Join us along the wildlife-rich coast and islands of Southeast, Southcentral, and Western Alaska. Begin on Alaska’s Panhandle, exploring the fjords, villages, and wildlife of the Inside Passage. Enter the Gulf of Alaska where you’ll gaze up at the face of the towering, six-mile-wide Hubbard Glacier. Spend two days within Prince William Sound, known for its spectacular mountains and massive tidewater glaciers. In Katmai National Park, spot the region’s legendary coastal brown bears foraging for clams or salmon. Cruise along the Aleutian Islands and up to the Pribilofs—a place renowned for its thriving seabird and marine mammal populations, as well as its rich Aleut culture. Encounter Provideniya, “The Gateway to the Arctic,” and its Yupik cultural traditions. Then end this incredible exploration with a crossing of the Bering Strait, one of the planet’s most iconic bodies of water.
Day-by-Day Summary
Day 1 : Ketchikan, Alaska Day 2 : Misty Fjords & Behm Canal Day 3 : Wrangell & Kuiu Islands Day 4 : Exploring Baranof Island Day 5 : Sitka & St. Lazaria Island Day 6 : At Sea/Hubbard Glacier Day 7 : Kayak Island Day 8 : Exploring Prince William Sound Day 9 : College Fjord Day 10 : Seward Day 11 : Exploring the Kenai Peninsula Day 12 : Kodiak Island Day 13 : Katmai National Park & Preserve Days 14-15 : Alaska Peninsula/Shumagin Islands Day 16 : Baby Islands/Dutch Harbor, Unalaska Days 17-19 : Pribilof Islands/St. Matthew & Hall Islands Day 20 : Provideniya, Russian Federation Day 21 : At Sea/Crossing the Bering Strait Day 22 : Nome, Alaska | Disembark
Highlights
Discover Wrangell and learn about the rich indigenous Tlingit culture
Cruise past St. Lazaria Island by to see storm petrels & rhinoceros auklets
Hike among Unga Island's petrified forest buried 25 million years ago
See Steller sea lions, humpback and killer whales at Prince William Sound
Arrive in Ketchikan and view the priceless collection of 19th-century Tlingit totem poles at the Totem Heritage Center. Embark National Geographic Orion
Wake up this morning to catch the sunrise over the stunning cliffs of Misty Fiords National Monument, rising more than 2,000 feet above the deep blue waters of the fjord. Watch wisps of cloud drift down the winding waterway and drape over green peaks as you cruise through the mists that give this extraordinary landscape its name. Set out by Zodiac and kayak to get close to the forested banks and the many dramatic waterfalls cascading down the cliffs. Continue up the Behm Canal, which separates Revillagegido Island from the Alaskan mainland, and cruise through the Behm Narrows en route to the town of Wrangell.
Visit the remote town of Wrangell, situated on the northern tip of Wrangell Island. The indigenous Tlingit people have made their home on this island for thousands of years. Spend the morning exploring the town, including a visit to a tribal house and a beach famous for native petroglyphs, or set out on an optional jet boat excursion up the Stikine River.
Set sail on the Sumner Strait, keeping watch for humpback whales and pods of killer whales gliding through the clear water around the ship. Fix your binoculars on the banks of Kuiu Island to spot Sitka black-tailed deer and moose, as well as black bears, wolves, and bald eagles that frequent the shoreline in search of plentiful salmon.
Today you will explore the fantastically sculpted, remote outer coast of Baranof Island, the smallest island of Alaska’s ABC Islands (along with Admiralty and Chichagof). It was named in 1805 by a captain of the Imperial Russian Navy to honor Alexander Andreyevich Baranov, senior manager of the Russian-America Company that controlled the region's fur trade.
This morning step ashore in Sitka, Southeast Alaska’s only oceanfront town. Visit the Raptor Rehabilitation Center and stroll the forested trails of the Sitka National Historical Park. The 113-acre park is rich in history and features roughly 20 majestic Haida and Tlingit totems scattered along the scenic coastal trail. This afternoon, the Zodiacs to tour the shoreline of 65-acre St. Lazaria Island where more than 500,000 seabirds nest. You will be searching for albatross, shearwaters, burrow-nesting storm petrels, rhinoceros auklets and ancient murrelets, pelagic cormorants, and common and thick-billed murres.
Spend the morning in the Gulf of Alaska, transiting up the coast to Yakutat Bay. The scenery is rugged and beautiful, and we’ll be on the lookout for a glimpse of Mt. Fairweather (over 15,000 ft.). Late this afternoon, we’ll enter the Bay and head toward the face of Hubbard Glacier. This mammoth sheet of ice is more than six miles wide at its face and is contained within the boundaries of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Depending on ice and conditions, you may deploy the Zodiacs to explore.
Uninhabited Kayak Island is best known as the location where Bering’s Great Northern Expedition of 1741 set foot in Alaska. Here, naturalist Georg Steller found a jay now named for him and recorded over 150 plants new to science. Conditions permitting, explore this small, jagged island and to cruise by Zodiac near Cape St. Elias and its lighthouse.
We will spend the next two days exploring majestic Prince William Sound. We’ll arrange the experiences to take advantage of the best conditions and opportunities that arise each day. Perhaps we’ll visit a small community or deploy the kayaks, and we’ll take every opportunity to explore the incredible beauty of the Sound, filled with glaciers and ringed by the Chugach Mountains.
On the second day in Prince William Sound you wake up in College Fjord, one of the most iconic locations in the region. Drop the Zodiacs and cruise around the ice generated by no less than five tidewater glaciers. The afternoon will be spent exploring by ship and Zodiac. Throughout the day, we’ll be on the lookout for Steller sea lions, harbor seals, and the humpback and killer whales who make their summer home in the Sound.
Enter Resurrection Bay on the southern coast of Kenai Peninsula. At the terminus of the fjord and at the base of Mt. Marathon sits charming Seward. Begun as a fur-trading port, Seward was also strategically important during WWII. Visit the Alaska Sealife Center, an important research and rehabilitation facility for marine mammals and seabirds. Hike to the base of Exit Glacier, an arm of the Harding Ice Field.
Nearly 40 glaciers flow out of the Kenai's Harding Icefield, so the opportunities for exploration abound. Cruise one of the ice-scoured fjords to the face of a tidewater glacier, while searching for mountain goats and other wildlife along the way.
The second largest island in the U.S., Kodiak is best known for its brown bears and its fishing industry. Less well known is its unique mix of Native Alutiiq and Russian-American history. Join your Undersea Specialist for a “dock walk” among the commercial fishing boats in Kodiak’s inner harbor. Photograph the beautiful Holy Resurrection Church on a photo walk or peruse native art and artifacts at the Alutiiq Museum.
Spend today exploring the shorelines and waters of coastal Katmai National Park & Preserve. Known for its abundant brown bear population, this area provides countless opportunities to watch and photograph bears digging for clams at low tide, or fishing for salmon in the creeks.
Explore along the eastern shore of the Alaska Peninsula, with time for exploration and wildlife watching. Go ashore on Unga Island to explore incredible tundra and scattered remnants of a unique petrified forest of sequoia trees that were buried in a volcanic mudslide nearly 25 million years ago.
The next morning, arrive to the Baby Islands just east of Unalaska, where dynamic tides offer exciting potential to spot whales and bald eagles, as well as rare seabirds, both from the ship’s deck and from Zodiacs. Arrive at Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island, site of a fierce WWII battle and now one of the world’s most important fishing ports.
Day 17-19 Pribilof Islands/St. Matthew & Hall Islands
A naturalist’s paradise, the Pribilof Islands welcome three million seabirds and a million marine mammals each summer as they arrive to breed. At St. George, go by Zodiac to view puffins, kittiwakes and red-faced cormorants, as well as a northern fur seal rookery. Go ashore at St. Paul to explore on land. Zodiac cruise or land at uninhabited St. Matthew and Hall Islands, places of incredible bird habitat.
At the western limit of the rich transboundary area known as Beringia, Provideniya is often called “The Gateway to the Arctic”. It’s also the administrative center where you will conduct the clearance into and out of Russia. Visit the excellent museum and witness a traditional Yupik dance performance.
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.
$27,990
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Category 1
Cat 1 #316, 318-321. Cabins feature a luminous oval window and configurable beds: two single beds, two beds converted to a queen-size bed, or a queen size bed. An armchair, reading lamps, a flat screen TV, and climate controls complete the amenities. Marble bathrooms are generously sized and include a spacious shower stall with a glass door.
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Category 1 Single
Cat 1S #301, 322, 323. These solo cabins feature a window or two portholes, a queen-size bed, except for #301 which has a double bed, writing desk and chair, climate controls, reading lamps, and a TV. Marble bathrooms are generously sized and include a roomy shower stall with a glass door.
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Category 2
Cat 2 #302-312, 314, 315, 317. Cabins feature a luminous oval window and configurable beds: two single beds, two beds converted to a queen-size bed, or a queen size bed. An armchair, reading lamps, a flat screen TV, and climate controls complete the amenities. Marble bathrooms are generously sized, and include a spacious shower stall with a glass door.
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Category 3
Cat 3 Suite with Window #401-412, 414-419. These suites feature a sitting area with a large window, a sofa–except slightly smaller #401 & #402–an armchair or two, writing/laptop desk, reading lamps, flat screen TV, & climate controls. Beds are configurable (call for details). Marble bathrooms include a spacious shower stall with a glass door.
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Category 3 Single
Cat 3S Suite with Window #512. This solo suite features two beds and two large windows, plus two armchairs and small table, reading lamps, a flat screen TV, and climate controls. The marble bathroom is generously sized and includes a spacious shower stall with a glass door.
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Category 4
Cat 4 Deluxe Suite with Window #511, 515. These two suites feature separate sleeping and sitting areas, with a chair and armchair and a two-cushion sofa facing an expansive window. Beds are configurable (call for details). Ample storage, reading lamps, a flat screen TV, and climate controls complete the amenities.
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Category 5
Cat 5 Suite with French Balcony #501, 503-506, 508. These spacious suites feature open living areas and sliding glass doors opening to a shared French balcony. Beds are configurable (call for details.) A sitting area with arm chairs and a sofa, a writing/laptop desk, well-placed reading lamps, a flat screen TV, and climate controls complete the decor.
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Category 6
Cat 6 Owner’s Suite with French Balcony #502, 507, 509*, 510. These large, elegant suites feature a French balcony, with the exception of #509 which has double windows. Each provides a separate living area with a sofa and two arm chairs, except for #502, which uniquely offers a 'soaking tub with a view' in addition to a shower stall and expansive vanity.
Notes
Single supplement varies by itinerary. A solo traveler matching program may be available but is subject to availability.
Included
Aboard ship
All meals and non-alcoholic beverages*
Your bar tab and all crew gratuities are included in the voyage price
Cappuccinos, lattes & filtered water
24-hour coffee, tea & soda on demand
Hors d’oeuvres & snacks during Recap
Fitness center or exercise equipment, depending on the ship
Fully stocked library, and other gracious public spaces
The guidance and company of our expedition staff
The services of a physician on certain ships/destinations
Ashore
Hotels ashore as indicated in itinerary
Meals on land, as indicated in itinerary
Sightseeing & entrance fees
Special access permits, park fees, port taxes
Transfers to and from group flights
The expertise of our expedition staff
Activities
All excursions
Zodiac & kayak explorations
Snorkeling, including wetsuits, masks, fins & snorkel where relevant
Presentations and guest speakers in the lounge
Excluded Airfare
International and internal airfare
Pre- and post-expedition
Additional hotel nights
Private transfers
Travel Protection Plan
Passport, visa, and immigration fees
Expedition extensions
Gratuities
Aboard ship
Alcoholic beverages; certain super-premium brands not included
Spa treatments
Scuba diving
Laundry
Internet and phone
Gift shop items and any other items of personal nature
Rates are capacity-controlled and are subject to change without notice.
The trip was terrific with great planning on your part. Most of the adventures were not mainstream and somewhat off the beaten path which made it especially enjoyable!! We felt taken care of and you all were readily available to respond to questions and issues. I would highly recommend your company and friends have already expressed interest based on our pictures and excitement.
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