai would happen given the cost - $1,300 for two people. While still expensive, the deal was just too good to pass up, and the staff was very accommodating, so I just wanted to let folks know.

L.J.

[Assateague Island Princes]

I saw that Groupon today - great deal! Good for you for snatching it up! Hope you have great luck on your bear viewing adventure!

[cruisin'mama]

I saw that too, but I won't be in Homer until 2013. Hopefully I'll get lucky and they run the special again for next summer!

[Northern Aurora]

Homer is a lovely community, and well worth visiting in its own right.

 

Good luck bear watching -- Brooks Falls during a salmon run is an amazing place!

[WalleyeLJ]

I saw that too' date=' but I won't be in Homer until 2013. Hopefully I'll get lucky and they run the special again for next summer![/quote']

 

Sign up now and just see what comes along. I've seen1/2 price or better for:

 

bear watching

flightseeing

salmon fishing

kayaking

Alaska Sealife Ctr

Various dining options and a bunch of other things from:

 

Fairbanks to Ketchikan to Homer - :D

 

L.J.

[coder01]

We were in Katmai in July 2007 for a day, it was the best thing we have ever done. We are going back this July 13-15th. We are spending 2 nights in one of the cabins there. There are 4 of us and it was $1080.00 for each of us. We had to book this Jan 3, 2011 to get the cabin. We are flying from Anchorage. We can not wait!!! You will love it. :)

[WalleyeLJ]

We were in Katmai in July 2007 for a day, it was the best thing we have ever done. We are going back this July 13-15th. We are spending 2 nights in one of the cabins there. There are 4 of us and it was $1080.00 for each of us. We had to book this Jan 3, 2011 to get the cabin. We are flying from Anchorage. We can not wait!!! You will love it. :)

 

It sounds awesome! It's all I've been thinking about all week. I am a photographer (nights and weekends), and to think I won't need my 500mm to get close to the bears is fantastic! Still worried I might be the first bear snack in 25 years...:D

 

L.J.

[scapel]

On a trip to Homer, Ak with tour guide Dan Eidem on 4WD ATV's we came around a curve and none of us saw the bear behind us. The guide was showing us the Bear Tracks. The picture was takne by my wife of us on the ATV's and she did not see the bear at the time. You will see the black spot behind the head of Dr.Joe after he has come around the curve. That is a Black Bear.

http://www.cruisemates.com/gallery/image.php?id=88459

[jacksan1]

We were in Katmai in July 2007 for a day, it was the best thing we have ever done. We are going back this July 13-15th. We are spending 2 nights in one of the cabins there. There are 4 of us and it was $1080.00 for each of us. We had to book this Jan 3, 2011 to get the cabin. We are flying from Anchorage. We can not wait!!! You will love it. :)

 

Your trip sounds great! My wife and I were also in Katmai, in September 2010. In our case, we were at Kulik Lodge for four nights, and the bears were EVERYWHERE in every sense of the word. There is no viewing platform or anything, as they basically drop you in the middle of the bear stream, teeming with bears going after salmon. The experience was once in a lifetime for sure.

 

This is my wife there. Yes, she is still around. :)

 

[Liz315]

WOW!! I am definately doing this from Homer. Was she nervous being that close to the bear in the water?

[jacksan1]

WOW!! I am definately doing this from Homer. Was she nervous being that close to the bear in the water?

 

Initially, yes, myself included. But the strange thing is that we got used to having bears around. There were at least four more bears just outside of this frame either in the river nearby or on the shore (our shore) when this picture was taken, and yet, as you can see, my wife was smiling.

 

The main thing was that the river was teeming with salmon and trouts, and the bears were too busy fishing for the salmon to care about our presence. Once in a while a bear did come too close (e.g., under 10 feet), and when that happened, our guide threw rocks at them and we all made a lot of noise, which worked well, thank goodness.

 

[Liz315]

Amazing! Beautiful pics, do you have any more? I would love to see them. Thanks for sharing.

[jacksan1]

Amazing! Beautiful pics, do you have any more? I would love to see them. Thanks for sharing.

 

Thank YOU! Here are a few more pics....

 

"Hey, behind you, behind you!!!"

 

 

 

"Yum, Yum (no, not the fishing folks - salmon)"

 

 

 

"These guys were CLOSE (15 ft max)"

 

 

 

"Can we get on the boat and go now? Well, maybe we should wait a bit"

 

 

 

 

"Going back to Kulik Lodge for lunch"

 

 

 

 

"On the flight back to Anchorage"

 

[coder01]

Did you get to the falls? That is so awesome seeing all the bears fishing and fighting.

If anyone is interested in doing this, make your reservations as soon as possible or you may not be able to do this. :)

[jacksan1]

Did you get to the falls? That is so awesome seeing all the bears fishing and fighting.

If anyone is interested in doing this, make your reservations as soon as possible or you may not be able to do this. :)

 

Thanks!

 

No, we did not get to Brooks. There was a fly-out to Brooks Falls available from Kulik, but we decided to save money by staying put.

 

At Kulik a couple of times we saw a boar (male bear) attacking cubs while their mothers were in the water fishing for salmon. We (luckily) did not see it, but a cub was killed by a boar not too far from where we were (our guide received a radio call from another guide who had witnessed it). Boars do this apparently in the hope that, having lost her cub, the sow (female bear) mates with him. Male bears are BAD! :mad:

[CruisingGoddess]

The Groupon for bear viewing was back yesterday and I snatched it up! I just called them today to reserve our spots in September. So happy we'll be saving $650! I'm also pleased that they are rated #1 on TripAdvisor too!

[WalleyeLJ]

The Groupon for bear viewing was back yesterday and I snatched it up! I just called them today to reserve our spots in September. So happy we'll be saving $650! I'm also pleased that they are rated #1 on TripAdvisor too!

 

Good deal! Counting the days until 7/8/12:D!!!

 

L.J.

[jpthomas27]

The Groupon for bear viewing was back yesterday and I snatched it up! I just called them today to reserve our spots in September. So happy we'll be saving $650! I'm also pleased that they are rated #1 on TripAdvisor too!

 

Dang, can't find it now! I'm afraid to wait for another groupon and not get my spot...