Embark Silver Explorer and depart on your exciting 13-day Silversea Expedition — “Splendors of Alaska”. After settling in attend a safety briefing and be introduced to your Expedition Team. Familiarize yourself with your new home away from home, meet some of your fellow travelers, and enjoy the first of many memorable meals in The Restaurant.

During the morning enter Prince William Sound and head to an area first visited by the Harriman Expedition in 1899, and named by the participants for prominent East Coast Colleges. Although the expedition was predominantly male, it had been decided to name the tidewater and valley glaciers in a specific way: men’s colleges on the eastern side, women’s colleges on the western side. On your way out of College Fjord you might take a Zodiac cruise in through Esther Passage. 

After cruising the Gulf of Alaska, approach Kayak Island, a historical landmark, as this was the only island in Alaska where Georg Steller landed during the Bering Expedition of 1740. Cape Elias, on its southern tip, not only has an automated lighthouse and a log-strewn shore, but during a Zodiac cruise a few haul-outs of Steller sea lions on the flat rocks might be spotted. Some of the island’s haul-outs are quite large, containing several huge males and their harems of females. On the water rafts of short-tailed shearwaters and red-necked phalaropes are not uncommon.

During the afternoon at sea lectures prepare you for the upcoming experiences. Perhaps you would like to know about the different expeditions that have chartered Alaska or want to find out what birds and mammals call this part of the world their home — attend one of the lectures by experts and specialists on board. While cruising the Gulf of Alaska, take the opportunity to scan the waters for whales from the outer decks. Get closer and closer to the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve to which Malaspina Glacier and Hubbard Glacier belong. In the evening the Captain takes you into Icy Bay, a large scenic fjord that only opened up in the last hundred years after significant glacial reduction. Mount St. Elias should make a perfect backdrop for photographs of this bay.

Shortly after breakfast, be in front of Hubbard Glacier, and depending on conditions either cruise with the Zodiacs or be taken along the front of the Hubbard Glacier and while cruising hope to see some glacier calvings. During the afternoon visit the community of Yakutat and have the opportunity to see the indigenous St. Elias dance performance at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall, listening to traditional songs by the Tlingit tribe.

This morning visit the small community of Elfin Cove where you have good opportunities to go for a walk on wooden boardwalks, exploring the unusual set-up of the village. At Inian Island go on a spectacular Zodiac cruise, searching for some of the emblematic animals of Alaska: bald eagles, Steller sea lions, and humpback whales. The Zodiac cruise permits you to be up close to the wildlife. During the evening arrive at Point Adolphus, a well-known area for whale watching. Enjoy an aperitif while you are on the outer decks, looking for humpback whales as well as orcas, or simply enjoying the landscape.

Today be prepared for a very early wake-up call if you want to see the Sergius Narrows which separate Chichagof and Catherine Islands. In the late morning arrive in Sitka, one of Alaska’s major fishing ports and communities. Sitka’s past has seen Tlingit settle the area thousands of years ago, Russians coming to trade in the late 18th century, and the United States taking over through the Alaska purchase in 1867. Apart from exploring the town itself, there are trails within the Sitka National Historic Park/Totem Park that permit you to see some of the emblematic totem poles and the Russian Bishop’s House, a National Historic Landmark. Otherwise join a Jet-Cat wildlife viewing adventure aboard a deluxe expedition catamaran, and step ashore on a remote island to explore the rugged coast. The expert naturalists accompany you on your quest for whales, sea otters, puffins, bald eagles, or even brown bears in pristine Sitka Sound. Depending on tides and weather you might also be beachcombing, looking for tide pools and tracing wildlife tracks.

Reach Sail Island before breakfast and scan the area surrounding the island for whales. Humpback whales like this area and you may see them from the Zodiacs. The Marine Biologist and other experts are looking for these leviathans during the morning and therefore be prepared to join all those interested in a Zodiac cruise at a moment’s notice. Head south past the Wrangell Narrows at dinnertime.

During the morning anchor in front of Annette Island, Alaska. The Tsimshian of Metlakatla are famous for their totem poles. During the visit of the town get to see at least 12 of these emblematic pieces of art and experience a dance performance at their longhouse. Apart from the ceremony be led to the William Duncan Memorial Museum to understand their culture and history, specifically why and when they moved to Annette Island. You can also take one of the many trails around Skaters Lake, getting an insight into the different plants used by the Tsimshian.

Ketchikan is one of the larger towns of the area and offers a variety of exciting options. Today you may choose to participate in a truly unique “Wilderness Exploration & Crab Feast” that brings you by boat right to the heart of Southeast Alaska and the awe-inspiring Tongass National Forest, ending in a crab feast you always remember. You may also choose to participate in a truly unique “Alaskan Wilderness Survival” program. Travel by local boat with a wilderness skills instructor to a remote island where leads your small group through an old-growth rainforest and shows you a few tricks of the survivalist’s trade. This hands-on experience engages all in tasks like building a shelter, collecting wild edibles, and signaling from the beach. Back aboard the vessel, haul sampling pots in search of the elusive (and invasive) green crab and other fascinating creatures that inhabit the ocean floor.

Alternatively depart the pier for the scenic, eight-mile (13-kilometer) coastal drive en route to the private Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary, an exclusive reserve located in the forested mountains at rustic Herring Cove. Here enjoy a guided rainforest walk where your guide brings to life the local flora and fauna and provides you an in-depth look at the Tongass National Rainforest.

Located within the Tongass National Forest is the wilderness area and Misty Fjords National Monument. Extending over 2.3 million acres, it is the largest wilderness area in Alaska’s forests and the second largest in the nation. It has been described as an almost untouched coastal ecosystem with outstanding geological features, and Misty Fjords National Monument is sometimes called “The Yosemite of the North”, so be prepared for a broad spectrum of wildlife that you may see during the early morning in and around Walker Cove. During your Zodiac explorations be looking in the air for marbled murrelets, which unlike most members of the auk family nest in trees, and bald eagles, brown and black bears on the ground, and harbor seals and sea otters in the water. Another destination this afternoon is Rudyerd Bay, promising interesting Zodiac cruises looking for marine mammals and birds.

Before breakfast, arrive in Prince Rupert, the “City of Rainbows”, your point of entry into Canada — and Canada’s “Gateway to the North”. Prince Rupert’s port is the deepest natural harbor in North America and is ice-free all year round, making it an ideal port for cargo between Asia and North America since it is connected to the Canadian Railway, too. Fishing and lumber were once dominant, but tourism is becoming an important factor. In Prince Rupert coaches meet you at the dock to take you to tour the North Pacific Cannery, the longest running cannery in British Columbia (and now a museum), to better understand part of Prince Rupert’s economy. The North Pacific Historic Fishing Village is a National Historic Site and is the most complete cannery that remains of these remote villages that once dotted the West Coast.

While the ship sails south through Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound, you might attend a workshop by your Photographer to edit the many photos taken so far, or join one of the experts for final lectures regarding Alaska and British Columbia. Perhaps a wine-tasting seminar is more to your liking. Make sure you get some exercise, either on the outer decks or in the Fitness Centre. Or simply relax on the Sun Deck and enjoy being at sea.

Located near the northern entrance of Johnstone Strait, Alert Bay is a small but culturally and historically very rich village on Cormorant Island (named after HMS Cormorant). The Kwakwaka’wakw are well known for their art, and especially their carvings. Not only were totem poles of importance, masks were/are central to the representation of the different characters of their dances and feature prominently. Spend the morning in Alert and see a cultural presentation and walk to the Memorial Totem Poles at the Namgis Burial Ground, one of the few places were the totem poles have not been disturbed nor removed. At the U’mista Cultural Centre take a walk into the past and hear about the potlatch system and the ancient way of life. The museum holds a precious collection of masks and artifacts previously confiscated during the potlatch ban from 1884 to 1951. At the Big House experience traditional First Nations songs and dances. The most important of the sacred dances is the Hamat’sa or cannibal dance. This dance is the re-enactment of a young man’s possession by a cannibal spirit living at the North End of the world.

During the afternoon cruise the Johnstone Strait. This spectacular waterway invites you to take in the scenery from the outer decks of the Silver Explorer. The strait is between 2.5 km and 5 km wide, 110 kilometers in length, and is home to large numbers of orcas during the summer months. The largest member of the dolphin family, orcas (also known as killer whales) can measure nearly ten meters in length and weigh up to six tons.

After breakfast, disembark the Silver Explorer.