mako's water taxi

I've taken a few water taxis in Homer for various reasons, and as far as adventure plans go, Mako's has been a great team to work with. Desk service is courteous (even printed a receipt and emailed it to me when I forgot it), helpful, and knowledgable. Boat crews are the same. Can't go wrong here, and they do more than just take you across Kachemak Bay too. Kayak rentals are a great option, and they have good equipment and excellent recommendations based on your experience level.

Mako's Water Taxi is the most reliable, friendly, knowledgeable and safe way to travel across Kachemak Bay in Homer. The drivers really know the area, know hiking trail conditions, wildlife viewing, fishing hotspots and so much more. We have come across the Bay on one of their sturdy little boats in rolling 6-foot seas with a nasty crosswind as steady as can be. They have hauled all kinds of gear, dogs, babies, etc., without batting an eye. They are always on time for pickup and dropoff and always courteous. If you visit Homer, even if you don't plan a camping trip, don't miss the opportunity for a ridealong with Mako. You will be glad you did.

Fast boot the get across the bay for some hikes. They pick you up at different places so you can spend a nice day walking different hikes. Just see to it that you get to the meeting point in time. Not very cheap but oke.

Mako is a fabulous tour guide and e boat is super smooth ride.do not miss getting out on the water and this is the crew to take you!

Mako's Taxi is what the local's use. Want to visit across the bay and no boat? Mako's. Want to stop and view the wildlife? Mako's. Want to support a local? Mako's. Want to go kayaking across the bay and get your gear and boats across? Mako's. The skippers are locals, friendly and always helpful. The boats are well maintained, clean and safe.

My B&B host (Good Karma Inn) recommended the Mako Water Taxi boat/fly trip from Homer to Seldovia (authentic Alaskan fishing village with great hiking trails). On the way over, Lance went out of his way to show us sea otthers without bothering them. In my three months in Alaska, this was the best view I have had of these fascinating creatures. On the taxi ride from the dock to the town, the driver and a Seldovian family freely shared this stories---that was the bst part! Take this trip in the summer---all museums and sightseeing are closed in Seldovia in October. So, I literally htched a ride on Homer Air back to Homer (instead of the Smokey Bay Airlines I was booked on FOUR HOURS LATER!!!) Mako's was accommodating and reimbursed me for the flight part of the package. This is a family owned business and they work hard to keep their reputation. I trhoroughly enjoyed Lance and hope to return for some hiking!

Sept in Homer many activities shut down for the season, but asking the locals what service to use Mako came highly recommended! We took the taxi to Glacier Spit to start our hike to Glacier Lake...Mako staff recommended this hike and gave great details. The hike was easy, beautiful and the trail was well marked! We found the lake and enjoyed it all to ourselves! We took the Saddle Trail back WOW glad we came down and not up! We were about 20 minutes early and Mako arrived only 10 minutes later. He was dropping off other folks at Halibut Cove Lagoon so we got an extra trip...he even slowed down to show was the sea otters...(nice detail). We then got a trip to Halibut Cove another nice detail! I would highly recommend Mako!

My wife and I took the fly/hike/boat excursion this past weekend. 189$ total per person.We showed up without reservations and Mako accommodated. Th flight was quick but we did fly over a glacier and see some wild life on the way. It was an easy hike through Kachemak Bay State Park but very scary since we saw over 20 spots of bear skat and many large paw prints on the trail. We were told not to worry and everything did turn out well.The boat ride at the end from the lagoon was nice. We saw gull island and a few puffins.I'd do it again. It was reasonably priced. It met all of my expectations. The only things I'd do different is wear trekking pants, more water proof shoes and maybe bring a gun as added protection from bears.

We took the Grewingk Glacier Lake hike, and the Lake is quite nice with small icebergs, etc., but Mako's was a problem. First, they dropped us off about 1/2 mi. down the beach from the the trail head. This added significant time (for our abilities) to the hike (the walk was over rocks; you had to walk slowly enough to be careful.) We were not told this might happen or advised how this would affect our hike, even though this was predictable. Second, they were at least 1/2 hour late at pickup. We were early, and I called, so they knew we were there. The pickup area was (on this day) hot boulders full of flies and mosquitoes with no place to hide from sun or insects. So it was a long wait.Mako's said they had to assist a disabled boat. This is not predictable, but it all means they don't have backup boats that let them keep their time commitments.

We use Mako’s Water Taxi service twice, on two consecutive days of our Homer visit. Each time, a roundtrip for two people across the Kachemak Bay cost $160.65. This seems expensive, but we really wanted to get across the bay to go hiking in Kachemak Bay State Park, so I am glad that we paid and went.The Water Taxi service is provided by a small boat that lands you right on the beach at the trail head. Mako’s make arrangements for the time and place of your pickup (we finished our hikes at different trail heads than we began.) We personally did not have cell phones with us, but apparently reception is readily available on the far side of the bay. For both of our hikes, Mako’s returned precisely at the scheduled time for our pickup.Here was the special treat: after our first hike, when cruising back to Homer, the pilot spotted some sea otters floating in the bay. He killed the engine and cruised a few circles around these wonderful animals. We got with 10 or 15 yards of these sea otters. That was great.After our second hike, the ship captain made a small side journey over to Gull Rock to show us the massive numbers of sea birds swarming there. Very cool to see the Murres, Kittiwakes, Gulls and Puffins! Excellent.On both of our journeys with Mako, the ship captains were personable and friendly, answering lots of questions about Homer and Alaska and wildlife. Ask them about Homer’s amazing tides!This is a great service. I was glad we did our hikes.

Excellent service. Very friendly and helpful. Plus the water was really calm, so the trip was even more enjoyable. Boat was on time both trips. Will definitely use again.

We showed up early with no reservations. They put us on a boat and suggested a better hike for us due to the snow conditions. Boat pickup was on time and driver was courteous. Would definitely go here again if in town!

We wanted to make a last minute reservation as the weather was looking iffy for kayaking. Mako was great in helping us out. First off, he understood that we might not book at all but was still very willing to help us out. We didn't have to put down a deposit on our reservation and then by our group being flexible in our times, he was able to fit us in for a 2 hour kayaking Peterson Bay across from Homer with a stop at Gull Island. The wind was gusting in Homer, so Mako said they would try Peterson Bay which usually has less boat traffic and if that didn't work, they would take us to the next bay over for no extra charge. The double kayaks we rented worked great and he had the right size gear for the kids ages 6, 8, & 9. We finished early and were able to get cell connection. They came for us about 30 min early at our request. In calling around, Mako had the best price for a self guided tour including the water taxi. Very happy with what we got.

There are probably better tour guides, more comfortable boats, and lower prices among Homer's water taxis. But locals know that if you want to get there with minimum hassle you just call Mako.

On our trip over to Halibut Cove from Homer one of the crew members spotted a huge Fin Whale that was off coarse. The captain asked us if we would like to go see the whale. We affirmed that we did. He went out of his way to take us over and even stopped the boat for at least 20 minutes to let us watch the whale and take picture. The price is high for a 20 minute ride ($65). They were not on time due to mechanical issues. But they were very kind and nice and knowledgeable about the Inlet.