Jessica's Journey: Alaska 2024

Shared Photos From National Geographic Quest Passengers and Crew

These photos are not my own but were generously shared by the kind people we traveled with, so we could all share the beauty of Alaska with others. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do; I am so thankful that people captured the wonder of our journey.

Above left: We had many bald eagle sightings; this looks like a postcard! Right: Temperate rainforest plants abounded. Below: Humpback whale photos; I absolutely loved seeing all the whales, which was nothing short of spectacular.

Can you tell I loved the humpback whales? Below are photos of the stellar sea lions, one of the calving glaciers, puffins, a sea otter, and one of the coastal brown bears we spotted. Yes, we really did get to see all of this during our journey! I am so thankful to fellow passengers and crew for taking and sharing these photographs.

Below: The beautiful waterfall we had at dinner one evening; stellar sea lions, more puffins, sea otters, and zodiac fun.

I not not on this specific zodiac in the pictures above (taken during our zodiac time at the Inian Islands), but the sea lions and sea otters did get very close to us at times. The guides know to stay a safe distance from wildlife and not impose on their habitat, but sometimes the animals just came very close to you unexpectedly. There were amazing up-close looks at the stellar sea lions and sea otters.

At left and right: Whale flukes (tails). Below: Photographs of the day we saw a large number of orcas, also known as killer whales. The orcas were in large pods, with estimates of approximately twelve orcas in each of the pods we saw. One of the naturalists spotted the orcas from very far away and helped us to get a spectacular view of them; it was a moving experience.

There were an incredible number of humpback whales spotted during our journey, but orcas were more rare; to see them so close, in large pods, was such a surprise; you are never guaranteed to see wildlife, and our journey on Quest proved to have an abundance of amazing wildlife each and every day.

Below: Our time at Dawes Glacier. While I am unsure which of these photos might contain my specific zodiac I was on, it gives you a good look at just how incredibly close we were to this huge glacier. This area was also full of mother harbor seals who had just given birth to their pups, and they are pictured as well. Also pictured are photos of the glacier calving, deer near Petersburg, and a great picture of Quest. I am so glad I can share these pictures with you, which my fellow passengers and crew took and graciously shared! What a journey.

And just a few more below, courtesy of my fellow passengers and the crew: Sea lions (one is a mother sea lion with her pup), another stellar sea lion, a close up of a calving glacier, and more of the spectacular humpback whales we saw. A picture is worth a thousand words, and these definitely speak for themselves.