Voyage to the Bering Sea - Overview

Highlights: Chukchi, Yupik, & Savoonga Culture, Katmai National Park, Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians, Homer and Kodiak, National Wildlife Refuges

Summary: Experience sights, sounds, and people you'll remember the rest of your life-the white bones of a whalebone repository on the dark tundra, native cultures who still rely on sealskin kayaks, and wildlife so prolific, the cliffs and shorelines seem to shift and move like a mirage. One day, you may travel by Zodiac to a wilderness shore to see a grizzly browse alone the beach. Another, search for petrified wood on a deserted beach. Truly a voyage beyond the ordinary.

Prices from: $9,749 to $19,649

Itinerary

Day 1 - ARRIVE IN ANCHORAGE

Transfer to the Sheraton Hotel.

 

Day 2 - SAIL FROM WHITTIER

Enjoy a tour that includes a visit to the Museum of History and Fine Art. Transfer by motorcoach to Whittier to board the Spirit of Oceanus and begin your cruise, sailing through Prince William Sound. BD

 

Day 3 - WILDERNESS CRUISING

The waters between the Alaska mainland and Kodiak Island are filled with intrigue. Be on deck to see the rugged coastline of Kenai Fjords National Park. Your Captain will determine the best spots to explore today based on the local conditions. BLD

 

Day 4 - KODIAK

Visit the Baranov Museum, the Alutiiq Museum and the Fish Tech Center, all in Alaska’s first Russian-American settlement. BLD

 

Day 5 - KATMAI NATIONAL PARK

Look for brown bears digging for clams as you explore the remote shoreline of Geographic Harbor, where migrating birds like the Arctic Tern stop. BLD

 

Day 6 - SHUMAGIN ISLANDS

Conditions permitting, “wet land,” to explore tidal pools and the tundra. Look for 8,200-foot Pavlov Volcano and seabirds, seals, and sea lions on Haystack Rocks. BLD

 

Day 7 - DUTCH HARBOR

Here on Unalaska Island see the Museum of the Aleutians, and the World War II Memorial Park. BLD

 

Day 8 - PRIBILOF ISLANDS

St. George is a prime viewing site for fur seals and reindeer. Also watch for puffins, auklets, and murres. BLD

 

Day 9 - WILDERNESS EXPLORATION

Go to remote islands such as Nunivak, part of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. You may spot wild musk oxen and caribou. BLD

 

Day 10 - EXPLORING THE BERING SEA

Clear customs into Russia and take a tour of Provideniya. Search the rugged shoreline of Russia’s Chukotka Peninsula. In three days of exploration, you may also visit these villages: * Little Diomede - Seperated from Russia's Big Diomede by less than two miles and the International Date Line. * Novoye Chaplino - This Yupik village claims kinship to Alaskan Eskimos. * Yanrakynnot - These Chukchi subsistence hunters go after walrus, whales and other sea creatures. Nearby, Whale Bone Alley runs along the shore for miles. * Savoonga - Hailed as the “Walrus Capital of the World,” the natives here are subsistence hunters, living off the sea and land. BLD

 

Day 11 - EXPLORING THE BERING SEA

A second day of exploration. BLD

 

Day 12 - EXPLORING THE BERING SEA

A third day of exploration. BLD

 

Day 13 - THE ARCTIC CIRCLE

Cruise far north, perhaps to cross the Arctic Circle at the Date Line. Possible whale sightings include minkes, humpbacks, and bowheads. BLD

 

Day 14 - NOME TO ANCHORAGE

See the spirit of Nome with a sightseeing tour before leaving on your included flight to Anchorage. Your tour ends upon arrival at the Anchorage airport. BL