South East Alaska - whales, glaciers and natural history

Journey to the three premier whale watching locations in all of Southeast Alaska; Frederick Sound, Chatham Strait and Stephens Passage on this ten day voyage. Journey through the protected waters of Alaska’s Panhandle, between Sitka on the Pacific Coast and Petersburg in the Inside Passage, aboard the 65-foot private motor yacht Snow Goose.

South East Alaska is an island-studded wilderness scattered along a narrow belt of mainland mountains. It encompasses a labyrinth of bays, islands, straits and fjords set against a backdrop of green forested slopes. We will enjoy daily sightings of majestic Humpback Whales on their feeding grounds, hopefully to include their spectacular ‘bubblenet’ feeding technique. We will encounter dolphins, porpoises, and should see Minke Whales. We will also keep a keen eye out for Orcas too. We will watch as glaciers actively calve icebergs at spectacular Tracy Arm. Seabirds should include the stunning Tufted Puffins and we will search kelp beds for the entertaining Sea Otter. Dall’s Porpoise will delight you with their high speeds and abrupt changes of direction. We sail through protected waters, visiting the Humpback feeding grounds of Frederick Sound and Tracy Arm and go through Chatham Strait and Stevens Passage. Baranoff Warm Springs will entice us for a relaxing soak and optional lake walk. Admiralty Island has the largest concentration of nesting Bald Eagles and Brown Bears in North America.

Each day we enjoy different scenic vistas and daily shore excursions to explore forest trails on easy nature walks. At night we lie at anchor in remote secluded inlets and coves.

Travel and accommodations are aboard the vessel Snow Goose. We accommodate 12 participants in double occupancy cabins, with three shared toilets (heads) and two hot water /freshwater showers. The small size of our vessel permits access to narrow tidal channels where large cruise ships cannot pass. Early booking for this trip is recommended.

Further detailed information is available from us.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Wrangel, Alaska. Embark Snow Goose.

Day 2-9: Inside Passage - Frederick Sound, Chatham Strait, Stephens Passage, Tracy Arm, Admiralty Island, Baranoff Warm Springs.

Day 10: Arrive Petersburg and disembark.

Holiday Information

Dates: 24th July – 2nd August 2007

Naturalists/guides:TBA

Cost: £2235 per person based on sharing a twin cabin

Deposit: £300 per person

Max no of participants: 12

Price includes: Cruise aboard vessel in twin cabins. The vessel has 3 heads (WC) and 2 showers, naturalist and all meals aboard vessel.

Price excludes: Insurance (from £64.59 per person), flights (from £1099 per person), Pre/post hotels (from £80 per person), transfers, drinks, crew gratuities, and items of a personal nature.

			South East Alaska - whales, glaciers and natural history