Alaska Wilderness Adventure Cruises

Small Ship Cruise in Alaska: A National Geographic Traveler's "World's 50 Best Tours"

Our private yachts visit the hidden gems big ships never see. Far from the cruise ship crowds and accompanied by expert naturalists, we explore millions of acres of Alaska's pristine coastal wilderness by zodiac, kayak and on foot. Whales, grizzlies, eagles, salmon, ancient forests, native cultures, calving glaciers and more!

Southeast Alaska. It's the jewel in Alaska's wilderness crown. It has the highest coastal mountains in the world, contains over half the world's glaciers and is one of few places on earth where they flow all the way to the ocean. Cloaked in millions of acres of primeval temperate rainforest, it's home to some of the greatest wildlife spectacles in nature and is filled with the history and culture of Native Americans whose traditions are still alive today.

The Small Ship Experience. Our comfortably appointed 12-16 passenger yachts take us to the special places the big ships never see. We explore narrow tidal inlets, secret bays and secluded beaches where we can experience the awesome beauty of Alaska away from the cruise ship crowds--humpback whales feeding and breaching against soaring snow capped mountains, grizzlies and black bears salmon fishing along ancient forest streams, cruising among icebergs where towering tidewater glaciers tumble to the sea and experiencing Native American communities whose roots stretch back to the Ice Age.

Schedule and Destinations. We cruise with no pre-set itinerary, constrained only by our starting and ending points, the requirements of tide and weather, the movements of wildlife and the interests of the group. Depending on your cruise, we may visit places like Admiralty Island National Monument, a wildlife refuge with the highest concentration of grizzly bears and nesting bald eagles in North America; Fredrick Sound, a spectacular gathering place for humpback whales; the icy grandeur of Le Conte Glacier; pristine Misty Fjords Wilderness and ancient native Tlingit and Haida communities whose ceremonial totem poles can be hundreds of years old.

Our Typical Day. Breakfast starts around 8:00. If you're an early riser, kayak around the tranquil bay we've anchored in that night or relax with a cup of coffee and watch the wilderness come alive around you. After breakfast, we might be off in our zodiacs in search of feeding whales or to hike along a driftwood strewn beach alert for signs of bear, wolf and moose.

We're back to the ship for lunch while the crew steers us to our next destination--maybe the site of an ancient Native American village or a salmon stream where bears and eagles compete for their livelihoods. The ship's naturalist tells us about the places we visit and the wildlife we see swimming, walking or flying past. If we find something interesting, we stop to enjoy. We're never in a hurry and our captains are experts at finding exciting things to show us.

Before dinner we may kayak to a secluded island or explore the wonders of a tidal estuary. Then after a gourmet meal featuring ocean fresh salmon it could be time for a dip in a wilderness hot spring, then back aboard for a glass (or two) of wine or your favorite beer or cocktail. And each evening there's "chart talk". The skipper brings out his charts and shows us exactly where we visited that day while our naturalist discusses what we've seen and everyone talks about what they experienced what's in store tomorrow.