Alaska's Grizzly Ship: Kodiak to Katmai

Discover Alaska’s pristine Bear Coast, including Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks. This area offers intact, pristine brown bear habitat with abundant salmon runs and other food that support the world’s highest density of wild bears. Learn why we must protect the bears, their habitat and the people who depend on both.

Join Drew Hamilton, Nat Hab Expedition Leader and bear expert extraordinaire, as he takes us behind the scenes of a Nat Hab grizzly trip on Alaska's Katmai Coast. Drew's passion for bears and conservation shines through as he shares why he became a naturalist and describes the magic of watching bears at close range.

Traveler Sarah Martens recounts her time traveling in Alaska with Nat Hab, including the power in up-close experiences with the bears of Katmai National Park.

Meet mighty brown bears up close on a small-ship adventure in wildest Alaska! Join Expedition Leader Teresa Whipple on a tour of our private chartered ship, the Natural Habitat Ursus, which offers just eight travelers an exclusive opportunity to follow and photograph bears as they fish, forage and frolic along the shoreline. Learn about the "ebbs and flows" of grizzly season—including what bear behaviors you can expect to witness and when—and find out more about the trip itinerary, which includes a scenic floatplane flight from Kodiak Island to the roadless Katmai wilderness.

Humpback whales possess remarkable sensory adaptations that allow them to navigate, communicate and thrive in diverse marine environments. Expedition Leader Lianne Thompson dives into the roles the five senses of touch, hearing, sight, taste and smell play in humpback whale behaviors such as feeding, migration and social interactions. She also addresses conservation challenges like noise pollution and climate change and highlights the importance of protecting humpback whales and their habitats.

Meet the small(ish) mammal with an outsized effect on marine ecosystems: the sea otter! Expedition Leader Laura Geissinger introduces us to this playful traveler favorite, from its behavior and physiology to its often-fraught history, including aggressive hunting during the fur trade era that nearly led to the species’ extinction. She also discusses how events like oil spills have impacted their recovery. Learn why this keystone species is vital to ocean ecosystems, what’s being done to protect its populations—and where you can spot sea otters on our Alaska adventures!