See Polar Bears with Trustees for Alaska
Immerse yourself in America’s Arctic to observe wild polar bears in their natural habitat. This four day, small group trip is exclusively offered by Trustees for Alaska. Executive Director Vicki Clark will take you on the experience of a lifetime to see the Arctic’s most enigmatic and endangered species.
Polar bears congregate along the coast of the Beaufort Sea in September and October. USFWS photo.
The polar bear is the world’s largest carnivore and its favorite prey is ringed seals. The bears often capture the seals by waiting at their breathing holes. They live most of their lives at sea, staying close to the pack ice using it as a platform for hunting seals. In September and early October, the bears congregate along the coast and in the protected lagoons of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge where we can safely observe them up close.
We’ll base our bear viewing adventures from village of Kaktovik, an Inupiaq village nestled along the Beaufort Sea within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Our boat trips will be run by Akook Arctic Adventures, owned by Jack Kayotuk, who grew up in the Arctic. The guided boat trips take you out to search for the bears along the coast near Barter Island where the bears tend to congregate during ice-free periods. You will have ample opportunities to observe, photograph and enjoy polar bears in the wild.
We’ll meet in Fairbanks for dinner on the evening of September 15th before flying to Kaktovik the following morning. We arrive in Kaktovik midday, settling into the Waldo Arms Hotel before lunch, after which we’ll take our first boat trip out to see the bears. After dinner, served family-style, we’ll have time to discuss our first views of the bears, review our photographs, and discuss what’s happening to the bears’ natural habitat due to climate change.
After breakfast the following day we’ll again go out on the boat for bear observations returning to our base for a warm lunch before the afternoon excursion to see bears. On Sunday, we’ll offer one four-hour boat trip either in the morning or the afternoon providing you with a chance to stroll the village and learn about Inupiaq life in the Arctic. You’ll have one last opportunity to get out on the boat in the morning before our afternoon flight back to Fairbanks.
The trip includes lodging, meals, transportation, and guides in Kaktovik and your flights to and from Fairbanks, Alaska. Lodging, meals, and transportation in Fairbanks is not included, nor are guide tips. The group is limited to six people.
When: September 16-19, 2016
Where: Kaktovik, Alaska
Cost: $5,000 round-trip from Fairbanks
Registration closes at noon Alaska Time, Monday, June 27, 2016. For more information contact us at 907.276.4244.