Testimonials     2005     2006

Welcome to our newest offering--a centerpiece package around which to build your Kodiak visit. 

Your stay at Orcas Unlimited spans 1 week, from Sunday-Saturday and includes pick up and drop-off from the airport, B&B-style lodging during your stay in town, accommodations for a multi-day day voyage on the Celeste, all meals, and a week's worth of play on our island paradise at a price you can afford.   Orcas Unlimited continues to be a uniting force for families--you'll see a family discount on our rates table below

Unlike most lodges and charter vessels, we do not combine parties on our multi-day or week-long trips.  Your small group will be our sole focus for the week, allowing us to deliver uncompromised personal attention with a maximum of versatility. 

How it works

You can let us customize an itinerary based on our client survey or choose a combination of our Day Trips, Multi-Day Trips, and the exclusive outings featured below to fill your week.  If spontaneity is your thing, you need not choose what to do until you're here.  Since you're our only guests, we're not on anyone else's schedule. This includes 5 days activities, the first and last days for completing travel, logistics, gift shopping, and rest.  Each of the exclusive itineraries below describes it's activity level and duration, so you can get an idea of what to expect.  Not all outings are fit for all groups, so check to see what outings are available to a group of your size and tempo.  

Most itineraries are guided by Andy, though a few--particularly fishing and flight seeing charters--are contracted through other reputable guides. 

As a week-long guest at OU, you'll be treated to delicious meals, showers, clean beds and complementary Wi-Fi, with the quietude of Kodiak's old-growth spruce forest outside your door. 

The Beachcomber Project:  eco-tourism returns to its roots.

Throughout the last century and into this one, the North Pacific has been subject to irresponsible waste disposal.  Some trash, mainly plastics and derelict fishing gear, has found it's way onto the pristine beaches of the archipelago.  OU's Beachcomber Project gives our visiting friends a hands-on way to restore Alaska's coasts beautiful and safe for wildlife.  Charter the MV Celeste for a day-long cleanup effort in some of the area's most scenic and remote locations, locations so difficult to access that they have NEVER undergone an organized cleanup.  Some of the plastic we will be removing was disposed from vessels 20 or more years ago, most of it has drifted hundreds or thousands of miles (look for Japanese and Korean characters imprinted on the bottles).

Though unprecedented, the clean-up and restoration of Kodiak's remote coasts is far from unattainable.  Until about 20 years ago, dumping garbage offshore at sea was legal.  As it takes about 450 years for plastic to biodegrade in the environment, much of what we see today may have been legally dumped.  Since international bans on dumping at sea have been enacted over the past few decades, the amount of plastic discarded at sea has dramatically reduced.

We will provide rubber gloves for sanitation, but you'll find that much of the rubbish has been scoured clean by the forces of nature.  Since we're handling mainly non-biodegradable plastics (bottles and buckets) you'll find the process relatively odor free, and the cargo lightweight.   All biodegradable waste has long since been claimed by natural decay, and breakable objects have been shattered by the forces of pounding surf (some beaches in Kodiak are well known for this "beach glass") . 

Our guests will be the primary refuse collectors, and Andy will handle the logistics of getting it from shore to ship, and back  to Kodiak city to be recycled.  After a refreshing day of walking the beaches, breathing the ocean air and searching for our "treasure", we will return with our findings to Alaska Fresh Seafoods, where a crane will lift our bounty and deliver it to a recycling center.  The refuse will be shipped by barge off of Kodiak Island.   

For each outing Orcas Unlimited will match your donation of up to $100 to Island Trails Network, a Kodiak-based non-profit organization who conducts other marine debris removal and coastline restoration projects such as these.  Learn more about NOAA's Marine Debris program.

Spruce Island Holy Site visit:

This is the burial site of St. Herman of Valaam, the Patron Saint of Alaska in Russian Orthodoxy.  Unhappy with capitalist Russia’s treatment of Alaska natives, he established an orphanage here in 1789 for native children.  The site is known as Yelovi, Russian for “Spruce.”  Now uninhabited, the site is immaculate, as it is maintained by monks from St. Herman’s Seminary in Kodiak City.  The densely forested island is peppered with small buildings of historical significance—a chapel with hand-painted murals commemorating St. Herman, a barabara structure where a resident may have lived, and of course St. Herman’s mission itself, under which he is buried.  The local waters, knows as “Icon Bay” are terrific for kayaking, as arms of the lagoon reach deep into the forest at high tide.  This is a day trip on the Celeste originating from Kodiak City or as part of a multi-day voyage.

Pyramid Mountain Ascent:  

A backcountry skier’s favorite in winter, this 2600’ peak makes an excellent summer hike.  Named for it’s symmetrical silhouette when viewed from the east, Pyramid mountain boasts unrestricted views of Kodiak from the rugged cliffs of the east shore to the grassy slopes of the west, and in good visibility, across the Shelikof Strait to the Alaska mainland.  Wildflowers and upland birding make this a great choice for naturalists.

Termination Point Hike:

Many clients from other parts of Alaska have commented on how pleasant hiking is beneath the forest canopy in Kodiak.  Our old-growth Sitka Spruce grow tall, are spaced far apart and typically shed their lower branches as they reach maturity, leaving a spacious, open feeling beneath the canopy.  Several types of mosses and wild mushrooms might be found along the way.  This hike epitomizes the beauty and mystery of our shadowy forests, and given the low elevation protection from winds, is excellent even in foul weather or poor visibility.  Also available as a trail running workout (elevate activity level to Active +).

Circumnavigate Long Island: 

Many are surprised to learn that Kodiak and the surrounding area was    heavily fortified during the second World War.  Just 5 miles outside town, Long Island is an ideal place to consider Kodiak’s strategic significance in the battle of the Aleutians.  Over 3000 troops were stationed here, and the majority of their Quonsets are still standing in the forest on Long Island, though long caved-in and adorned with moss.  A gun emplacement stands atop a 200-foot cliff and faces the open sea, ready for a Japanese invasion that never came.  An old road bed still links the 3-mile long island end-for-end and makes for easy overland travel. The shores of Long Island have long been a favorite kayaking destination. Humpback whales, sea otters, seals and Steller sealions all frequent its shores. 

Our day consists of equal parts paddling the island's shoreline and beach stops to examine these WWII relics, and involves 7 miles of paddling and 2-3 miles hiking. This is a full day trip on the Celeste originating from Kodiak City or as part of a multi-day voyage.

Terror Lake by Boat, Boot or Bike

Not for the faint of heart, this mountain bike ride or hike (your choice) follows a service road 10 miles from sea level at the head of Kizhuyak Bay to 2400 feet before descending to beautiful Terror Lake.  The ride is marked by stunning views Crown Mountain, the island’s last remaining glaciers, waterfalls, granite faces, and usually Kodiak brown bears. 

Terror Lake is the site of a hydroelectric facility that supplies 90% of the power for the city of Kodiak.   The road is cut off from civilization, inaccessible by car and so we begin our voyage by loading the bikes onto the Celeste at Anton Larsen Bay, roughly 15 nautical miles away.  The road is well maintained and non-technical, but entirely unpaved with steep grades as it climbs above the timberline into alpine country towards the lake.  This is the first time this ultra-challenging outing has been offered to visitors.  

This inland diversion from our coastal adventures is offered only on week-long outings, as a day trip on the Celeste originating from Anton Larsen Bay, as part of a multi-day voyage, or a 3-day kayaking/hiking combination.

Bearviewing

Kodiak proudly boasts the largest and most majestic brown bears in the world.  Though their range extends right up to and even inside the city limits, bears near town are mostly nocturnal and in any case rarely seen.  There are several ways to see them in their natural habitat.  We can make bear sightings a priority during an extended cruise on the Celeste, detouring to river mouths traditionally inhabited by these amazing animals.  For guaranteed bear sightings before the pink salmon run and the added thrill of flight seeing, we'll team up with a local bush pilot who can fly us to Frazier Lake on the south end of Kodiak Island or to the Katmai National Wildlife Refuge where bears are more visible throughout the summer.  Sub-contracted flight seeing guides typically charge $425 per half-day and are subject to availability.

Fishing

Fishing is inseparable from the culture of Kodiak, and the subsistence opportunities it provides are a means of survival for many Alaskans, your guide included!  There are several ways to incorporate fishing into your week.  We can fish for halibut and rockfish species from the Celeste as we enjoy the spectacular scenery around us.  We'll practice catch and release principles, or keep enough to grill for dinner that week.  At OU, we get a kick out of fishing, but we don't do it for a living.  If you'd like to leave Alaska with a box of frozen seafood under your arm, we'll refer you to a professional charter fishing boat captain who will help you with everything from baiting your hook to cleaning your catch, and deliver it to a local processor for vacuum sealing.  If fly fishing is your passion, or you'd simply like to spend the day on a lazy river bank, we can take a day for self-guided fishing or refer you to a guide who will land you that dynamite steelhead or salmon!  Fishing through OU is available as a half to full day itinerary ONLY as part of a week-long package stay.  Sub-contracted guides typically charge $200-$300 per day and are subject to availability.