Whale watching in Alaska


Our Alaska wildlife Holidays
Denali National Park holiday in Alaska
Experience untouched wilderness off the beaten path
Alaskas Glacier Bay small ship cruise
Get close up to Alaska where the big ships can't go
Inner Reaches Western Coves cruise in Alaska
Some of southern Alaska's iconic destinations by small ship
Alaska adventure holiday, salmon run
Active small group adventures in a retrofitted school bus
Kenai Peninsula adventure holiday in Alaska
Orcas, Humpbacks and Glaciers: Experience Alaska's coastline
Brown bear photography holiday in Alaska
Photograph Alaskan brown bears in exclusive photo tour
Alaska adventure holiday
Go deep into the wild on this active Alaskan adventure.
Inside Passage, Seattle to Juneau cruise, Alaska
The classic Inside Passage cruise from Seattle to Juneau
Alaska's Islands cruise, whales & glaciers
Wild Alaska on one of the world's smallest cruise ships
Alaska wildlife holidays
An ultimate Alaskan adventure with wildlife and wilderness
Southeast Alaska cruise
Spectacular scenery and amazing wildlife in remote Alaska
Inner Reaches Eastern Coves cruise in Alaska
Awe-inspiring glaciers, wildlife, and rainforests in Alaska
Alaska classic tour, glaciers and grizzly bears
See huge bears & drive/kayak/cruise/fly thru South Alaska.
Outdoor Alaska holiday
A wildlife trip to awaken the senses
Kodiak bear tracking tour in Alaska
Alaskan adventure looking for the large grizzlies
Alaska Glacier Bay and wildlife cruise
Glaciers, Humpbacks, grizzlies and mountains - Get up close
Whales & wildlife cruises in
Glacier Bay National Park
Heading north, whale encounters become increasingly likely as you enter the Frederick Sound. You’ll spend a lot of time on deck each day watching out for flukes (whale tails) and humpbacks breaching the waves, always a thrilling sight no matter how many times you witness it. Other whale behaviour you might observe ranges from pectoral slaps to lunge feeding and perhaps even aerobatic leaps from the water. Further on you’ll reach the well known Tracy Arm fjord, where your ship will cruise between massive calving glaciers and granite cliffs from which waterfalls plummet. The naturalist John Muir, an early father of America’s wilderness preservation movement, described Tracy Arm as “a wild, unfinished Yosemite”. Certainly it’s one of the most extravagantly beautiful parts of the Inside Passage, its natural features condensed into a shallow channel just 50km long and 1.5km wide. Heaving glaciers and remote villages can be explored by inflatable boats, and again the swirling nutrients in this water make it an excellent habitat for whales.
Our top Alaska wildlife Holiday
Alaskas Glacier Bay small ship cruise
Get close up to Alaska where the big ships can't go
2021: 9 May, 16 May, 23 May, 30 May, 6 Jun, 13 Jun, 20 Jun, 27 Jun, 4 Jul, 11 Jul, 18 Jul, 25 Jul, 1 Aug, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, 29 Aug
A whale of a time
While Glacier Bay National Park and the Inside Passage are a renowned whale watching destination, there are plenty of other places around Alaska to get your cetacean kicks. Further north, off Resurrection Bay and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge in Kenai Fjords National Park, you can also see orcas and humpbacks, along with everything from spotted sea lions to otters, Dall’s porpoise and seabirds such as eagles and puffins. In contrast to a small ship cruise however, in Kenai Fjords you’re likely to sail just for a day as part of a wider wildlife-watching expedition.The Alaskan whaling industry began to fade away from the early 20th century onwards, though Alaskan Eskimos are still allowed to hunt a limited number of bowhead whales every year. These wonderful creatures, once brought to the brink of extinction by rampant hunting, are now protected and the numbers of most species are growing healthily. Alaska was historically at the forefront of whaling. It is now one of the best places in the world to see them alive and flourishing.