Cruise to Alaska : Inside Passage, Glacier Bay - Safari Explorer
Whales and wildlife, kayaking and hiking. Thirteen glorious days take you through inside passages and Glacier Bay National Park.
SPECIAL OFFER
7.8*
ECO SCORE
36
PASSENGERS
13
DAYS
3/5
ACTIVITY LEVEL
Alaska: Drink It In
Welcome Aboard the
Safari Explorer
Travel Southeast Alaska's and Canada's inside passages in comfort taking in all the wonders this dramatic region has to offer. Enjoy adventure activities in the San Juan Islands, Tongass National Forest, and Misty Fjords National Monument. Learn more about Native culture and Pacific Northwest natural history. Experience wilderness kayaking, paddle boarding, skiffing, and hiking. Visit Glacier Bay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discover Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers & LeConte Bay iceberg gardens.
Watch for whales and wildlife in Frederick Sound and Icy Strait. This comprehensive adventure has it all!
- • Extensive itinerary includes a multitude of jaw-dropping sights from Seattle to Glacier Bay including waterfalls, massive glaciers and breaching whales.
• In Ketchikan, connect with a Tlingit tribal leader and hear captivating stories from their rich oral tradition.
• Seasoned operator with over 20 years' experience in Alaska.
Travel Curator’s Insights:
Trip Sustainability Awards
Food
Serve only sustainable seafood and partner with Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program
Community
Partner with local communities for cultural tours & presentations
Waste
Reusable water bottles in each cabin for guest use
Itinerary
Day 1: Seattle, Washington – Embarkation
Ah, the Emerald City! Check-in at the hospitality center and later, board your ship and settle in. Depending on your
vessel, depart from downtown Seattle, cruising along the city’s picturesque waterfront. Or from Fishermen’s Terminal
and transit historic Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, where it’s a 20-foot drop into the Salish Sea. Adieu, Seattle.
Day 2: San Juan Islands, Washington/ Canada’s Inside Passage
Each island in the San Juan archipelago is different. Orcas and harbor seals haven’t picked favorites. You could
spot them in any passage. Give your arms a stretch. Kayak or paddle board along a tucked away cove. Sea stars
dot rocky outcroppings orange and purple. Curious harbor seals watch your moves. Get in more mileage on a skiff
ride to further inlets. There will be time to hike too. Look low and nose around pools for creatures left behind by the
outgoing tide.
Day 3: Canada’s Inside Passage
Mountains rise higher. Fjords get deeper. It’s a day of intricate waterways and cruising for critters, keeping watch for
black bears on shore, including the elusive spirit bear. Civilization slips away as you enter remote waters leading north through British Columbia. Surf-happy dolphins and porpoise like to catch a ride on the bow wave. Your captain and crew are on the lookout and give the call of a sighting. And a waterfall and old abandoned cannery come into view.
That’s Butedale. Slow down and take it all in as forested fjords roll by. Aiming to entertain and educate over the next
days, your expedition team is at the ready. Natural history, Native influences, and their favorite trivia games, too.
Day 4: Canada’s Inside Passage
Take your cup of joe to the bow. The world wakes up with you. Bald eagles watch the ship along its course from tree
tops. Islands to the west, inlet-etched mainland to the east. Your captain and mates navigate twisting passages. Harbor
seals spend their days on rocky islets. Breathe in the fresh air and take in miles of forested wilderness. In the lounge, your
bartender mixes up the daily special. Take the challenge and play a few friendly hands of cards with your shipmate.
Day 5: Ketchikan / Misty Fjords National Monument
In Ketchikan, connect with the Tlingit Culture. Tribal leader and local legend Joe Williams, known as Ka Xesh X’e in his native language, guides you on a walking tour. With a rich oral tradition, the Tlingit passed stories from generation to generation—and Joe’s storytelling is captivating!
Amble through the surrounding forest on a moderate to easy trail or challenge yourself to a hard-charger hike along trails and boardwalks past, cedar, spruce, streams, and waterfalls. Next up, Misty Fjords is the largest Wilderness Area in the Tongass National Forest and a haven for wildlife—grizzly and black bears, salmon, and deer. Calm settles over these parts and all you can hear is nature. Deep glacial fjords filled with seawater. Wetlands, estuaries, dense forests, and sweeping granite cliffs. Paddle through a bay, silty from the outwash of a mountain river.
Day 6: Captains’ Choice
Just what you need, morning stretches on deck with your guide. Warm those hard-at-play muscles. You know firsthand—conditions in Southeast change one inlet to the next. Your captain is at the helm and your expedition team picks just the
right spot. Wherever you head, the adventures are as big as the water is deep! So many hidden pockets in the Tongass
National Forest. Give your paddle board skills a glide. Watch for big-eyed harbor seals from a kayak. Bushwhack into the
forest of giants. Your guides know the area’s history and keep it lively.
Day 7: LeConte Bay / Ideal Cove
If it’s high tide, a skiff ride brings you up-close to LeConte Glacier’s iceberg gardens. Sculpted by the warm summer air,
these glacial works of art are a testament to the mastery of Mother Nature. If tides are low, take a boot-sucking walk to
check out icebergs resting on the mudflats. Surrounded by national forest, Ideal Cove’s boardwalk trails wind through
habitat known as “muskegs,” boggy meadows of ferns and grasses. Or test your balance paddle boarding in this quiet
cove. It’s just you and the vast wilderness.
Day 8: Frederick Sound / Chatham Strait
Humpbacks beeline it to this region each season to feed on zooplankton and herring. Watch for whales feasting in
these abundant glacial waters. Hang out and enjoy the show. Based on wind and weather, your expedition team has the
lineup of adventures all mapped out. Cruise past Five Fingers Lighthouse, Alaska’s oldest light station and The Brothers
Islands, where sea lions nap on rocky nobs. From kayak or skiff, scope the intertidal zones of un-named bays and coves.
Eagles fish here too, their white noggins give away their perches. Kayak into a seascape of wild, forested islets, or take
the pace down a notch with an easy stroll amidst the tide pools. It’s remote, and remarkable.
Day 9: Sitka / Peril Strait
Alaska’s wild natural history surrounds the historic community of Sitka. With access to the Tongass National Forest all around you, take the hint and take a hike—your guides know the way into the mountains to a clear lake and along boardwalk trails through a temperate rainforest to a waterfall. Later, set sail into Peril Strait and join your expedition guides who share the tragic tales of how this passage earned its foreboding name.
Day 10: Chichagof Island
Remote passages offer more opportunities for you to search for the mighty humpback whale. Keep your binoculars at hand and watch for the misty spout of these gentle giants as they feed in the waters around you. Anchor in a remote Chichagof Island inlet. Backpacks loaded and adventure toys lowered (skiffs, paddle boards, kayaks), it’s time to go play. Stick to the water in a kayak excursion, and don’t forget to look above and below the surface. A nosy seal could be watching your every stroke. Beachcomb rocky shores. Tiny creatures cling to rocks. Tonight, take a nightcap to the sun deck and watch the sky.
Day 11: Glacier Bay National Park
There’s a cool factor, and it’s not just coming off the face of the glaciers! This 3.3 million-acre park was covered by ice as recently as 1795. Since then, the park’s receding glacier activity has made it easier to access those inner reaches. Glacial history, retreats, advances, moraines. They come with expert insight from your onboard naturalists, so bring on the questions. Pigeon guillemots, puffins, common murres, and cormorants colonize and nest at South Marble Island. One good whiff and a few loud barks give away one of its mammalian residents—Steller’s sea lions. It’s a full day in the bay exploring Muir’s legacy—all the way to Grand Pacific and Margerie Glaciers. Celebrate with a toast to nature’s handiwork.
Day 12: Icy Strait
Bull whip kelp threads through nearby channels like deep, twisted mangroves. And you know better, but orange and purple starfish and jellyfish make it hard to believe you’re not in the tropics. Follow the currents out to where the sea lions flock to remote rock formations. Your captain is on the bridge, the expedition team on deck, and all eyes are on the water and the shore. Everyone is on-watch for the telltale blow of humpbacks. Come closer to the shoreline by skiff, kayak, or on foot. Sometimes the smallest things are the biggest wonders. Take in the evening solitude from the bow, or the hot tub. Or both—why choose just one? Tonight, join your captain for the Farewell Dinner. As a special treat, your expedition team shares a slideshow of your journey.
Day 13: Juneau, Alaska – Disembarkation
Disembark after breakfast. Transfer to the Juneau airport or begin your overnight stay or extended land tour.
Taxes: $675 port taxes/fees are additional. Cruise fares are per person double occupancy, in USD. Triple fares available for select vessels/cabins.
Please Note: Itineraries are guidelines; variations in itinerary and the order of days may occur to maximize your experience. Passport required (non-USA citizens).
Safari Explorer
The 36-guest Safari Explorer is designed for upscale comfort in the pursuit of adventure. Aboard this boutique yacht, three public decks provide room for mingling, relaxing, and enjoying the fresh air—with exploration in the spotlight. This high-end SUV of a ship is nimble, strong, and loving. Her performance-built, rugged construction means access to faraway regions. But it’s what’s on the inside that makes this yacht the prize of the fleet. And with only 36 guests on board, the feel is decidedly exclusive. Lovingly called “the Bulldog,” she’s poised, her interior is a pearl, and the general mood is down-to-earth. A protective spirit is infused in every part of the ship, and within the crew. She’s made for adventures after all and with them comes inevitable fun and folly.
• Capacity: 36 guests
• Cabins: 18 cabins
• Specialists: Expert Naturalists, 15 Crew
ACHIEVEMENTS
"Best Adventure Cruise Line 2021" Conde Nast Gold List
"2021: Best Adventure Cruise Line" USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards
"2020: The Top 10 Small-ship Ocean Cruise Lines" Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards
"The 36-passenger size of this ship makes for a voyage with warm friendships and much laughter, yet enough space to do you own thing. The cabin and public areas are spacious and comfortable, and the cuisine will make sure you leave your diet at home (unless your diet includes special requests which are easily accommodated.) A fantastic ship for off-the-beaten- track adventures!"
Wild Nectar
Life On Board
Deck Plan
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Questions?
Rates
This operator has enthusiastic staff and a long history of offering exciting trips to Alaska. The service and comfort levels are high yet their main focus is on the wilderness experience.
Joy Martinello, Founder
Questions?
What’s Included & Cancellation Policy:
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Group transfers and baggage handling between airport/vessel on embark/disembark day, entry fees to national parks/preserves, From-the-vessel adventure activities and equipment, exclusive activities and shore visits, all meals aboard the vessel, premium wine, beer and liquor (excludes super-premium wines), non-alcoholic beverages, wellness amenities, onboard expedition/heritage guides and guest experts, refer to your final guest documents for any additional inclusions specific to your itinerary and vessel.
NOT INCLUDED
Airfare to and from your home city, discretionary gratuities to vessel’s crew, travel protection, optional excursions and land tours, port taxes/fees. Taxes: $675 port taxes/fees are additional.
