Step aboard an 8-day adventure cruise to Glacier Bay, round-trip from Juneau. Enjoy the unique opportunity to spend two full days in Glacier Bay National Park, joined by a park ranger who shares their expert insight as you explore far reaches by skiff, kayak, and foot. Spot orca and humpback whales in Frederick Sound and Chatham Strait, and search for black and brown bears, eagles, sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions, and sea birds, all of which abound in Southeast Alaska. Try your hand at kayaking or stand up paddle boarding, or comb the beaches and check out the tide pools. Let the adventures begin!
Highlights
Explore reaches of Glacier Bay National Park that most visitors never see
Kayak, paddle board, and skiff in remote inlets, including Fords Terror
Bushwhack through moss-covered wilderness in the Tongass National Forest
Gain expert insight into the wildlife & ecosystem from park rangers & guides
Have your binoculars ready to spot diverse and abundant wildlife
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Glacier Bay has a wow-worthy list of titles—National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve. At 3.3 million acres, add Endless Adventure Playground to the list. Head for the Glacier Bay outback. These are places most visitors never see. Dundas and Taylor Bays are in the southernmost reaches of the park. It’s less windswept tucked into a bay, but no less wild. Kayak around sea stacks. Or comb for critters if the tide is right. In far reaches, share the beach with sharp-eyed eagles and bears. Skiff deep in Dundas and make for the hills. A bushwack into the forest gets your heart pumping. Paddle through kelp in Taylor Bay. Backstroking sea otters hardly bat an eye at your boat. Your bartender has an Old Fashioned ready. Perfect timing to - it’s happy hour and time to swap stories of this big day with your shipmates.
An early morning pick-up. A National Park ranger comes aboard to share expert insight, plus off-the-map places in bay that most visitors pass by. Have your binoculars handy—South Marble Island is a birder’s slice of heaven. Puffins scoot through the water. Guillemots and gulls chatter up the airwaves. The snoozing sea lions don’t seem to mind. Cruise to the far end of Tarr Inlet where Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers calve into the water. Backed by knife-edged peaks, pull into narrow Tidal Inlet. Bears and mountain goats like to forage along this shoreline. Back at Bartlett Cove, if time and daylight allow, take a forest hike around the park’s HQ, and say farewell to your ranger.
Chatham Strait stretches for 150 miles in the Tongass National Forest. Options aplenty, your captain navigates to the best. Anchor in a remote Chichagof Island inlet. Backpacks loaded and adventure toys lowered (skiffs, paddle boards, kayaks), it’s time to go play. Energy flows as you hike up through moss-covered trees. Stick to the water and don’t forget to look above and below the surface. A nosy seal could be watching your every stroke. Beachcomb rocky shores. Tiny creatures cling to rocks. Tonight, take a nightcap to the sun deck and watch the sky.
Salmon streams dot the coastline—where there’s salmon, there are bears. Kuiu Island is home to one of the world’s densest populations of black bears. Scope the intertidal zones of Saginaw Bay for them from a kayak or skiff. Eagles fish here too, their white noggins giving away their perches. Kayak along the Keku Islands or take the pace down a notch, checking out tide pools and abundant life in the intertidal zones. It’s remote, and remarkable.
Humpbacks beeline it here each season to feast in the krill-rich waters. After your breakfast, look for whales eating theirs. Chances are high they will be—time to hang and enjoy the show. Based on wind and weather, your expedition team has the lineup of adventures all mapped out. Cruise past Five Fingers Lighthouse, Alaska’s oldest light station and The Brothers Islands, where sea lions nap on rocky nobs. Paddle into the deeps of Port Houghton or Windham Bay or head ashore for a hike. When a bear takes notice, they generally scram. But carrot-billed black oystercatchers give you a talking-to. Tonight, toast another big day in Alaska.
Snow covered mountains, glacier-carved valleys, white thunder of calving ice - it’s an impressive Wilderness Area. Skiffing up Endicott Arm, harbor seal pups laze around on icebergs. If the tides are right, slip into Fords Terror. The fjord’s steep walls are streaked with waterfalls. Choked with ice, at the end of the arm, meet Dawes Glacier. Blue ice marches down from the Coast Mountains. With a sharp crack, a calving slice makes a mega-splash. Tonight, celebrate with a festive Farewell Dinner and “photo journal” from your expedition team.
Day 8: Juneau | Disembark
1 Breakfast
Enjoy fresh-baked pastries during one last breakfast. Your crew and new friends wish heartfelt goodbyes. This morning, transfer to the Juneau airport or begin your hotel stay or land tour.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$8,045
Select a Date
Navigator Cabin
Cabins B3 and B7 - B14. Queen / twin beds, view window, private bath with shower. Complete with TV/DVD player, heated tile floor in the bathroom, hairdryer, bathrobes, and eco-friendly hair and body products.
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Trailblazer Cabin
Cabins B15 and B16. King / twin beds, view window, private bath with shower. Your cabin comes complete with TV/DVD player, heated tile floor in the bathroom, hairdryer, bathrobes, and eco-friendly hair and body products.
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Admiral Cabin
Cabins B1, C1, and C2. King / twin beds, view window, private bath with shower. Your cabin comes complete with TV/DVD player, heated tile floor in the bathroom, hairdryer, bathrobes, and eco-friendly hair and body products.
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Jr. Commodore
Cabin B2. King / twin beds, view window, private bath with shower. Your cabin comes complete with TV/DVD player, heated tile floor in the bathroom, hairdryer, bathrobes, and eco-friendly hair and body products.
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Commodore Suite
Cabins A1 and A2. Separate sitting area with a step-out balcony. King / twin beds, view window, private bath with shower. Your cabin comes complete with TV/DVD player, heated tile floor in the bathroom, hairdryer, bathrobes, and eco-friendly hair and body products.
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Single Cabin
Cabin B6. Fixed queen bed, view window, private bath with shower. Your cabin comes complete with TV/DVD player, heated tile floor in the bathroom, hairdryer, bathrobes, and eco-friendly hair and body products.
Notes
- All rates are quoted in USD and represent cost per person, based on double occupancy.
- Children ages 8-13 are welcome on all sailings and will receive a $500 per child savings
Due to the nature of your explorations, itineraries are guidelines and may change in order to maximize wildlife and natural encounters. Variations in itinerary and the order of days may occur.
Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Meyer Smolen
TrustScore 4.8 | 174 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 174 reviews on
1 day ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
