Day 3 - Ketchikan, Alaska, $290/person
Overview
Experience the pure nature, cuisine and Native traditions of Alaska while on a 3.5-hour adventure that includes a wildlife- watching boat cruise leading to remote Annette Island where you'll enjoy an Alaskan-style feast around a beachside bonfire. Join a sea-worthy Captain and expert Naturalist aboard an Alaskan built expedition boat for a scenic cruise through wilderness passages along rugged coastline. Learn about the behaviors of area wildlife, with the chance to glimpse humpback whales, Dall's porpoises, Harbor seals, and bald eagles. You'll then be welcomed by Native Tsimshian Alaskans to the wildly beautiful Annette Island. Take a nature walk across old-growth rainforest trails, exploring intertidal zones and traditional harvesting techniques in the only Native reserve in Alaska. Relax by the crackling bonfire while enjoying an authentic meal on the shores. Reindeer sausage, kettle chips, salmonberry jam, plus wine, soda and Alaskan Amber beer highlight the day's menu. You can even roast marshmallows for sweet s'mores featuring locally-made chocolate. On the return boat ride you'll keep warm with complimentary coffee, tea and hot chocolate or hit up the gift shop to purchase local souvenirs like smoked salmon, devil's club tea and pickled bull kelp.
Highlights
Inside Passage: A scenic boat cruise delivers panoramic Alaskan scenery while searching for whales, seals and porpoises with a naturalist.
Annette Island: Enjoy a nature walk with Tsimshian guides in the only Native reserve in all of Alaska.
Alaskan cuisine: Feast on local inspired food, wine and beer, plus roast marshmallow s'mores by the fire on the beach.
Day 4 - Icy Strait Point, Alaska $194/person
Overview
Prepare for a thrilling sightseeing adventure unlike ever before, as you whip around Icy Strait Point's rugged coastline in an open-air high-speed rigid hull inflatable boat past amazing Alaska wildlife and Hoonah's Native Tlingit village. Meet your experienced captain at the dock, where you'll endure a safety briefing before gearing up with a Coast Guard-approved exposure jacket. Take a seat on a 27-foot Rigid Hull Inflatable vessel and get ready for a wild ride. Off the coast of Icy Strait Point your captain will quickly maneuver the boat at full throttle, slowing down occasionally to admire gushing waterfalls, tidal flats, and wildlife. Keep your eyes peeled for plodding brown bears, Sitka black-tailed deer feeding by the water, bald eagles soaring overhead, and a bounty of swimming marine life including sea lions, sea otters, seals, puffins and whales. As you motor around Hoonah's seascape, you'll learn about the local history, the reasons why the waterways are important to the Tlingit people and the ocean's continued benefit to their subsistence lifestyle.
Highlights
Alaskan adventure: Feel the thrill of a high-speed ride on a 27-foot oceangoing RIB boat with exposure jacket included.
Icy Strait Point: Be awed by backdrops filled with waterfalls, rugged wilderness, and wildlife such as bears, eagles, and whales.
Hoonah: Glide past the largest Native Tlingit village in Alaska, hearing about its centuries-old history.
Day 5 Sitka, Alaska $250/person
Overview
Embark on a nature adventure as you cruise on an expedition boat to a private island, and then kayak in the pristine Siginaka Islands with a guide.
Highlights
Dock at a private island, where your guides make sure you are comfortable in your kayak, then glide through narrow passages in search of marine life below, including crabs, sea stars, anemones, sea urchins, jellyfish, and above, including otters, sea lions, porpoises, harbor seals, bald eagles, and marine birds.
Learn about the natural history of the area and on clear days enjoy breathtaking views of Mount Edgecumbe, Sitka's iconic stratovolcano.
Land back at the base camp to enjoy a snack and soak in the soul-stirring views before you cruise back via a different route to return to your ship.
Step aboard an expedition vessel, a one-of-a-kind, power watercraft with a fully enclosed cabin, and relax on a narrated sightseeing cruise to the Siginaka Islands.
Day 6 - Skagway, Alaska $370/person
Overview
This 6.5-hour combo excursion includes a ride along the White Pass; Yukon Route Railway, a salmon bake at Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp, and champagne at the famous Red Onion Saloon. Hop in a vintage railcar for a journey along the "Railway of the World ", as you view sky-high mountains, plunging gorges, gushing waterfalls and tall evergreens along a narrow gauge railroad. In Fraser, BC you'll hop off and take a motor coach through to the Tormented Valley to the Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp. Meet costumed storytellers who perform a rousing melodrama about Alaska's Klondike-era prospecting days. Here you'll also learn how to pan for gold and savor an authentic salmon bake in true Alaskan style, complete with grilled wild salmon, baked chicken, salad, baked beans, cornbread and dessert. A short drive back into town leads you to the historic Red Onion Saloon, the city's once- thriving brothel dating back to 1897. Follow the madams upstairs to the Bombay room to check out the bordello's old relics and artifacts, whilst sipping on a complimentary glass of champagne. Cheers to the ultimate Skagway adventure.
Highlights
White Pass & Yukon Route: Watch mountains, gorges, waterfalls, and golden history unfold before you on this narrow gauge railway.
Liarsville: Delve into Alaskan folklore with storytelling, music, gold panning, and a meal of wild salmon plus all the fixings.
Red Onion Saloon: Hear the story of this old brothel with a madam-led tour and complimentary glass of champagne.