Icy Strait Small Group Shore Excursion: We're going on a bear hunt!
Overview
Available languages
4 hours
Mobile ticket
When porting at Icy Strait near Hoonah this is a shore tour ashore you will not forget. Lets go on a bear hunt, this four hour tour offers you the chance to see brown bears, Sitka black-tail deer and other wildlife up close in the natural picturesque beauty of the last frontier.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
We can also accept hotel guests on this tour.
What To Expect
Hoonah
National Geographic have named the area as the "Bear Island", this tour offers you the highest concentration of bears in the world at 1-2 brown bears per square mile. To get the most from your tour ashore this is offered as a small group tour making it more enjoyable.
The Island offers ten different kinds of edible berries along with a stunning view of a muskeg, viewing an old growth forest, and possible chances of viewing the king of the island: brown bears. Using information on current bear movements, their feeding habits, and the temperature throughout the day, there are short stops at key points to scope out an amazing view of these captivating creatures. Our well renowned guides will share information about the area and the Tlingit Native population. During the tour you are pretty much guaranteed to see a host of other wildlife that are quite often spotted during our tours, including mink, marten, bald eagles, sea birds, red squirrels, otter, beaver, ducks, and Sitka black-tail deer. So be sure to bring your camera. Please note: Wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed. However, this tour can re-position quickly, and there is a much higher chance of sightings with our small group tour than any other slow moving large tour groups.
Options
Icy Strait Small Group Shore Excursion: We're going on a bear hunt!
Pickup included
What‘s Included
Local guide
Driver/guide
Port pickup and drop-off
Small Group size of max 12 people
Food and drinks
Pickup points
Icy Strait Port
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
16 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Overcrowded, disappointing
Jill H,Jun 16, 2026
- Review from Viator
1.00Small group tour - yes - but it was 14 crammed into a transit van with every seat taken - 4 adults squashed in a back seat did not make it pleasant for 5 hours driving. At over $500 each not enjoyable. No bottle of water or snack just driving around aimlessly. Thought it may have been drive to a spot and watch for bears - no literally drive around and hope they pop out on the road.
Holme Lacy House
janete317,May 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a brilliant week The staff were Amazing The food was great we dined in the Market Kitchen it’s a buffet so help yourself The waiter x waitresses were brilliant nothing to much trouble big thanks to Jo.Aga. Beta.Caro .Beckie .Ben. Tracy . And John the porter he is so helpful There are far to many to name Thank You to all the Staff They are brilliant We will see you in July
Amazing Alaska wildlife tour
jozoj977,May 7, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was hands down one of the best excursions on our Alaska cruise. Our guide was fantastic and clearly knew exactly where to look based on recent bear activity. We were lucky enough to spot two brown bears fishin for salmon, along with bald eagles and eautiful scenery throughout the drive. The small group made it eel much more personal than the large cruise tours. Highly recommend if you want a real Alaskan wildlife experience.
The guide was extremely...
amy b,Jul 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00The guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. He helped us find 4 bears and knew a lot about bears. It was my husband’s favorite tour though out alaska
Dalen our tour guide was...
Julie G,Jun 20, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00Dalen our tour guide was very knowledgeable and made the experience interesting and entertaining. Sadly on this occasion we didn’t see any bears, probably as we are a little early in the year. Having said that, we had the opportunity to see the amazing countryside and beautiful views.
My wife and I enjoyed this tour,
FarAway30298339447,Nov 9, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My wife and I enjoyed this tour, saw the bears and we learned a lot much our guide. Loved the small group feel compared to what we were looking at on offer from our cruise. Thanks guys loved it.
The Best!
Sightseer68644063275,Jul 19, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a Awesome Experience. Boat Captain Justin, Naturalist Kacie, and Taylor did a great job in making sure we all had a wonderful time. We even got in on a group of Orcas, that is usually hard to find. Great Experience!
Excellent tour of Hoonah, Culture and Wild Life
mercymoi2,Jun 2, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Read about the tour on a Cruise Critic message board. Very glad we did. It was a great tour from Jack and Howard. They picked us up outside Icy Strait Point and took us around Hoonah including their home and the surrounding area. They made sure we saw lots of wildlife. Both Jack and Howard have a passion for their culture and town. An excellent tour.
Great bear watching experience!
gregaustex,Aug 15, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was one of the highlights of our trip. Our guide Gary took us to "bridge #3" and we watched a mama grizzly and her cub catch four salmon. I know that not everyone will see a bear on this excursion, but we were very fortunate to watch this pair for over 20 minutes just a few feet away. A fantastic experience!
Disappointed!
U2054IDnancya,Jul 20, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00We paid $129/1 person for the Icy Strait Bear & Wildlife Tour. It was a 3 hour ride in a van on very rough (washboard) roads. The tour was too long and no refreshments given. We did not see any bears and only 2 deer. That is a lot of money for basically nothing. The driver and asst. were nice but it got old riding w/o seeing anything but trees. It seemed like since the salmon had not arrived, it would be very hard to find bears and it was . Like I said, we no none! Don't waste your money on this excursion.
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