Icy Strait Exclusive Wildlife and Bear Search Tour

4.6
267 reviews

Excursion Overview

Discover the secrets of Icy Strait on this exciting wildlife search!

Chichagof Island has been named "Bear Island" by National Geographic because it has the highest concentration of bears in the world at 1-2 brown bears per square mile, making it a great destination for bear watching from Icy Strait. This Exclusive Wildlife and Bear Search small group tour will give you a flexible, up-close experience that large group tours simply cannot offer.

On this 4-hour van tour journeying through the forest on dirt paths, there are many exciting things to see, such as the scenic view of muskeg, some of the ten varieties of edible berries found on the island, viewing an old-growth forest, and potential sightings of the king of the island: brown bears.

Based on current bear movements, feeding habits, and daytime temperatures, there are short stops in key locations to scope out a magnificent view of these captivating creatures - and your wildlife guide knows them all! They will also share information about the area and the Tlingit Native population.

There is also a host of other wildlife that are quite frequently spotted during excursions, including mink, marten, red squirrels, otter, beaver, ducks, sea birds, Sitka black-tail deer, and plenty of bald eagles. So be sure to bring your camera.

Please note: Your departure time for this tour can start 30 minutes (or more) after your cruise ship's arrival to Icy Strait. Wildlife is not guaranteed.

Things You Need to Know

Inclusions:

  • Roundtrip guided transportation from Icy Strait Excursions Hub to the wildlife viewing locations through the Icy Strait terrain including dirt paths through the forest and island.
  • Bottled water

Requirements:

  • There are no additional requirements for this excursion.

Duration: 4 hours (Roundtrip from cruise ship terminal.)

  • 4 hours narrated scenic drive around the island

Meeting Instructions:

  • This tour meets at the Icy Strait Excursions Hub. Fully detailed instructions are included on your finalized ticket vouchers.

ADA Accessibility of Tour:

  • This tour is limited mobility accessible. Guests must be able to climb 4 steps into and out of the van. There is limited space for collapsible wheelchairs and walkers. There is no storage available for motorized scooters. Please leave a comment during checkout if accommodations for collapsible equipment will be required on tour.

Refund Policy:

  • You may cancel for any reason up to seven (7) days prior to the date of the tour for a full refund.
  • Please see our Refund Policy Page for complete details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our success rate for seeing bears is very high, however, wildlife cannot be guaranteed. Our area has more bears per square mile than any other place in Alaska with 1.7 bears per square mile.

A large male brown bear can be over ten feet from tail to nose and weigh up to 1800 lbs.

Tour van size can vary from 12 to 14 passengers.

Yes, we have one car seat available upon request. Please leave a note at checkout if you will require a car seat.

We have one car seat available and you are more than welcome to bring your own car/booster seats with you. Our vans have seatbelts.

 

Guest Reviews

4.6

267 total

72%
18%
8%
2%
1%

Laura C

On Jul 2025

We had a great time on our excursion! We loved learning more about bears and life in Hoonah. We saw black tailed deers, bald eagles as well as a brown bear! We appreciated that the guides worked together to ensure that each group could see a bear.

Melissa H

On Jul 2025

The tour itself was good and the tour guide was great. However, be warned that if you are stuck in the back row of the van (especially with kids), you will not be able to see anything while in the van. The windows at the back are 1/3 to 1/2 the size as the windows further ahead in the vans. We had a full van and missed nearly every sight sitting in the back row. To make things worse, when we paused at the side of the road to watch wildlife, our tour guide opened the van door which completely blocked the small window with the van door! I'm giving 3 stars because we were lucky to be able to stop and get out to view some wildlife. If we would have been able to see out the window, this would have been a 5 star tour.

Helene B

On Jun 2025

Daylon, our guide was so experienced in finding bear.. a beautiful brown bear walked directly in front if our van and we were all awestruck! This was one of the highlights of our trip.

Michael B

On Jun 2025

We had a great guide - very knowledgeable about the area and knew where to look for bears. We saw two that day, a little less than hoped, but better than none. Our driver/guide kept in touch with other drivers in the area to share locations. We learned so much. Very nice tour.

Todd K

On Jun 2025

Outstanding guide. Only saw 1 bear, but great stories, history, and effort to locate.

$150.00

Best Price Guarantee!

$150.00

Duration: 4 hours

Best Price Guarantee!

Duration: 4 hours



Adult (16+): $150.00

Child (6-15): $75.00

Infant (5 and Under): $0.00