Arriving in Juneau, you will be transferred from the airport to the hospitality area. Upon boarding, your crew greets you with champagne and smiles. Set sail for a week of scenic channels and secluded wilderness. (D),
Visit the waters of the Icy Strait area in the summer and there’s a good chance of seeing endangered humpback whales and other mammals gorging themselves on their annual northern feast of plankton. Each year in late spring to early summer, an extraordinary bloom of plant plankton occurs for about two weeks. Animal plankton, starfish, sea urchins, worms and clams feast on the plankton, and many of these species time their reproduction to occur at the height of the plankton concentration. Vast shoals of small fish, including herring and capelin, are drawn to the animal plankton, and salmon, birds, and marine mammals such as sea lions and seals join in the feast, feeding on the profusion of small fish. The terrestrial plant communities of the Icy Strait area are also an important component of the area’s biological diversity, and the site is one of the best places in the world to study how plants return to a landscape after glacial retreat.
Chichagof Island's coastline is one of the most remote and interesting islands in Alaska. The island is know for its world class streams and rivers, and salmon fishing, which attracts anglers and fishing enthusiasts from all around. Adventure seekers may want to explore abandoned gold mines, hot springs, and remote trail systems along the island as well.
The deep, cold waters of Frederick Sound abound in krill, the favored food of humpback whales - and visitors are likely to see whole pods of the gentle giants, their spume visible for miles against the forested backdrop of Admiralty Island. Learn all about breaching, diving, bubble feeding and fliper-flapping, often through up-close observation.
Tracy Arm
Located about 45 miles south of Juneau, Tracy Arm, a classic fjord, stands out as a "must see" for any Alaska vacation. The icebergs are framed by sheer mountain peaks reaching to 7,000 feet. Waterfalls flow from ice covered mountains to the jade colored inland sea. Tracy Arm is the summer home for pigeon guillemots, kittiwakes and arctic terns. Usually mountain goats are seen on the rocky slopes near Sawyer Glacier. They have been known to come down near the water. The best bear viewing is along the shores of Stephens Pass or Holkham Bay, and there are whales and seals.
Sawyer Glacier
Though it's not as well known as Glacier Bay, some naturalists claim Sawyer Glacier is even more spectacular. Located in the Tracy Arm Fjord framed by 7,000-foot-high snowcapped mountains, Sawyer Glacier boasts an impressive list of wildlife: black and brown bears, deer, wolves and moose. Even mountain goats, which usually keep to higher elevations, have been seen near its base.
Itinerary subject to change without notice. Please confirm itinerary at time of booking.