By Traci Sepkovic
In August 2024, I was honored to lead Women in Wildlife Photography’s first two brown bear tours. These were Bucket List trips for so many of the women who joined us and I think it is safe for me to say that every one of our ladies went home with their expectations exceeded.
Our week-long tours were based out of Kodiak, Alaska, in comfortable hotel accommodations, and each tour had two days scheduled for bear viewing at Katmai National Park. The Kodiak days began with breakfast then getting picked up by our experienced guides to head out and look for some bears around Kodiak. Bear viewing is tidal dependent so our days were planned around the tides. When the tide was right, we were out in the van looking for bears. It was so exciting looking for them and then seeing one making its way up the river. Our guides would place us in a safe position where we could wait for the bear to approach. Eventually the gorgeous Kodiak bear would come into view as it was fishing the river for salmon. People fishing on the river would pause and wait for the bear to pass while we photographers made some beautiful images of the bears in the lush greenery surrounding the river.
When the tides were not optimal for bear viewing, we made great use of our time photographing sea otters in the harbors. Every participant fell in love with the sea otters and what’s not to love – they are so darn cute! A few of the ladies also had fun photographing the jellyfish and anemones in the harbors. We also were fortunate to be able to photograph two species of puffins: the horned puffin and tufted puffin were still present on the island and had not yet moved back out to sea. We also did some tidepooling, which everyone enjoyed, and we stopped to capture some landscape images along the way as well. Other wildlife seen on Kodiak Island were bald eagles, cross foxes, and a variety of birds.
After getting those first few bear views in around Kodiak, it was time for the next big adventure: the trip to Katmai National Park by float plane! The scenery during the flights was absolutely breathtaking. The take-offs and landings were so smooth we didn’t even realize we left or landed back on the water.
We visited two different areas of Katmai including Geographic Harbor and Hallo Bay – two of the most beautiful and peaceful places on Earth. The days at Katmai were full of action with fishing bears all around. We enjoyed watching the different fishing techniques each bear used. Some bears charged up and down the inlets, some would stand up and look around before making their move, other bears deployed the snorkel technique where they submerged their faces in the water to locate salmon, and some of our favorite bears paced the shoreline then pounced into the water making a big splash and emerging with a fresh salmon. We had full 7 – 8 hour days at Katmai and the bear viewing was incredible.
I cannot conclude this report without talking about the personal growth and bonds that were formed between the ladies on both tours. For anyone who may be concerned about their ability to get on or off of the plane or to do the hikes, I will say please do not allow that to stop you from booking this tour. We are all there to help one another and ensure that you are able to experience this magical place for yourself. We linked arms when crossing waterways, helped one another on/off the float planes, adjusted the pace as needed during our short hikes to keep everyone together, and encouraged and supported each other every step of the way.
We will make sure you are well-prepared for your trip with Zoom calls and follow-up emails. I would love for you to join me and the amazing Women in Wildlife Photography in August 2025!
For more information on the 2025 Alaska Bears tour, please check the listing here.