The Ursus (which means "bear" in Latin) cruises slowly along the coast, where we commonly find brown bears, or coastal grizzlies, foraging for food. ![]() Since retrofitted for custom tourism charters, this sturdy veteran of Alaskan waters now offers our guests comfortable accommodations in this remote marine wilderness. Its successor, the second Time Bandit, gained fame in the Discovery Channel TV series "Deadliest Catch." The original boat was later transitioned for research use by the National Park Service and Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The 73-foot Ursus was built as a deep-sea fishing boat called Time Bandit, which navigated the stormy Bering Sea in pursuit of the lucrative king crab catch. Exiting the plane, we embark the vessel that will be our floating home for the next several days. The pilot is in radio contact with the Ursus, and soon we're taxiing along the water to pull up alongside. Once on board, we fly west over Kodiak's steep green mountains and across Shelikof Strait to the Katmai Peninsula, where the backbone of the ice-crowned Aleutian Range rises behind the shoreline. Our plan is to fly out late morning, but timing is flexible in the event of weather delays, in which case we'll explore more of Kodiak as we wait for the clouds to lift. The day has arrived: We're off to see the bears! And we reach them via a classically Alaskan means of transport: a floatplane journey from Kodiak to Katmai to meet our privately chartered ship, the Natural Habitat Ursus. We'll also tour historic Kodiak, with a mix of activities that may include a walk through the coastal rain forest at Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park, a fisheries research center with aquarium and touch tank, and/or a drive up Pillar Mountain for sweeping views over the town and sea, when weather permits.ĭay 3: Kodiak / Floatplane to Katmai-Board Natural Habitat Ursus Kodiak is remote, not often visited by travelers to Alaska, and our sense of an intimate encounter with nature is palpable as we glide among its rockbound coves and islands. A cruise among Kodiak’s secluded bays and rocky shorelines, past tidal pools and kittiwake rookeries, may reveal sea otters, puffins, bald eagles, sea lions and sometimes humpback and fin whales. While Katmai's brown bears will be our main focus, Kodiak Island is an impressive wildlife destination in its own right, and today we explore a sampler of its coastal waters on a day-long private boat trip. Our grizzly adventure officially begins this evening with an informal welcome dinner and orientation hosted by our local guide. All are centrally located in the compact town of Kodiak that surrounds St. Options include the Kodiak History Museum, Alutiiq Museum, Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Cathedral and Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center. Depending on your arrival time, you may be able to explore some of Kodiak's Russian and Native heritage on your own this afternoon. ![]() On your arrival in Kodiak, our local guide meets you and transfers you to our hotel, pointing out sights along the way.
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