FISHING BROWN BEARS OF KATMAI: CAMP EDITION
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR
2026 & 2027
World-Class Bears
an exclusive adventure camp in remote alaska with access to world-class bear behavior.
DATES
2026: 02 Aug - 09 Aug 2027: 07 Aug - 14 Aug
DURATION
7 Days
GROUP SIZE
8 Guests
GUIDE
Sean Sharp
FITNESS LEVEL
High Impact
COST
Sold Out
DATES
2026: 02 Aug - 09 Aug 2027: 07 Aug - 14 Aug
DURATION
7 Days
GROUP SIZE
4 Guests
FITNESS LEVEL
High Impact
GUIDE
Sean Sharp
COST
Sold Out
Fishing Brown Bears of Katmai
Embark on an intimate adventure where the whispers of the wild surround you.
Join Sharp Wildlife Photography for an unparalleled journey deep into the interior of the Katmai wilderness. Far from the coast and tucked away in a remote valley surrounded by mountains, we witness the bears where the salmon come to spawn. Here, majestic brown bears reign supreme, offering captivating glimpses into their lives as they fish the mountain streams and navigate their rugged territory in the golden light of the Alaskan dawn and dusk.
Leave the crowds behind. This experience thrives on exclusivity and strategic planning within our private backcountry camp. We move beyond the confines of bulky hides; this adventure is about getting you up-close with these incredible creatures in their natural element. Together, we will navigate the riverbanks and mountain creeks, capturing the raw, thunderous power of the salmon run with unhurried patience.
The Comfort of a True Expedition Years of backcountry scouting have led us to this perfect location—a hidden reach of the river where the salmon run attracts a stunning number of bears. Our camp is designed to provide professional comfort in a remote, high-wilderness setting:
Spacious Accommodations: Tents tall enough to stand in, equipped with comfortable cots (two guests per 6-person tent).
Expedition Dining: A dedicated dining tent and a private camp chef and host.
Safety & Power: Bear-safe practices are our priority, with solar power available to keep your batteries charged and your gear ready.
More Than a Photography Tour This is a sensory journey. It’s the adrenaline rush of approaching an awe-inspiring giant, the sound of a successful catch splashing through the river, and the taste of the crisp mountain air. Under our guidance, you will not only refine your technical photography skills but deepen your understanding of these remarkable animals in their most private environment.
An Intimate Collective To ensure personalized attention and a low-impact presence in the field, this experience is limited to just 8 adventurous photographers.
Embrace the wild and prepare to be transformed. While our 2026 and 2027 dates are currently sold out, we invite you to contact us regarding our waitlist or to discuss a bespoke private expedition to this extraordinary region.
What's Included
- Backcountry flights to/from camp
- Secure luggage storage at outfitter's
- All camp gear (except sleeping bag and pillow)
- Solar power for charging batteries
- All snacks, hot fresh cooked meals, and beverages
- Park permits
- Camp Cook & Camp Host
- Photography & Bear Guide (Sean)
What's Not Included
- Personal travel insurance
- Travel to/from Anchorage
- Lodging in Anchorage before/after our tour
- Roundtrip flight to/from our meet-up location (a remote Alaskan village where we will greet you and start our tour). That said, this flight is already reserved and your seat will be booked for you. Your only responsibility for this flight will be to pay the airline at the time of check-in on the morning of Day 1 of our tour. (Cost is roughly $550).
- Gratuities for our two dedicated camp hosts
Fitness Level: High Impact
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Prepare for a realistic wildlife photography tour, where daily hikes range from 7-11 miles, broken up over short distances. The chosen bear focus dictates varied terrain, including soft tundra and stream crossings.HIGH
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Long days – Overall hiking is slow-paced with lots of long breaks for photographing bears.HIGH
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Anticipate Alaskan weather, with potential cool, windy, and rainy days. Embrace the possibility of capturing bears in the rain, and consider bringing rain protection for your camera equipment to ensure optimal shooting conditions.MOD
ITINERARY
We will meet up as a group at Merrill Field at 7:30 A.M. on Day One of our tour. To avoid missing our meet-up time on Day One, please plan to arrive to Anchorage at least one day before the start of the tour. Once you book, we will share a list of Anchorage hotels offering discounts for our group.
There are numerous places to visit in or near the Anchorage area. If interested, please feel free to reach out to Sean for tips on wildlife locations that might be worth visiting before or after our tour – we will be happy to share any information we can to make the most out of your time in Alaska.
Additionally, personal trip insurance is highly recommended for your adventure. Start your research here with our recommended provider, World Nomads.
We will meet up as a group at Merrill Field at 7:30 A.M. on Day One of our tour. The group will depart Anchorage on a chartered plane for a one hour flight to our outfitter’s location.
Once on the ground at our outfitter’s location, each guest will be provided a large dry bag to pack their clothes and non-camera items into. Then after all guests have repacked what they want to take to camp into their dry bags, we can then store our luggage along with any items we want to leave behind in a locked shipping container on the outfitter’s property.
Once everyone is ready and in their waders, we will load into our backcountry planes for a short flight to our adventure camp location. Camp will already be setup and we will be greeted by our dedicated camp hosts with coffee, fresh water, and snacks as we unload our gear into our assigned tents to get organized.
The best part of Day One, barring any challenging weather conditions, is that we should arrive to camp by early afternoon which will allow for several hours to do what we came to do: photographing bears!
Fresh coffee will be ready to serve around 7:00 AM each morning, then breakfast will be between 7:30 and 8:30 AM.
One great thing about bears is that they move at their own pace. The bears have learned endless amounts of salmon will be available all day, and honestly the bears are not super active early in the morning. That said, if we know that we will have a clear morning with a potential golden hour we can make plans to head out early. Otherwise, please keep in mind the daylight hours are still pretty long at this time of year and heading out after breakfast will still allow for long hours of photographing bears (some nights we may stay out past 10:00 PM).
Depending on weather and our goals for the day, we will either pack a lunch or return to camp for a hot cooked lunch at midday. Heading back to camp does allow for a nice, and often needed, midday break. The midday break provides an opportunity to refuel (lunch and snacks), clean our camera gear, and charge batteries. After the midday break (whether back at camp or in the field with our packed lunch), we will return to photographing bears for the several hours we still have left in the day.
At sunset, we will head back to camp to finish our day with a late hot cooked meal for dinner. Chances are most of us will be tired from a busy day and ending the day with some hot food, a cookie or two, and a night cap will be a great way to wrap up the day.
Of course, at any point in the day guests are welcome to stay back at camp for a little extra sleep in the morning or for an afternoon nap. Our camp will be in a beautiful location and next to gorgeous lake, so sitting back to enjoy the scenery or to take a dip in the lake to freshen up is a great way to energize yourself if needed. That said, Sean will be leading our group out for each possible bear session, so have no fear on missing out on bears!
Departure day is basically the opposite of arrival day. As sad as it is, we will have to head home at some point and unfortunately Day 7 is that day.
Coffee, tea, and breakfast will be served at the normal times. After breakfast guests will pack up their clothes and gear to get organized for our flight back to our outfitter location around 11:00 A.M. Once back at the outfitter’s, guests will be able to change out of their waders and repack their belongings into the luggage we left behind. We will then be transferred to an airstrip for our chartered flight back to Anchorage.
Once back to Anchorage, we will say our goodbyes and will look forward to our next adventure together.
