Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
Embark on a small-group, 3-hour land based tour of Chichagof Island. The community of Hoonah, with a year round population of approximately 850, is located in the northern part of Chichagof Island. The vast majority of the island is pure, uninhabited, Alaskan wilderness teeming with wildlife! Chichagof Island has the highest population of bears per square mile of any place on Earth.
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tour Time is Departure time. Please meet 15 minutes prior at the Icy Strait Excursions Hub
Each Child on tour must be accompanied by an adult
No Smoking
At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide ship name
Children Under the age of 8 are not permitted on this tour
While we endeavor to find bears on this tour we cannot gurantee sightings
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Picks Up & Drops Off at Icy Strait 3rd Party Excursions Hub
Local Native guide
Small Group Tour - Max of 10
All individual seating in van, no bench seating
USFS $7.00USD Park Entrance Fee
Gratuities (Never expected always appreciated)
The Shops By HTA
Shop at Hoonah's #1 Gift Store! Gifts, Snacks, Drinks!
Small-group, 3-hour land based (Van) tour of Chichagof Island. Chichagof Island has the highest concentration of brown bears of any place on Earth.
Pickup included
167 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Nancy C,
Aug 7, 2025
- Viator
It was a warm day, and the bears were not moving. We did get to see the island from the back roads. Our guide tried to find bears, but to no avail. We did have a rare ermine sighting, one deer, and lots of salmon and bald eagles. They drop you off in town, and then offer a shuttle back.
Natalie H,
Aug 2, 2025
- Viator
This was our favorite experience in Alaska. Our tour guide, Cora, was absolutely amazing! We saw 5 bears. One was quite a distance away, but other 4 were quite close. We saw two pairs of mama bears with their cubs. The first pair walked across the road, but they headed pretty quickly into the forest. The other pair we hung out with for about 45 minutes. The mama bear was about 10 feet away from the van. They started about 20 yards away and walked towards our van on the side of the road. The cub kept falling asleep. I'm so happy we did this excursion. However, it's called a "bear search" and aren't guaranteed to see any bear.
CLAUDIOFRANCO B,
Jul 31, 2025
- Viator
The guide was very, very good. She did her best in order to find some bears. However ,I think this tour was very badly organized. If you are in the last 2 rows of the van it is impossible to see what happens in front of the van, and of course only the people in the first rows managed to see a bear for a moment. Of course the bears sighting is not guaranteed. We are in 2025, the company should know in advance where the van should go in order to see bears, there are view cams, and other devices that could show to the guide where to go; or else 2-3 people with a van that stays or travels among the best spots and communicated the bears position. We paid about Usd 300,= for a ride with the van....while Viator get for 1 excursion at least $ 1500. Maybe some of this amount could be used to improve the tours. I put 3 stars only because the guide was very very good !
Jason S,
Jul 28, 2025
- Viator
This was a fun excursion. Kora, our tour guide was very passionate and knowledgeable about bears and wildlife of the area. It was great to learn hunting tips from her. We only saw 1 mama bear and a cub, but it was certainly not Kora's fault. It just wasn't our day for lots of sightings. It was still a fun adventure.
Dylan C,
Jul 24, 2025
- Viator
We saw 3 adult bears and 2 cubs. Our tour guide Whitney Noble was one of the best tour guides I’ve ever had. She was extremely knowledgeable and went above and beyond for our honeymoon. It was an experience of a lifetime thanks to her.
Operated by Hoonah Travel Adventures LLC