18 Day Alaskan Inside Passage, Bears And Aleutian Islands - Southbound

Your expedition starts with an overnight in Vancvouer. From the boutiques on Main Street to the coffee shops of Commercial Drive, the steam clock in Gastown or the heritage-house beachfronts of Kitsilano, you’ll quickly find out why this coastal metropolis is consistently voted one of the world´s most liveable cities.

Today, we fly you from Vancouver to Nome. Set at the tip of the Seward Peninsula, overlooking the Bering Sea, Nome is perhaps the most famous gold rush town in Alaskan history. There are artefacts of the gold rush era to be seen everywhere, including abandoned dredges, turn-of-the-century steam engines, and old railroad tracks.

Spend your first day at sea looking out for whales on deck, chatting with new friends, recapping your voyage with the Expedition Team in the Science Center, or just watching the world sail by. During the day, we will also cross the international date line – heading into tomorrow for a short while, before sailing back into today!

Coming ashore on the black sand beaches of isolated St. Matthew Island, we will be the only humans on the isle. It lies more than 200 miles from the nearest village, home only to nesting seabirds like murres and cormorants, the native St. Matthew Island vole, and the Arctic fox.

The island of St. Paul is an ideal resting point for migrating birds, attracting some 300 species, including horned and tufted puffins, red-legged kittiwakes, and Pribilof sandpipers. About half of the world’s northern fur seal population also live in the waters here. They will be busy nursing new-borns when you visit in mid-July.

MS Roald Amundsen continues south through the Bering Sea, from the Aleutian Islands and towards our next stop of Dutch Harbor. The Expedition Team will prepare you for our upcoming destinations and continue their lecture series.

As we sail towards Unalaska, better known as Dutch Harbor, you will see Mount Makushin, a steaming volcano almost 6,000-feet high. The popular TV show `Deadliest Catch´ is based here, featuring local fishing crews. Stop in at the Museum of the Aleutians, view the Russian Orthodox Church, or spot some of the more-than-600 bald eagles around town.

Unga Village is a picturesque but abandoned town on the southern end of uninhabited Unga Island in the remote Aleutian Islands. Settled by Aleuts in 1833, subsistence fishing proved insufficient to support the community, which later moved in 1969. Today, a collection of wooden buildings is all that remains, surrounded by a carpet of pink louseworts.

In the small village of Chignik Bay, red salmon fishing has been the core of the community’s economy for over a century. Stop in at the fish factory, meet the welcoming locals, or explore the salmon streams in the scenic surroundings. Scan the shores to spot the 20-or-so waterfowl species, or the skies for bald eagles.

Katmai National Park´s Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a dramatic volcanic landscape, with mountains rising to almost 915 meters (3,000 feet). Here we hope to find brown bears as they forage along the shore for clams, and lunch on berries or fish in the clear running waters of the mountain streams.

The bustling city of Kodiak sits on Alaska’s largest island, surrounded by verdant forest. Take a walk in Fort Abercrombie State Historic Park home to bunkers from WWII as well as ocean and forest wildlife. Make sure to also visit Baranov Museum, the oldest standing building in Alaska which chronicles Kodiak’s diverse history.

Enjoy a day at sea! Our Expedition Team continues its lecture programme, sharing their extensive knowledge and experience, as well as summarising the voyage so far and presenting plans for the exciting days ahead.

Icy Bay lives up to its name. Located in Prince William Sound, the spectacular scenery here formed in the past 100 years with the retreat of three prominent glaciers which still feed ice into the bay. Our aim is to explore Guyot Glacier. The weather and glacier ice conditions on the day will dictate which areas we will be able to visit.

Sitka enjoys views of The Sisters Mountains and of Mount Edgecumbe, a dormant volcano. The former capital of Alaska when it belonged to Russia, this historic town is now a blend of cultures. Wander around the Russian Orthodox St. Michael’s Cathedral, or visit nearby Stika National Historical Park, which has many ornate Tlingit totem poles on display.

One of the oldest island towns in Alaska, Wrangell has been governed by four different nations – Tlingit, Russian, British and United States. Numerous petroglyphs on the beach and moss-covered totem poles manifest to the distant past of this area. Outside of the main cruise ships routes, nowadays it remains a simple fishing town.

Misty Fjords National Monument is a realm of thick evergreen rainforests, mountain rivers, granite cliffs adorned by strips of waterfalls, and wetlands along the coast, often with milky fog filling the bays and coves. Weather permissible, you will explore the area on our small expedition boats or kayaks.

Sailing south into the open ocean, we spend a few hours journeying through the Inside Passage, such as Grenville Channel and Princess Royal Channel. Enjoy exceptional views of tranquil fjords and mountains covered in evergreen forests. Unlike other cruise ships that normally pass through the area at night, you’ll be able to see this sublime summer scenery during the day.

Your expedition cruise ends in Vancouver. Extend your holiday with an optional Post-Programme to spend some extra time in this vibrant city. Make the most of the summer weather and cycle around Stanley Park, or enjoy the scenic views at the Sea-to-Sky Gondola. Richmond Night Market boasts endless food stalls while Granville Island is the artsy hub.