PRACTICAL NOTES

While we will send registered travelers more detailed pre-departure information before the trip (in addition to having a pre-trip video call/briefing/Q&A session), please find below a few practical notes to consider:

HOW TO JOIN THIS TRIP

Interested travelers can fill out a Registration Form at this link, and then confirm participation via a $3,000 per person deposit.

Please see the Rates & Inclusions for more complete information including on payment method options, full terms & conditions, etc.

ACTIVITY LEVEL

Please note that this trip will require a moderate level of physical activity and ability.

Daily activities may include:

Embarking/disembarking the small skiff/inflatable for explorations by boat, or to go ashore
Dry/wet landings on shore. Note: there will be no piers or structures at our landing sites, simply pristine national park!
Uneven, possibly rocky, muddy, and/or slippery ground underfoot while ashore. Adequate balance will be required to navigate these areas.
Walking up to two miles (at a leisurely pace) with your gear, and in chest waders (provided for you).
Crossing streams (with assistance) that may come up to mid-thigh.
Moving around a small boat while it is underway and affected by ocean swell/motion.

WEATHER-RELATED CONTINGENCIES

Weather in/around both Kodiak and Katmai NP can be variable, changing quickly.

While we intentionally chose trip dates that increase the chances of favorable weather (late July is better than a month later, for example), please be aware that inclement weather could possibly affect our trip—primarily the floatplane charter between Kodiak and Katmai NP.

If weather delays our scheduled travel from Kodiak to Katmai NP on July 25th, we have contingency plans in place for activities around the town of Kodiak, as well as hotel reservations for an additional night in case we need to use them.

If weather delays our scheduled travel from Katmai NP to Kodiak on August 1, it's possible we'd have to stay an extra night onboard the ship or in Kodiak—which itself would require changing your return flights (to Anchorage or elsewhere). To account for this possible contingency, we will also hold hotel reservations for the night of August 1st in Kodiak, just in case we need to use them.

Please note that hotel, food, and any other costs incurred for an extra night will be at your expense (though travel insurance can help offset or fully cover these).

On a related note...

FLIGHTS from your home to Kodiak, AK, and back

Getting to & from Kodiak, AK will be your responsibility, though we will provide flight guidance so that you can book flights. While registered travelers will receive more comprehensive info—including specific flights to consider + contact details for a dedicated flights partners that can assist with reservations, if welcome—below are some basic parameters to consider:

For ARRIVAL: Trip participants can arrive Kodiak, AK (airport code ADQ), no later than the evening of Sunday, July 24th.

For DEPARTURE: If our floatplane from Katmai NP returns as scheduled in the early afternoon on August 1st, trip participants should be able to make connecting flights out of Kodiak/ADQ from 3pm or so onwards.*

*While it should be fine to plan for this, please keep in mind that inclement weather could delay our return by floatplane to Kodiak and in turn affect ongoing flights from there. In light of this, we strongly recommend that participants purchase changeable airfare and/or trip insurance with travel delay coverage (see below). If flights need to be changed, a decision will be made while you are onboard, and we will help you with this process.

On a related note...

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Participants on tours by Open Sky Expeditions must carry travel insurance that at least includes emergency medical evacuation coverage. We strongly recommend purchase of a comprehensive policy that also includes trip cancellation insurance covering illness or accident both prior and during the program as well as coverage for baggage loss or delay. On this trip in particular, trip delay benefits will be particularly useful if the chartered floatplane returning from Katmai to Kodiak is delayed by weather.

Click here for our travel insurance recommendations

ADDRESSING COVID-RELATED CONCERNS

While we're feeling quite optimistic about the timeline / trajectory of the pandemic and our dates in late July 2022, we feel it is prudent to still address covid-related uncertainty, eventualities, and any related concerns you may understandably have.

Towards that end, please note:

All crew aboard the Alaska Dream Catcher + our personal Bear Guide are fully vaccinated & boosted.
For the reassurance of your fellow travelers, we also ask that all participants come fully vaccinated & boosted.
If the trajectory of the pandemic takes an unexpected turn (for example: due to a new, highly infectious variant) and we determine that it is not prudent to run the trip on the planned 2022 dates, rest assured we will simply postpone the trip and transfer any payments made to new trip dates, which you would automatically be confirmed on. This would likely be very similar dates in 2023, although your 2022 trip cost will remain locked in, even if general costs for the trip in 2023 are higher. If you cannot make rescheduled dates, your trip payments will be entirely refunded.
If you have questions about Covid & travel insurance, we have included a few reassuring links from our main partner at the bottom of our travel insurance page.
Alaska at present does not have any Covid-specific requirements for entry. While that seems unlikely to change, we will let you know if it does.

On a broader note, do note we (i.e. Open Sky Expeditions) were able to very successfully run several land and ship-based programs in the second half of 2021. While there is a certain amount of randomness with regard to contracting the virus, we are pleased to report that no trip participants had any health concerns related to COVID while traveling with us. We feel confident that we are doing as much as we can to keep our travelers safe and protected while they are with us—and we pledge to continuing doing so.

If you have any related questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

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