Location: Icy Strait Point, Alaska, USA
Summary: Five hours of wildlife, one heroic cable car ride, and the best doughnut holes on the planet, all at Icy Strait Point, Alaska.
Today I had booked a Whale Watching and Bear Search excursion at Icy Strait Point, Alaska, two very different ways to meet wildlife: one from a boat and one from a minibus (and, as it turned out, from a very long distance).
As we neared the dock, people poured onto deck to watch whales near the shore. The sight of those huge, graceful animals breaking the water was a perfect welcome. Once we tied up, I joined a short queue at the pier and boarded a smaller boat for the whale‑watching leg of the day.
Whale Watching
We saw a handful of humpback whales, plus dolphins and seals. None of them performed the dramatic breaches you see in viral videos, but that’s the thing about wildlife: it doesn’t work to a soundtrack. The whales surfaced, rolled, and disappeared again, quiet, impressive, and utterly real. I left the trip thinking you’d have to go out many times to capture the cinematic moments, but even without the acrobatics, it was a humbling, unforgettable experience.
Bear Search
After the boat returned to the dock, a group of us were shepherded to a building to wait for the minibus to the bear‑watching area. Boarding was chaotic: the first attendant didn’t check tickets properly, so people without reservations squeezed on. When the attendant realised, she asked the ticketless to disembark, and a stand-off ensued. The bus finally left late and full; I had hopped off when told the next bus would be fine.
A few minutes later another minibus arrived and picked up the handful of us who’d waited. We got lucky: the second bus had a new guide who was excellent, informative, patient, and clearly passionate about the local wildlife.
The scenery on the drive and the walk was spectacular: dense woods, clear streams, and that crisp Alaskan light. We walked through forest trails looking for bears, accompanied by a second guide who carried a rifle, not for hunting, but as a safety tool and, apparently, a very useful spotting scope. The only “close” bear we saw was actually a distant brown dot on a rock that required a telescopic lens to identify. The guide used the rifle’s scope to confirm it was indeed a bear, a surreal moment that felt equal parts practical and oddly cinematic.
We stopped at two river viewpoints where bears sometimes catch salmon. No salmon‑snatching stars today, but the views were stunning, and the quiet felt like a reward in itself.
Ship Return
By the time we returned to the tourist area I was hot, tired, and my legs were complaining loudly. I’d hoped the tour would drop us back at the ship, but instead I found myself navigating the small village on foot. A doughnut stall saved the day, a bag of warm doughnut holes never tasted so delicious, and a quick T‑shirt purchase later I was hunting for a way back.
A helpful shopkeeper pointed me to the cable car: a free ride that takes visitors back up to the ship. I gratefully boarded and enjoyed the slow, scenic lift back to the NCL Spirit. My legs got a break, my camera got a few decent shots, and I got to end the day with a story that involved whales, a very distant bear, and the best doughnut holes of my life.
Add comment