14 October 2025

Where to go for Asiatic Black Bear

Hi – I have been searching through quite a number of trip reports but have troubles finding a consistent pattern

Where and when should we be going to have the best chance of seeing truly wild (not collars etc) asiatic black bears?

Thanks!

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Henrik Blou
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14 Comments

  • 14 October 2025
    JanEbr

    I guess Japan? I have *probably* seen one there while randomly hiking in the mountains – I do not count it as a sighting, because it scared me so much that I immediately turned back, so all I saw was a black blob very, very near the path as I rounded a corner, but realistically it could not have been much else – and the people there seem properly scared of them, warnings everywhere …

    1
  • 14 October 2025
    Tigrillo

    I saw one in the forests around Tsumago-juku in Japan but they are also quite common in Sikhote-Alin. I would not dare going to Russia anymore though, so Japan would be my suggestion too.

    1
  • 14 October 2025
    Stuart Chapman

    The best place is Dachigam National Park in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Sept to Oct sightings are guaranteed as the oak trees are in fruit. I visited in the summer, and had a couple of sightings of the bears on high alpine meadows (viewed from my hotel!). It’s an area of high political tension so do check travel advisories before booking your trip.

    2
  • 14 October 2025
    Vladimir Dinets

    Japanese population is currently booming but there is no particular location where sightings would be guaranteed. If you spend a week driving and hiking around Chibu-Sangaku NP in early June your chances would probably be 50-70%. Another option is doing a lot of night drives in the upper part of Taroko Gorge in Taiwan.
    Russian population crashed in 2015-6 and never recovered.

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  • 14 October 2025
    Henrik

    Thanks a lot everyone – great info you have provided. I’ll have my kids joining (pre-teens) hence there is a limit to how many days of hardcore searching I can talk them into.
    Would anyone know if there are:
    A) options with similar good chances to the once mentioned in Kashmir that are less politically challenged (e.g. a park in Nepal like Langtang, Makalu Barun or Kanchenjunga), or
    B) If there are any guides/tour operators in Japan specialized in finding truly wild bears?

  • 14 October 2025
    tomeslice

    I can echo second-handed that I also heard there are some places in Japan where Asiatic black bears are nearly guaranteed, but I want to add that over the past couple of years, Tangjiahe in Sichuan, China has been pretty reliable for them. Except during the winter months of hibernation.
    We saw one in 3 nights, Ian thompson who visited in October saw one in 2-3 nights, and Jonas and Ruta who visited in November had 3-4 encounters with at least 2-3 individuals.
    But Jon’s group visited in December and didn’t see one.

    However, I also heard that there are places in Japan where they’re practically guaranteed, and if Stuart says they’re guaranteed in Dachigam National Park in Sep-Oct, then I would trust him!

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    • 15 October 2025
      Henrik

      Thanks – good point about Sichuan too, as we are thinking of going there in March. Would you know if they are out of hibernation by then? And I of course trust the info on Dachigam, it may just be a little too “politically hot” for a family holiday 😉

      • 16 October 2025
        tomeslice

        It’s a good question. I would maybe ask Sid?

        According to Gemini, in Tangjiahe males get out of hibernation middle of March while females and cubs stay in till mid-April.

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  • 18 October 2025
    Dr. Wolverine

    As a Japanese, I have never truly seen a wild Black Bear before. However, I am aware of a few reliable locations for them. An extremely reliable spot in Japan is the Bunao Mountain Observation Building, located in Ishikawa prefecture. However, the animals will be extremely far, so viewing would most likely be with field scopes from the building. Here is the Google Maps link. https://maps.app.goo.gl/8rQGeP9Bb3skezjw9

    Another great option is Karuizawa, and the nature tour guide company Picchio. They specialize in Wild Bear conservation, and while they used to have Bear watching tours, they have since become unreliable and are now unavailable. However, the Karuizawa Wild Bird Sanctuary is a bear habitat, and Picchio may give insight into reliable bear locations. They might be worth having a talk with. Furthermore, their Giant Flying Squirrel and Serow Watching tours offer pretty much a guaranteed sighting. I wish you well on your bear search!

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  • 28 October 2025
    DannyJohnson

    Henrik, totally get the family angle pre-teens make “all-nighter stakeouts” a hard no! We just got back from a super family-friendly trip to Japan’s Chubu-Sangaku National Park in early June (prime timing per Vladimir’s tip) and caught a crisp Asiatic Black Bear sighting on day 3 during a short evening hike. No hardcore effort: drove scenic routes by day, hiked easy trails (2–3 hrs max), and spotted it foraging about 200m away. Kids were thrilled, zero scares! Hooked up with Picchio in nearby Karuizawa for their squirrel tours they shared insider bear spots too. Also hit Bunao Mountain Observation Building. We’re back at 5thaxis.com now, already planning the next group adventure. Anyone tried the Mt. Asama Bear Watching Tour this summer?

  • 2 November 2025
    charleswhood

    Hi, I have just now (within hours) returned from a trip to China and we had Asiatic Black Bear on one night (out of two nights of looking) at Tangjiahe, and one (out of one nights of looking) at the village of Lianghekou, a Chinese Monal viewing area in the mountains near Baoxing. I will post a report in a week or so. This was via a British birding tour company, Ornis, so my locations are not super precise — I was in the back of the bus, literally. / Charles Hood

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