The Wild Heart of Alaska

Katmai puts you among the great brown bears at the height of the salmon season, an encounter of raw abundance. The Tongass offers old-growth rainforest, hidden coves, and a greener, gentler solitude. The truly wild-hearted combine both, moving by private flight between them.

By private flight. The wilderness on this journey is reached by private aircraft and held at a distance from the crowds, so you can move between the brown bears of Katmai and the old-growth rainforest of the Tongass without ever joining the crowds. Days follow the animals and the light rather than a fixed itinerary, with your guide adjusting hour by hour, which is why many travelers choose to combine both.

Time it to the salmon runs. Katmai puts you among the great brown bears at the height of the salmon season, standing quietly with a naturalist as they fish. Because the peak shifts, let your advisor confirm the peak weeks for that season. Keeping two flexible days in the itinerary also helps, letting weather and wildlife shape your finest moments.

Rarely, if ever. The journey centers on exclusive use of a remote wilderness lodge set within its own private conservancy, and lodges with their own guides mean wildlife access is never shared. You walk the ancient rainforest of the Tongass with no other soul in sight and take a dawn flight over roadless country, spotting moose, wolves and eagles. Secure these conservancies far in advance, as availability is genuinely scarce.

Plan on 8-11 days. That is enough for private guiding, unhurried mornings and room to simply be there, with days that follow the animals and the light rather than a fixed itinerary. The time can hold private bear viewing at Katmai, a guided walk through the Tongass rainforest, a dawn wildlife flight over roadless country and a stay at an exclusive-use wilderness lodge, with private flights between them. Keep two flexible days so weather and wildlife can shape your finest moments.

As a private, tailored journey it starts from roughly US$15,500 per traveler (double occupancy) and scales with your dates, party and level of privacy — a starting point, never a fixed package price. Your advisor confirms the figure once the itinerary is tailored.

Late May through early September is the season for this journey. The days stretch long, the wildlife is at its most active, and the coastal waters and interior wilderness open fully, which suits dawn wildlife flights and quiet walks in the Tongass. For bear viewing at Katmai, time your visit to the salmon runs and let your advisor confirm the peak weeks for that season, tuned to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.

On The Wild Heart of Alaska, a private dawn wildlife flight over roadless country lets you spot moose, wolves and eagles from the air. It is one of the experiences arranged privately and shaped to you. Between late May and early September the days stretch long and the wildlife is at its most active, so the early light suits this flight, with the vast glaciers and fjords of Alaska below.

No. On The Wild Heart of Alaska, days follow the animals and the light rather than a fixed itinerary, and your private guide adjusts hour by hour. The wilderness is reached by private aircraft and held at a distance from the crowds, so the pace can bend around a bear sighting at Katmai or a quiet walk in the Tongass. The reward is intimacy with a landscape most travelers only glimpse.

Keep two flexible days in The Wild Heart of Alaska itinerary so weather and wildlife can shape your finest moments. In Alaska, glaciers, fjords and brown bears remain the authors of the landscape, and travel between places such as Katmai and the Tongass is by private aircraft. Flexible days give room to wait for the right conditions, including the peak of the salmon runs, which your advisor confirms for that season.