Brown bears fishing for salmon at Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park, Alaska

© oksana.perkins/Shutterstoc

Time for self-serve salmon. Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park, Alaska

Katmai National Park, situated in southern Alaska, is renowned for its breathtaking wilderness and unique natural features. One of its famous inhabitants is the brown bear, with a population of approximately 2,000. Each year, park rangers organise a bracketed tournament to crown one ravenous grizzly as the fattest bear. Bears such as Beadnose and Bear 747—everyone has their own number—are repeat champions. Katmai also houses the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a landscape created by a volcanic eruption called Novarupta. Here visitors can explore this otherworldly terrain, hike trails, enjoy the view of the pristine lakes and have a look at the salmon-filled rivers.