Alaska Wildlife Highlights

Grizzly Bear

For many, grizzly bear viewing will be one of the key considerations when planning a safari. Katmai National Park is one of the best places in the world to witness them, and despite being such a vast and isolated environment, visitors tend to be situated in one area - Brooks Camp - which contains trails, lodges and boardwalks along the Brooks River, where bears can be seen catching salmon at Brooks Falls as the salmon make their way upstream. Much smaller than grizzlies, black bears are however much more commonly found in Alaska, with a population between 100-200,000 and varying in colour from black to brown and white.

The brown Kodiak bears found on the Emerland Isle of Kodiak here that are estimated at 3,500-strong are Alaska’s largest at up to 10ft tall and are known to flock to the mouths of streams during the mid to late summer months - the salmon spawning season. Kodiak’s hills are also punctuated with flowers over the tundra in the spring months and valleys are filled with tracts of dense, verdant rainforest, ideal for the other resident wildlife that includes elk, deer, mountain goats, wolves, sea lions, otters and whales. The best trip on which to see these huge grizzlies is our up close and personal Kodiak bear tour. Kodiak grizzlies, found only in Alaska, are the largest of the grizzly bears.

The Arctic region is where you will not only enjoy native heritage, minerals and rivers, with coastal plains that contrast heavily with mountain ranges, but also the infamous polar bear, whose population may become endangered but ranging over sea, ice and land, they can be seen in the North and North Western territories of the Arctic region.

Marine Life

Aside from the grizzlies, a variety of whale species are found in Alaska including Beluga, Humpback and Orca. Witness humpback whales breaching, feeding, and calving during the summer months and orcas often spotted in places like the Inside Passage and the waters around Kodiak Island. Beluga whales are usually found around Kodiak and the Bering Sea and on the odd occasion, you may even see polar bears stalking the Belugas in the shallow waters.

Salmon

Alaska's rivers teem with several species of salmon, including sockeye, chinook, and coho. These fish play a vital role in the state's ecosystem and support a wide variety of wildlife.

Sea Otters

These charismatic marine mammals are commonly found along the coastline, particularly in the kelp forests of the Aleutian Islands.

Moose

The iconic moose has a thriving population in Alaska and can be found throughout the country, from the temperate rainforests of the southeast to the boreal forests of the interior and the tundra regions of the north. They are also known to frequent wetlands and areas near lakes and rivers. Moose are herbivores and primarily feed on a diet of woody vegetation, such as willow and birch leaves, aquatic plants, and grasses. During the winter, they may rely on stored fat reserves and feed on tree bark and twigs.