Board the Island Spirit in Petersberg, Alaska and begin your 9-day small ship cruise through America's Last Frontier. Enjoy visits to local villages such as Kake, Tenakee Spring, & Icy Strait. Interact with locals and learn about their culture and history. Take a scenic cruise through Endicott Arm and Ford's Terror and experience a landscape defined by glaciers. As you sail and explore the pristine wilderness keep your eyes open for wildlife and marine life!
Highlights
Prepare yourself for a special glacial experience visiting Baird Glacier
Kayak along Red Bluff Bay and keep a sharp eye out for brown bears
See how a quaint Alaskan town lives in the wild at Tenakee Springs
Visit the Capitol in Juneau and discover the historic local State Museum
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Board the ship at 12:00pm. Enjoy lunch, meet your crew, and freshen up. After lunch depart the vessel for a tour to the muskeg trail and stop at the local museum. Enjoy the local history and comraderie of this quaint fishing community. Sail later this afternoon at cocktail hour, bound for Thomas Bay, setting your sights on a peaceful night’s sleep and preparing for a big day ahead. Watch for humpback whales in this area.
Early morning kayaking in Scenery Cove. Prepare yourself for a special glacial experience! Visit Baird Glacier, winding among the ice flows. Bring your camera, this is special! Be careful where you walk, as this is a tern nesting site. This afternoon watch the antics of hundreds of sea lions! Then move on to an evening campfire by the native community of Kake. A native elder joins you for some history and stories of the locals. Anchor tonight in this peaceful bay
This morning cruise to Red Bluff Bay. View the red hills around as you enter this beautiful protected bay. Kayaks in the water, enjoy some touring and keep a sharp eye out for brown bears. You are surrounded by Baranoff Island, known for its large coastal brown bears. Cruise around in one of the small boats with your naturalist and learn about the bay. Cruise north this afternoon in search of waterfalls and tranquility.
This morning make your way to Tenakee Springs. This wonderful village invites the Island Spirit for a visit. It gives you the opportunity to see how a quaint Alaskan town of a hundred or so lives in the wild. Visit the bakery and local merchantile. Later this afternoon watch for whales as you cruise north in Chatham Strait. Anchor tonight by Cape Retreat. View the lighthouse and learn about its history as you cruise by.
Cruise this morning to the state capital - Juneau, Alaska. You may choose to join your naturalist for an afternoon visit to the local State Museum. You can also visit the shopping area for an Alaskan memento, as it is the only “tourist trap” you visit. Depart at 7pm for some evening cruising to the anchorage at Taku Harbor.
You may wish to add-on one of the many tours in Juneau: helicopter or flightseeing or zipline adventure to name a few. There’s also a nice interpretive center at Mendenhall Glacier.
Kayaking anyone? Or, a walk around the old cannery ruins? Maybe you’ll find a treasure from years past? Enjoy cruising in some of the most scenic areas of the Tongass National Forest. Watch the ice flows build around you today as you pass your first hanging glacier – Sum Dum Glacier. Later this afternoon enter one of nature's most spectacular places – Fords Terror – a glacial carved fjord. Keep an eye for bears here. Revel in the beauty of tonight's hidden jewel. No other small ship spends a full 24 hours here!
Brunch is served. Enjoy a full day in Ford’s Terror, beginning the day with brunch, then taking skiff rides with your naturalist, or kayaking to watch nature at its best. Be among a handful on the planet to visit this majestic fjord, one of the most majestic hidden fjords. Dinner cruise among the ice to the anchorage. Cruising SE in Endicott arm, watch for seal pups on the ice flows! Anchor tonight in Dawes Inlet.
Island Spirit is underway early this morning for a great day of sight and sounds…listen for the thunder of calving ice. Spend time up close and personal with Dawes Glacier. Close enough for great views…far enough off to stay safe (chunks of ice hundreds of feet long may break off the face while you visit). After your visit to this tidewater glacier, cruise south toward the final port. Enjoy watching for humpback whales one more time as you make your way to Portage Cove. It’s the final quiet anchorage before going back into the world tomorrow!
Day 9: Disembark in Petersburg
1 Breakfast
This morning arrive in Petersburg around 9am. This morning enjoy your final breakfast aboard the Island Spirit at 8:30am, followed by transfers to hotels or airport. Please note, all guests are required to disembark by 12:00 pm.
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.
$4,500
Notes
- A fuel surcharge may be added due to fuel price volatility.
- All rates are quoted in USD and are based on double occupancy.
- Limited special single cabins available on first come first served basis for the same rate.
Initial deposit is $1200, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 130 days prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
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
8 hours 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
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.