Trip Overview

We will meet in the morning in Anchorage and then head straight to the airport for an exciting day trip to Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park. We’ll fly to the village of King Salmon and then hop on a small float plane for the short flight to Brooks Camp. There, we will have several hours to photograph the famous, fat bears of the Brooks River, before making the return journey to Anchorage. On Day 2, we’ll head down the Kenai Peninsula toward the fishing town of Seward. It’s a beautiful drive down the length of Turnagin Arm (where if we are lucky we may spot Beluga Whales in the murky waters), and into the Chugach Mountains until we eventually reach the edge of Resurrection Bay where Seward lies. With the better part of the afternoon to explore with our cameras, we may venture up to Exit Glacier, or spend time walking around town, the harbor, and the Seward Sealife Center.

The following day we will head out on a boat to see Kenai Fjords National Park from the water. In autumn, the birds and wildlife are getting active, as they prepare for the coming days of winter. Humpback Whales may be foraging nearby before they head out on their migration to the Hawaiian Islands, and Steller’s sea lions, sea otters, and harbor seals will certainly be seen. Too we will approach close to the faces of the tidewater glaciers, where if we are lucky, we’ll get to observe great chunks of ice calving into the ocean below. We will spend most of the day on the water before returning to Seward in the evening.

The next day we’ll make an early departure for Homer. It’s a half day drive, but along the way we’ll stop to see and photograph the blue waters of the Kenai River, and the surrounding mountains before we work our way to Kachemak Bay, and the lovely town of Homer.

There are very few places that can boast the amazing sunsets visible from the Homer Spit or Bishop’s Beach. If conditions are right, in the evenings, many locals come down to the beaches to watch the sun go down, and we will join them with our cameras to watch the evening light show.

Our final day in Homer will be well spent, with a water taxi trip across Kachemak Bay to Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park. It’s a short trip, but we’ll have the chance to stop and look for marine life along the way. Sea otters are abundant and late whales and porpoise may be lingering in the protected water of Kachemak Bay.

We’ll be dropped off on the shore, and can spend a few hours hiking and photographing up close to the mountains and glaciers. At the scheduled time, we’ll meet the water taxi and head back across the bay to Homer for our last night.

The following morning, we’ll get an early start and drive back up the Kenai Peninsula to Anchorage, arriving in the city by early afternoon, in time to catch evening flights home.