Scenic Bear Viewing
Scenic Bear Viewing
5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Full view

About
Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear Viewing to the remote wilderness on the west side of Cook Inlet. Includes a bonus flight-seeing trip in a five passenger bush plane over Lake Clark or Katmai National Park with a beach landing. The beaches have no road access or facilities. We spend three hours or more with the bears then fly back to Homer. This is an active wilderness adventure. You must be able to walk up to 2-4 miles at average pace. Any health issues that might impact this must be discussed with Martin by phone or email prior to booking a trip. Please call Martin to inquire about our trips that accommodate people who experience special needs. This trip involves air travel in small airplanes. Anyone afraid of flying or who is claustrophobic must discuss their concerns with Martin before you book a trip. Weight limit of 250 lbs. per passenger for safety reasons.
Homer, United States
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2023
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(38 reviews)

(12 reviews)

(8 reviews)
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
188 reviews
Excellent
187
Very good
0
Average
0
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Suzanne W
1 contribution
Sep 2023 • Family
Sept 15, 2023, a day to remember! What an amazing experience we had at Katmai NP with Martin of Scenic Bear Viewing. Unfortunately, we experienced a true Alaskan day of rain. We could not see a thing from the plane but we trusted our experienced pilot and he landed us safely on the beach for a spectacular viewing of 17 bears. That's right, 17, some of them up close and personal! As soon as we stepped out of the plane a mother with 2 cubs appeared from over the dunes. With Martin's vast knowledge and experience with the bears, we felt completely at ease to enjoy three hours with the bears. We highly recommend Martin of Scenic Bear Viewing for an experience of a lifetime. Thank you Martin and Sam!
Written 29 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KCsEndlessAdventures
La Paz, Mexico236 contributions
Jun 2023
This was truly an experience of a lifetime, a day I will never forget, thanks to Martin/Scenic Bear Viewing, and, of course, the bears. There were nearly a dozen grizzlies all around us and Martin knew how to get us up close, but safely. I was able to capture many incredible photos and the scenery was out of this world too.
Written 24 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
L H
1 contribution
Aug 2022
Absolutely wonderful experience! First time to Alaska for our family with teenagers. Martin gave us a scenic flight tour of the mountains, landed on a beach, and we spent hours up close and personal with 3 young bears romping and playing in the meadow and digging clams at low tide. Then a mother and her cub came down the beach to go clamming, and another single female bear as well. Martin was an excellent pilot and was very experienced interacting with the bears. He supplied hip wading boots to keep dry. He also took exceptional photos of the bears and our family with the bears. Highly recommend our tour guide - he's exceptional.
Written 13 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alvin M
3 contributions
Sep 2022
Flew with Martin to Katmai for an incredible bear viewing experience. It was just like the pictures that have been previously posted on Tripadvisor with the bears being so close. We got to see multiple bears, including mothers and cubs, fishing in the river and walking on the beach. We felt very safe since the bears were so focused on fishing. Highly recommend Martin as he is very knowledgeable about and familiar with the bears. Also enjoyed the views of the glaciers, volcanic mountains, and a caldera lake on the return flight. This trip was the highlight of our Alaska vacation. Would highly recommend Martin.
Written 30 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emily M
Homer, AK1 contribution
Sep 2022 • Couples
Martin is really the best. He has been doing this for some time now, and he has the skills and experience to give you a safe bear tour while also educating you on the wildlife and most likely making you laugh. On my recent tour with Martin, the vibes were amazing from start to finish, and I was able to get lots of wonderful photos for my photography. I would recommend Scenic Bear Viewing to anyone, and I’ll definitely be back for more in the future!
Written 15 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sunomen R
4 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
What an incredible bear viewing adventure with Martin and Samantha! Martin was very in tune with the bears and knew just where to go to have the most incredible up close experiences with them! Sam was knowledgeable and helpful. We got to watch a mama bear nurse her babies, watch them fish and play, and so much more! What a great day with amazing guides! Couldn't have asked for a better time.. the experience of a lifetime we could not recommend enough. Thanks again!
Written 14 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Derek R
1 contribution
Aug 2022 • Friends
Despite being an Alaskan resident all my life and having seen my fair share of bears in the wild, this trip surpassed all my expectations! I had never seen bears so close in my life, and with Martin as a guide I felt incredibly safe the entire time even as a sow and her two cubs walked right by us. This is a fantastic way to see the beauty of Alaska while remaining respectful of the wildlife here. During our tour we landed in Clark Lake National Park and walked around the coastline for the majority and we were able to see the sow we saw earlier hunt for clams and teach her cubs how to open them. As well as being a fantastic tour guide, Martin was a great pilot and performed the smoothest landings I’ve ever experienced in a small aircraft. If you’re considering doing a bear tour out of Homer I would highly recommend booking through Scenic Bear Tours as their communication and knowledgeability of the area is second to none!
Written 13 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
vacaction
Wisconsin23 contributions
Aug 2022 • Friends
Martin knows where the Bears are and knows their personalities. We saw more bears than we could have hoped for. Seeing them in their natural habitat doing what bears do. Watched them lounge, catch fish, forage in the rocks and tend to their young. Beautiful creatures! Thank you Martin for a memorable trip and educating us on these beautiful animals and their home.
Written 28 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
withoutamap1
Oxford, MS127 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
This is absolutely worth doing. Martin is an incredible guide and pilot - he made sure we had the opportunity to see several bears and was clear with directions etc. we spent over 3 hours on the beach watching the bears fish for salmon, and then had a lovely flight back from Katmai. This is the best company to book with in Homer!
Written 13 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jac385
Worthing, UK148 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
We enjoyed the smooth flight and landings. Unfortunately it was pretty cloudy on the flight to Katmai but we flew back over beautiful scenery on the 1st half of the return journey. We stopped at a lovely inlet and creek spot but only saw one large male bear so we were lucky enough to move to another bay area. Here three younger male bears were fishing, eating and chilling. They just continued as if we weren't there- so coo! Thank you.
Written 12 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How high in altitude do the seaplanes go? I have someone in my family that can’t do high altitudes in a non pressurized plane due to severe ear and sinus pain
KingsleyRoyal
Maidenhead422 contributions
How much Hiking/walking is involved.
ksmy2018
Bend, OR14 contributions
I would rate it as a medium amount of walking. Martin does a great job in starting you off in an area where there are bears. Then as the bears move, you move. This can include some walking through some knee high shrubs, but you are wearing wader boots so it's not difficult at all. I think the description of the adventure says you may need to walk three miles, but we didn't need to do that much, as Martin has a keen sense of how to get to areas where the bears come to you.