Alaska whale watching cruises
| country: | USA, Alaska |
| location: | Alaska |
| departures: | 2010: 30 Jun, 10 Jul |
| price: | From £3125 (12 days) excluding flights from the UK |
| more info: | Price includes 1 night accommodation in Seattle and 1 night in Vancouver, airport transfers and eight nights onboard the Island Odyssey with all meals included. We are able to arrange flights - please enquire |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Join us aboard the sailing vessel, "Island Odyssey" as we explore the natural history and Native American heritage of Southeast Alaska. Our highlights will be days watching humpback whales, bears feeding on salmon in a rushing river, fascinating native totem poles and a journey down a spectacular mountain fjord to find icebergs and a majestic glacier at the end.
Most of our voyage will be in the Tongass National Forest in North America. We will go ashore daily to find beautiful forest walks and hikes to alpine meadows.
With the onboard naturalist we will explore for shoreline intertidal creatures and keep a daily record of the various species of birds, plants and marine mammals we observe. The daily itinerary is intentionally flexible to meet group interests, weather patterns and, of course, to take full advantage of wildlife sightings.
Highlights include:
Most of our voyage will be in the Tongass National Forest in North America. We will go ashore daily to find beautiful forest walks and hikes to alpine meadows.
With the onboard naturalist we will explore for shoreline intertidal creatures and keep a daily record of the various species of birds, plants and marine mammals we observe. The daily itinerary is intentionally flexible to meet group interests, weather patterns and, of course, to take full advantage of wildlife sightings.
Highlights include:
- Spectacular whale encounters as we spend four days in Frederick Sound, widely regarded as the best place in the world to see humpback whales bubblenet feeding.
- Watching brown and black bears fishing for salmon in a rushing river at Anan Bay.
- Visit the Le Conte glacier, which has regular calving events and is surrounded by icebergs.
- Discover the rich culture and history of Native American and Canadian Indians with visits to settlements and original totem poles.
- Experience breathtaking Alaskan scenery, from snow capped mountains to lush green forests.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | International flights to Seattle. Spend the night in a hotel where you will meet the guide. |
| Day 2: | Internal flight to Petersburg, Alaska. Board the "Island Odyssey" our home for the holiday and move into cabins. |
| Day 3-6: | Four days spent watching humpbacks in Frederick Sound. |
| Day 7: | Visit the LeConte glacier. |
| Day 8: | Watch brown and black bear fishing at Anan Bay. |
| Day 9: | Excursion to Ketchikan, an old Native American settlement. |
| Day 10: | Sail to Prince Rupert, Canada. Disembark Island Odyssey. Internal flight to Vancouver, spending the night in a hotel. |
| Day 11: | Depending on flight arrangements onward journey to Seattle airport and flight home. Alternatively, evening flight home from Vancouver airport. |
| Day 12: | Arrivals home. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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By participating in this trip you’ll be making a valuable financial contribution to the vital conservation work of WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.
Environment We travel at low speeds to reduce fuel consumption and use sails and kayaks when appropriate. Our boat is the first small ship in British Columbia and Southeast Alaska to offer carbon neutral trips. Purchasing our offsets each year from companies that use their offset dollars to impact our areas of operation along the coast. Our chefs prepare local and organic foods and purchase all our orders in the local areas. After calculating our carbon footprint this spring as part of Eco-Trust Canada's Carbon Smart process, we are now offering carbon neutral trips! In September 2008, we purchased carbon off-sets for a year of operations. Offsetters is a local company chosen by the 2008 Eco-Tourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference as their choice for the purchase of offsets. They invest their funds in local renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. As we specialize in nature tours in the Pacific Northwest we wanted to invest in local projects making a difference here. We are the first small-ship operator along the BC and Southeast Alaska Coast who is Carbon Neutral. We will continue to be a pioneer in sustainable tourism practices and encourages other ecotour operators to do the same. The company, our crew and our trips all uphold high values about environmental sustainability and work hard each year in reducing our impact. Each year we discuss ways in which we can lower our footprints and implement small changes throughout the season. Community We focus on sustainable tourism practices on all of our adventures. Purchasing our food locally, employing locals, using local guides, suppliers and outfitters in our areas of operation. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |