Alaska & British Columbia | Inside Passage, Bears and Aleutian Islands | Southbound

Begin your adventure in the Emerald CityYour expedition cruise starts with an overnight stay in Seattle. If you can, why not arrive early and see what the Emerald City has to offer? Take a stroll through the nine-acre Olympic Sculpture Park for incredible views of Puget Sound and the surrounding mountains, admiring the work of renowned artists as you go.    For a feast of the senses, visit the famous Pike Place Market. Operating for over a century, this lively farmer’s market boasts everything from buskers and bars to salmon-throwing fishmongers!If you have the time to go farther afield, we recommend booking a Pre-Programme with us and discovering some of the region’s natural highlights.  

Launch your adventure in historical NomeToday, we’ll fly you from Seattle to Nome for the start of your expedition cruise.  Set at the tip of the Seward Peninsula and overlooking the Bering Sea, Nome is perhaps the most famous Gold-Rush town in Alaskan history. There are artifacts from this era to be seen everywhere, including abandoned dredges, turn-of-the-century steam engines, and old railroad tracks. Nome was also the end point of three of Roald Amundsen’s great polar expeditions, including an attempt to reach the North Pole by air in 1926. It’s a fitting place to launch your grand Alaska adventure.

St. Matthew Island is an extremely remote island in the middle of the Bering Sea, more than 200 miles from the nearest Alaska village. Even by Alaskan standards it is a lonely place. At the most southerly point of the 32 mile long island, at Cape Upright, the black sand and gravel beaches give way to massive sea cliffs that exceed heights of over 1000 ft. These are home to countless nesting murres, kittiwakes, cormorants and other sea birds. In fact, reports of the island’s wildlife by the Harriman Expedition in 1899 convinced Teddy Roosevelt to include St. Matthew in a group of islands designated as America’s first wildlife refuges in 1909. Today, biologists from the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, try to visit St. Matthew every five years to monitor changes. The most famous story of this island is the case of the disappearing reindeer. In 1944, twenty-nine reindeer were brought to the island as alternative food supply for WWII troops. By 1963 there were over 6,000 animals. But only 3 years later, after a couple extremely harsh winters, numbers had shrunk to 42, and by the early 1980’s the total population was gone.

The city of Saint Paul is located on a narrow peninsula on the southern tip of St. Paul Island, the largest of five islands in the Pribilofs. These islands are located in the middle of the Bering Sea between the United States and Russia. St Paul’s lies 240 miles north of the Aleutian Islands, 300 miles west of the Alaska mainland, and 750 air miles west of Anchorage. The city of St. Paul is the only residential area on the island. The first non-natives to ‘discover’ St. Paul were Russian fur-traders in the late 1780’s, led by the navigator, Gavriil Pribylov. Today, this small city has one school (K-12), one post office, one bar, one small general store, and one church, a Russian Orthodox Church that is registered National Historic building. In summer, this island is teaming with wildlife, including about 500,000 northern fur seals and millions of seabirds, including tufted puffins

Learn the fascinating history of America’s biggest fishing portThe US’s largest fishing port, Dutch Harbor is a fascinating place to visit. As we sail towards it you may see Mount Makushin, a sometimes-steaming volcano reaching almost 6,000 ft.  Here, you’ll learn about the local Indigenous Unangax̂ people at the Museum of the Aleutians. Visit the Russian Orthodox Cathedral or tour the WWII museum commemorating the battle that took place here in 1942.  Scout for bald eagles and puffins. Foxes, lemmings and wild horses thrive on land, while whales, sea lions and porpoises command the waters. Dutch Harbor was the filming location of the reality television series The Deadliest Catch, which follows crab fishermen at work under extreme conditions.

Experience a deserted Alaskan townWild and deserted, Unga Village is an abandoned yet fascinating settlement on the southern end of Unga Island.  It was settled by the Unangax̂ people in 1833 but was abandoned in 1969 as subsistence fishing proved insufficient to support living here. Today, the few wooden buildings that remain are the only evidence that people once lived here.  Pink lousewort, fireweed and other wildflowers surround the abandoned shacks as nature has gradually taken over. Experience the eerie beauty of this place during a nature landing with our small expedition boats. 

Explore rugged scenery in an untamed wildernessThe Alaska Peninsula is an untamed wilderness and a haven for wildlife. The region is characterized by its raw coastal landscapes, towering mountains and secluded bays.  Join your Expedition Team for close exploration of hidden bays and inlets along the shoreline, offering the opportunity to scout for bears, bald eagles, and marine species like sea otters and humpback whales. Learn about the geological evolution of the region, appreciating how natural forces have sculpted the unique topography around you.

Spot brown bears in Katmai National ParkYour adventure continues in the four-million-acre Katmai National Park, which has over a dozen active volcanoes. Katmai is also home to more than 2,000 protected brown bears – the largest concentration in the world.  We’ll safely scout for bears from the deck or in our small expedition boats. They might be foraging for berries, digging for clams or catching fish in the stream. Depending on conditions, we might visit either Geographic Harbor, Kinak Bay or Kukak Bay.  

Explore the home of the Alutiiq peopleKodiak Island, known as the ‘Emerald Isle, features lush temperate forests, mountains, and a rugged coastline. Its wetlands are home to a variety of bird species and wildlife, including the island’s most iconic residents - Kodiak bears. Around 3,500 of them live in the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, which covers two-thirds of the island. We’ll search for whales, sea otters, and seals, and, if we’re lucky, catch a glimpse of Kodiak brown bears in their natural habitat, all set against the stunning backdrop of Alaska’s wilderness. 

Enjoy a day of relaxation and birdwatching at seaYour cruise continues across the Gulf of Alaska. It’s the ideal time to enjoy onboard facilities such as the infinity pool, hot tubs, and sauna. Go for a run, hit the gym, or enjoy a massage in the spa.  In the Science Center, the Expedition Team invite you to join lectures about subjects such as Alaska’s wildlife, geology, glaciology, history and culture.  Relax in the Explorer Lounge & Bar and share a drink with your fellow guests, or just sit back and enjoy the view. See if you can spot all three species of North Pacific albatross. The Laysan and black-footed albatross are often sighted, but the short-tailed albatross is harder to spot.

Spot wildlife in these glacier-fed watersToday is an exploration day in Icy Bay. Three glaciers – Guyot, Yahtse and Tyndall – can be seen from this bay. If conditions allow, you’ll explore in our small expedition boats or by kayak, immersing you in the remarkable beauty of this icy landscape.  From Icy Bay you can admire striking, jagged Mt St Elias, known for its steep vertical relief, it has the second tallest peak in the US and third tallest in the US and Canada at over 18,000 ft. In the Gulf of Alaska for we’ll scout for humpback whales, orcas, sea otters and harbour seals often seen in these waters.  

Take in Sitka’s views and a unique mix of cultures.Surrounded by Tongass National Forest, Sitka is only accessible by sea or air. Get out on deck for stunning views of the Sisters Mountains and Mount Edgecumbe volcano.  Inhabited by the Łingít people for 10,000 years, the town was settled by Russian explorers around the turn of the 19th century before being sold to the United States after Russia lost the Crimean War. Today, Sitka has roots in all three cultures.  A visit to the Russian Orthodox cathedral and Russian Bishop's House is recommended. Admire ornate Haida and Łingít totem poles at Sitka National Historical Park and enjoy a walking trail through the forest to the ocean.

Visit one of Alaska’s oldest harbor townsWe continue cruising the Alaskan islands towards Wrangell.  The traditional homeland of the Łingít people for 8,000 years, Wrangell has in the past two centuries come under the control of Russia, then Britain, and is now part of the US.  Visit the local museum to learn more about Wrangell's fascinating past. Cross over to Shakes Island, where the Chief Shakes Tribal House and totem poles tell the story of the Indigenous Łingít people.  Only one mile out of town, you’ll find Petroglyph Beach, which has ancient carvings etched into the large rocks along the shore. Created by the Łingít people, they are believed to be over 1,000 years old. Hikers will enjoy the nature trails, surrounded by alluring scenery at the mouth of Stikine River, and the foot of Mount Dewey at the edge of the temperate rainforest. 

Revel in a wilderness where wildlife thrivesPart of the Tongass National Forest, Misty Fjords is a pristine wilderness of evergreens, waterfalls and snowcapped peaks. The revered naturalist writer John Muir described the area as one of the most beautiful places he’d ever seen.  Weather permitting, you'll join the Expedition Team to tour Misty Fjords in our small expedition boats or take kayaks out. Misty Fjords is rich in wildlife. You’ll scan for mountain goats, black and brown bears and moose as you explore. The waters are home to Pacific salmon, otters, Steller sea lions, harbor seals, orcas and Dall’s porpoises. Skyward, you might spot herons and bald eagles.

Disembark in British Columbia’s iconic cityYour expedition cruise ends in Vancouver, a beautiful city at the foot of the Rockies. Wander Gastown, Vancouver’s Victorian quarter or walk around beautiful Stanley Park, which offers a stunning view of the city.  Vancouver has a flavor all its own—and so does its global cuisine. Before your onward journey, we recommend you dine out in Chinatown, Punjabi Market or Little Italy for a taste of the city's buzzing atmosphere.