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
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Scenic Bear Viewing
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
198 reviews
Excellent
193
Very good
0
Average
0
Poor
2
Terrible
3
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 September 13, 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 September 15, 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.
Ggrund3
Elmira, NY316 contributions
Jul 2020 • Couples
When we got to the hanger Martin gave us quite an extensive briefing about the plane we were going to fly in and the Bears we were going to see , he was extremely knowledgeable about the Bears that we saw on the mud flats today . one of the highlights was flying by a snow covered volcano and then landing on the beach . The mother bears and her cubs would walk right by us , it was an outstanding trip
Written July 16, 2020
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.
SirHoot
Anchorage, Alaska227 contributions
Cut above others!! Once in a life time experience even for a guy like me living in Alaska since 1977
Jun 2022
This bear photography trip into Chinitna Bay conducted by Scenic Bear Viewing turned out to be one of the best experiences I ever had in recent times. Much of the credit is due to the pilot-guide, Martin Boland. This guy is definitely a very skilled and careful pilot, and his understanding of the bears proves to be superb. He also supplies hip boots so you can actually walk out into the mudflats to be with the bears. Not many groups provide that, and I saw quite a few folks, looking at our group either with envy or with concern. We were pretty close to these bears who were clamming in the mudflats and in all reality, totally ignored us as if seeing humans with oversize cameras is just part of environment to them, just like all these kiwis hanging around them hoping to get some scrap. Were there any shortcomings with this trip?? Yeah, after an hour or so being around these teddy bears up close and personal, watching them go clamming and munching, you shot all you can and soon, we were talking among ourselves. Yeah, we actually got tired of seeing bears up close and personal!!! It would have been nice to see the bears in other environment beside on the mudflats clamming and eating. But overall, from what I saw around me, Martin gave us an experience other groups can only look on in envy. This kind of proves that not all "bear viewing" companies out there are NOT the same. It is no lie that Martin is cut above the rest. He also gave us a nice fly by near Mount Illiamna as well. Overall, a great experience!!!!!
Written July 1, 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.
Bethy
Georgia3 contributions
Aug 2019 • Solo
Martin was an excellent tour-guide and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. He was professional and allowed us to experience Alaskan coastal bears up close. It was truly unbelievable. Definitely a trip to remember! 10/10 would recommend.
Written June 8, 2020
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, MS149 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 August 13, 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.
TBWorldTraveler
Swanage, UK88 contributions
Jul 2021
This was a trip of a lifetime! Book now - you will not regret it. We did this as part of our Alaska vacation and it was a highlight for sure. Martin was professional, the booking process was efficient and the morning out was nothing short of spectacular. We were in Lake Clark National Park with over 6 bears in their natural habitat. Martin took care of us - from a wonderful flight to a safe landing to bear viewing to safety tips. He also took pictures of us and the bears and immediately shared them. It is an experience I would recommend to anyone! Thank you for a fabulous day.
Written July 9, 2021
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.
TabbTiger
Yorktown, Virginia122 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
Surreal adventure… once in a lifetime experience for our family. Martin was our pilot and guide. Friendly, knowledgeable, and patient. Put us at ease as we flew across the inlet to drop in on so many bears. We waded across the outgoing tide to the bears. Spent ample time with a mother and her cubs…. Breathless. Time with the bears felt unending as almost too many bears to count. Even had a little scenic flight home of the volcano and glaciers.
Written June 27, 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.
Mark B
Tucson9 contributions
Jul 2022
Ours was an outstanding experience! The bear viewings were excellent and the flights to and from their location were smooth and enjoyable. Martin and Samantha were everything one would hope for as hosts. As a pilot and naturalist, Martin excelled; as an arranger and equipper, Samantha was superb. I highly recommend this to anyone determined to viewing brown bears near Homer.
Written July 9, 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.
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 December 13, 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
Written May 10, 2022
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.
Written January 24, 2019
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