Incredible Guided Bear Viewing with the Kodiak Bear Bus

Kodiak is known for its incredible brown bear population, but not every visitor is either able to get to where the bears are or understand bear safety enough to get out into the wilderness to see them. The Kodiak Bear Bus is a really good solution to being able to both make it to where you can find the bears and to learn about brown bear habits and life on Kodiak. This is a great tour because it’s fun for kids and adults alike, and is GREAT for wildlife photographers who’ve always wanted to get pictures of Kodiak bears.

So what is the Bear Bus, and can’t I just hike to the bears? We’ve got answers for all of your questions, including how to ensure you don’t leave Kodiak without seeing the amazing brown bears in their natural habitat. If you have any questions about the experience or how to plan your time on Kodiak, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great trip to explore Alaska.

Highlights of the Kodiak Bear Bus

Wildlife tours are one of the best ways to safely experience animals in their native habitats, and the Kodiak Bear Bus is a fantastic opportunity for this. Of course the highlight is getting to see Kodiak brown bears, but when you go with a guide who is out in the wilderness every day, it’s just so different from exploring on your own. I know where to look for bears and how to be safe when I’m out hiking and looking for wildlife, but the professional experience is just so different.

I liked that as we drove to our different bear viewing spots I got to hear all about bear habits, the salmon runs, some of the different bears we might see, and I even learned about Novarupta, the volcano across the Shelikof Strait in Katmai National Park (we were talking about ash being kicked up by the wind). There’s just no replacement for a knowledgeable guide for making a tour memorable, and it really adds to visiting Kodiak.

So did we see lots of wildlife on the tour with the Kodiak Bear Bus? OMG, yes! Going with the Bear Bus, you’re heading out to see bears where they hang out beyond the obvious places. From the tidal flats to overlooked streams beds, commonly sighted river areas to short hikes to perfect bear habitat, we got to observe Kodiak brown bears all over the place, in different settings. It was amazing and everything I had hoped it would be. Doing the Kodiak Bear Bus met and exceeded all of my expectations for getting to see bears and other wildlife. The eagles, fish, bear cubs, large male bears, mama bears… it was all spectacular and a very easy experience to enjoy, good for any age or even most mobility levels.

Book the Bear Bus here!

Are Bears Guaranteed on the Kodiak Bear Bus?

Any wildlife tour, no matter where you are, is never a 100% guarantee that you’ll see animals, although it’s EXTREMELY likely that you will. You cannot promise that Kodiak bears will be exactly where you plan on them being, which is why the Bear Bus doesn’t give a 100% guarantee, but because they are out in the wilderness and monitoring bear activity all day every day, as well as watching the salmon runs and berry harvest, the guides for the Kodiak Bear Bus know where to find them and have an amazing success rate.

While it’s highly unlikely that you’ll miss out on seeing brown bears during your Bear Bus tour, if that happens to be the case, the guides are happy to share suggestions of where you might visit on your own time, including some of the areas that the tour has taken you to. I wish I could say that every tour every day sees 20 bears, but that’s just not the case. I will say though, I went out with the Kodiak Bear Bus near the end of the season and we saw eight bears, so that’s a pretty good stat.

Tips for a Great Bear Bus Experience

Let’s start with what time you should book your Kodiak Bear Bus tour for. While you may want to step off the ferry or airplane and immediately go looking for bears, it’s best to be on an early morning tour because that’s when wildlife is most active. Bears are creatures of habit so venturing out to find them when they are doing their daily routine gives you the best chance to see them. Kodiak brown bears are big and they need to eat a lot before winter, so going with a guide to where they start their daily feasting is the best way to ensure you see them.

If you’re traveling with a group of people, the Kodiak Bear Bus is a great option for getting everyone out and looking for wildlife. I don’t love doing group tours, but this one is different. Comfortable transportation around Kodiak that can accommodate up to ten passengers, you can book everyone to do the experience together and have great stories to tell later. One of the things that makes this a good group activity is that it’s gentle activity but it’s also really exciting. You’ve got professional photographers enjoying the guided wildlife viewing as much as a first-time visitor to Alaska who’s never seen a bear before. It’s great.

Being Prepared for a Bear Bus Tour

The weather on Kodiak is more mild than you might expect. Being a big, rugged island in the Gulf of Alaska might conjure up images of raging seas and harsh winds, which are definitely possible, but more often than not it’s pretty pleasant. You can dress for the weather you see and then bring a coat or rain gear just in case it seems like it’s going to get iffy. You can leave things in the tour van when you’re out watching the Kodiak bears, so don’t worry about having to be roasting for your whole experience.

When it comes to footwear, keep in mind while you’ll mostly be on gravel paths for many of the bear viewing areas, there may be the opportunity to go on a trail or two for getting a better look. Bears don’t need to follow roads and manmade paths, so sometimes getting the best view will require a short stroll in the woods. Boots of some sort are a good idea for keeping your feet dry, but not every Kodiak Bear Bus tour will be trekking in mud or wet grass. In fact, it’s unlikely that you’ll be in areas that are soggy and gross, but it’s best to be prepared.

Bear Photography Gear for the Kodiak Bear Bus

Something wonderful about the Kodiak Bear Bus is that you don’t have to be a professional wildlife photographer to enjoy the experience. They bring binoculars for guests so everyone has a chance to see Kodiak bears up close, and often you don’t even need binoculars. If you’re there just to see bears and be fully in the moment of watching wildlife in its natural habitat you’ll have just as much fun as me, a photographer.

For my photography pals, you want to bring your good lenses and keen eyes. Sometimes the bears are EXTREMELY CLOSE to you and sometimes they’re off in a field or up a riverbed. Bed ready to shoot in a variety of distances and lighting conditions. Actions to photography include bears fishing for salmon, grazing on grasses, digging in the sand, walking up rocky rivers, splashing, resting and more. You’ll have a variety of situations to photograph.

How Safe is Bear Viewing on Kodiak?

As much as you may want to snuggle one of these amazing Kodiak bears, they are 100% wild and need to stay that way. When you’re either on the Bear Bus or out exploring on your own, you need to keep bear safety rules in mind. Always give bears more distance that you think you need to and never approach them quietly. Brown bears aren’t interested in you and they have plenty of food, so they’re not aching for whatever snack you last ate, but you still need to be bear aware whenever you’re outside of downtown Kodiak. Really, the bear population is extremely healthy and they are all over the island. If you’re hiking, be sure that you have bear spray with you and that you understand how and when to use it.

Tip: Harborside Coffee just next to downtown actually does a courtesy bear spray check-out program. Stop into the shop, get a beverage and a pastry, and then check-out a can of bear spray for the duration of your trip. Don’t forget to return it though, as the next visitors will need it! (Harborside Coffe, 210 Shelikof St # B, Kodiak, AK 99615)

Getting to the Kodiak Bear Bus

Most tours will be arranged to begin at the Kodiak Visitor Center / ferry terminal downtown. There is free parking and it’s easy to find. If you want to arrange a different pickup point, that may be accommodated depending on the timing of the tour and how many other guests there are. Something really cool about how the Bear Bus schedules their tours is that they actually will align with cruise ship port days so that cruise guests can also ride the Bear Bus as an excursion. There are very few ships that come into Kodiak, but if you’ve got it on your itinerary, this is one of the BEST cruise ship excursions you can plan for!