ak adventures, inc.

Dave is the consummate professional with a full command of all the skills and attributes of a top notch bear guide. He works hard to know exactly where the bears are and, working with Wes the pilot, he gets his customers to the best spots. This takes a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience, because the best bear activity occurs at different times in different locations. I don't think you'll find a friendlier, warmer person to spend the day with in bear country. His knowledge of Coastal Brown Bears is thorough and, over the course of a trip you will learn a lot from him. I will not hesitate to reserve another trip with Dave on my next journey to Alaska. I doubt there is anyone better!

My friend and I returned to Alaska with our main goal being to go bear viewing with Dave, since our tour four years ago had to be cancelled due to bad weather. Well, it was certainly worth the wait. Being out on the tundra in Katmai viewing the brown bears was the most amazing adventure of my life. Dave has such a great respect for the bears and the environment, which makes the experience very special. It was so incredible to be out there observing bear behavior. I felt totally safe, mainly due to Dave's knowledge and experience. Plus the bears were a lot more interested in eating the spawning salmon than acknowledging our presence! Having a foot problem, I appreciated the extra help crossing the streams. Thank you so much, Dave!!!

Dave is a true professional! His knowledge of bears, their behavior and their habitat is encyclopedic, and he willingly shares that knowledge with his guests. Dave is active in environmental preservation programs and bear conservation groups, and we learned a lot from him about not only the bears, but also plant life and other animals in the region. We spent a day with him in the Hallo Bay area and saw many, many bears and got lots of terrific photos. . Ours was an unforgettable experience, and we highly recommend Dave as a bear guide.

I went on a bear trip with Dave on Aug 13 th, 2013. This was my 2 nd trip with Dave. Last visit in 7-2011 the bears were in the meadows with glaciers and beautiful terrain. The number of differant types of photo shots I was able to capture was purely due to Dave's experience and desire to give me a memorable trip. This trip he took me to funnel creek in the Katmai preserve so I could capture the bears catching salmon. I didn't realize not all bears fish the same. We saw many bear and lots of cubs. While at times we were very close to a number of bear he always kept his composer and made me feel comfortable but alert. In 2011 I researched guides in the area who cared and participated in bear conservation. It is very obviouse Dave cares deeply for the bears and their environment and when I was finished with my bear trip I gained my own appreciation. I will always plan my Alaskan vacation around a trip with Dave. He has made both my bear trips unique and special.

Took a photographic group trip with Dave in August 2012 to Katmai. Dave was always in control with a calm and relaxed approach and was able to get us incredible photo opportunities by understanding both what we as photographers wanted in terms of light and background whilst at the same time knowing how the bears would behave and predicting their movements.Dave always let us spend the time we wanted to get the photos without trying to push us along, even if it was in terrible conditions.I would and have recommended Dave to anyone that I know that is interested in such opportunities and look forward to the opportunity of taking another trip with him in the future.

We were in Katmai with Dave in August 2012. Dave is a calm, organised and highly knowledgable guide who ensured we were able to gain the best photographic opportunities with the bears.Dave ensures your safety with fair but firm rules, without going over the top with instructions.He was prepared to stay in the field with us all day, sometimes literally in rain the whole day.I would recommend Dave to anyone and everyone who wants to see wild bears safely in Katmai, and hope to return again one day.

I thought I had already reviewed this - I apologize Dave for taking so long! My husband and I did a day trip with Dave on our honeymoon in June 2012. It was absolutely the best experience of our trip. We had an amazing time. We were the only ones booked that day, so it ended up being a personal tour. We saw lots of bears - our most memorable moment being standing less than 20 feet from a 1200 pound grizzly. I thought I would be terrified but I wasn't - Dave clearly knows what is doing and is truly an expert in bear psychology. He answered all of our millions of questions - the time truly flew by. Bearviewing is not the cheapest activity to do in Alaska, but it was absolutely the highlight of our two week trip. I could recommend the experience or Dave more!!

We spent 3 days and 2 nights with Dave Bachrach of AK Adventures watching the grizzly bears on Katmai Pennisula. This was without a doubt the single best adventure of our lives. Dave is an amazing guide. He is knows the bears, and the environment. He answered our endless questionswith patience and thoughtful answers. His awareness and respect for the bears habitat was evident in everything he did. And believe me, we saw bears, up close in their own environment. Dave plans out the location in advance so you don't have to worry that the bears have moved from your established camp. A short walk from camp and there they were. Sometimes upwards of 15-20 bears at a time. Camp was clean and organized, flights easy to connect, food outstanding! I would go again tomorrow. Well, worth the a little extra money. If you want to see the true Alaska Grizzlies, there is no better outfit or guide to take you. Thanks Dave for a trip of a lifetime.

Bears!!!! Best vacation ever! Dave picked a great camp site and great place to view bears. Get great view of salmon coming in with tide. Harbor seals and bears feeding on salmon. And sea gulls and eagles cleaning up.

My decision to go see the bears was relatively last minute (I only decided a few weeks before) and I didn't find much information to distinguish one bear viewing trip from another. One of the reviews here was amazingly helpful in that process and I opted to contact Dave at AK Adventures. As I mentioned, it was relatively last minute and he was booked but gave me an alternative suggestion which didn't work out. In the end, Dave kindly went out of his way to work my group into his schedule and I cannot tell you how glad I am that he did.Dave guides these trips because he loves bears. In the off season, he works on various other bear conservation projects. He clearly knows his stuff and is a joy to spend the day with. Our small group (there were only 3 of us) peppered him with questions and discussion all day and it was truly enjoyable. I learned a lot about bears and felt like I finished the day more knowledgeable of bears rather that simply having a few hundred great pictures (which is definitely a good thing but I think that would happen with any tour). I can't explain it accurately but it felt more educational and less touristy I suppose.As the other reviewer noted, we were definitely out there longer than the other tours with wheeled planes. That review is outstanding and accurate and covers exactly why I was so thrilled Dave was able to accomodate us. Dave's operation is smaller than the others and I think that's a definite bonus. Although I didn't catch everyone's name, the people he works with are great fun and full of life. I highly recommend AK Adventures for an outstanding trip.

Why we chose AK Adventures (long)We did a lot of research before deciding on a guide for our bear viewing trip to Katmai National Park. We ended up choosing Dave Bachrach at AK Adventures (Goseebears.com) for the following reasons:1. Safety. Safety, both in the air and on the ground with the bears, was our most important concern. I have family members who live in Alaska, and every year they hear of accidents with the small bush planes that try to travel in bad weather. Many of these accidents occur because the pilot has a bit if arrogance and believes he/she can make the trip even in bad weather. So I checked around with some of the locals in Homer, and Dave has a fantastic reputation for being one of the safest guides as far as that goes. Maybe it’s because Dave is not piloting the trip, so there is no “ego” involved… but he simply will not take a group if the weather is not safe for flying. (So if you are looking to push the limits and want to try to risk your life to make the trip, Dave is not the one to go with.) It’s also important to note that once on the ground, the pilot stays with the plane while Dave takes the group to see the bears (rather than leaving us there, which can be dangerous if the weather turns bad). During our trip, Dave was in constant contact with the pilot via radio communication as we hiked around Hallo Bay.On a related note, Dave now contracts a float plane for the trip, rather than one with wheels. (Even though there is a plane with wheels pictured on his website, he no longer takes trips with those planes). When we asked Dave about the pros/cons of float planes vs. wheeled planes in terms of safety, he had a very short, to the point response: “Well, we are over water about 95% of the way there and back.” I think that speaks for itself. I suppose the disadvantage to taking a float plane is that we had to wear hip waders to get off the plane, and walked around all afternoon with them on (we found them to be very comfortable though and our walking pace was leisurely so it was not a problem). On the ground, Dave has some 20+ years experience as a bear naturalist. He truly is an expert at bear behavior and what to do in terms of behaving in a manner that will not create a dangerous situation. For example, we NEVER approached a bear; when we found ourselves relatively close to bears it was because THEY had decided to wander a little closer to us (i.e., they were not threatened by us). He might not be as “well known” as other guides on this site, mostly because he does not have his own plane—but he spent several years apprenticing with Chris and Ken Day at Emerald Air (who did these trips to Katmai N.P. for over 15 years before finally retiring last year) before becoming a guide here in Homer (after many years working around bears in other contexts). 2. Small group sizes. Dave only takes a maximum of 6 passengers, in just one plane. Other tour guides are now beginning to take 2 planes full of groups, which in my opinion would have made the experience a lot less special and enjoyable. In fact, at the end of our day in Hallo Bay, we saw another group who finally made it over in their wheeled plane(s) in the distance—there must have been at least 14-15 people walking around together. I kind of felt sorry for them, and realized how fortunate we were to have gone with the right guide.3. One trip per day. Dave does not do multiple trips over to Katmai NP in one day, just so he can make more money. When you call around to decide on a guide, ask them about departure times. At least one other guide we contacted was leaving Homer at 8 a.m., and again at 2 or 3 p.m., every day. This means that the time you have in the park is very limited, especially if there is a delay in leaving, due to weather (which occurs frequently). On the day we went, our trip was supposed to depart at 9:00 a.m., but we did not get out until 11, due to fog. It was not a problem however, because once we landed, we were over in Hallo Bay until 5 p.m. observing the bears. This was because Dave did not have another trip booked behind us, and he was more than happy to allow us to spend several hours observing the bears (and wolves! More on that later). OK. So here’s how our trip went. The night before the trip, we contacted Dave because the weather looked really bad. He suggested that we come in the morning and we would decide what to do from there. (Expect this to happen.) We arrived for our briefing at 8:30 a.m., and then Dave and the pilot Craig spent the next 2 hours or so checking on the fog conditions over at Katmai N.P. (They told us that we could go somewhere if we wanted to and return by 10:30.) The fog finally lifted at around 11, and we were off. *I want to note here that another advantage of float planes is that they can fly lower (since they can land on water if necessary), so we were able to fly under the fog the whole way over there. ALL of the other wheeled planes were unable to make the trip that morning, because they have to fly higher and would have been fogged in. So when we arrived, we were the ONLY group on Hallo Bay, and we had it to ourselves (along with the bears and wolves) for several hours, before the first wheeled plane group (actually 2 planes, explained earlier) showed up almost as we were leaving, at around 4 p.m. As soon as we landed, the fog lifted and the weather was absolutely perfect—partly cloudy and mid 60s. Very different from Homer (also common). Dave was excellent, and we had one of the best days of our lives over there, wandering around in the meadow, photographing bears. Dave even spotted a wolf and her pup in the far distance (I don’t know how he saw them!!), and later in the afternoon we saw another wolf up fairly close (see photos). The entire time, we felt excited, but not fearful, as we completely trusted Dave to know what we should do in every encounter with the bears. We were also impressed by Dave’s insistence that we truly “leave no trace;” for example, when we sat down to eat lunch on a log, we were not supposed to drop even one single crumb for the bears to find, so as not to encourage the bears to associate our presence with food.No matter who you choose for this trip, you will no doubt have an incredible experience—if you make it over to Katmai N.P. and have enough time to enjoy walking amongst the bears. But I can’t recommend Dave at AK Adventures highly enough!!

My Son and I went June 25th bear viewing to Halo Bay.... It was truly amazing. As soon as we flew over Halo Bay we began our tour seeing several bears strolling along the beach digging from clams.... When we landed the bear safari began as a small group of us with our knowledgably, guide, Dave, took us on an adventure that will remain in our minds and hearts for ever. Endearing to see mothers with cubs, pair of bears sparing in playful activities, grazing on acres of grass, scenery a feast for the eyes!!! We were delighted to site with the small group of folk for lunch seated in the middle of a massive meadow surrounded by bears. We brought our lunch from a great little bakery & café called the Fresh Sourdough Express, and it was excellent. The photos we were able to take are amazing.... During Lunch one bear strolled so close to us that I admit getting breathless for a second. The Bear was mealy curious not threatening in any way. Dave was a great guy to spend the day viewing bears, he knew many of the bears by name and on top of being informative he was friendly and fun! We learned a lot about bears and the beautiful environment that we had the privilege to spend the day in. The Flight was incredible and we even got to see whales from the air! The whole experience was priceless!!!! GO SEE BEARS.... you will love it...

Truly one of the most incredible experiences in my life. This trip is one I will never forget! Walking in the wild with brown bears is an experience that you really cannot describe, you just have to do it.Our guide (Dave) was great! He's extremely knowledgeable, personable and really makes you feel comfortable out there with those big bears. Dave's passion for the bears and Alaska is contagious. I learned so much about bears and got to take incredible photos too!I would do this trip again in a heartbeat.