Trip
Highlights: Luxurious Yacht, Waterfall-laced Fjords, Glacier Bay
National Park, Icy Strait, Whales and Natural Hotsprings
Ship Name: Safari Quest - Motor Yacht
Passengers: 22
Introduction
It's calm in Icy Strait, one of Alaska's
most beautiful glacial fjords. When you board the Zodiac launch to putter
among the icebergs here, you're putting yourself at sensory level with some
of nature's most amazing secrets. In the still water, you hear a popping
like that of puffed-rice cereal — it's ice decompressing and expanding after
centuries of being crushed by its own glacial weight. Go ahead, reach out
your hands and gather a fistful of geological history. Your own eyes are
wide, but on a nearby floe there's a harbor seal watching you with even
wider eyes that are as shiny as black silk.
Itinerary
Day 1: Sail from Juneau
Transfer to your yacht after an included city and glacier tour. Your crew
greets you with champagne and smiles, and you'll cruise to a secluded wilderness
anchorage this evening.
Days 2-3: Glacier Bay National Park
One of America's crown-jewel national parks will be yours to explore and
marvel at for the next two days. The park itself is 3.2 million acres (the
size of the state of Connecticut), so there is plenty to see. Tidewater
glaciers sweep like rivers of ice down massive mountain valleys, terminating
before us in the waters of Glacier Bay. If conditions permit, marvel as
your inflatable Zodiac weaves among the icebergs that have fallen from the
face of the glaciers. You'll enjoy evenings at anchor in hidden coves, and
mornings paddling your kayak in the quiet of this majestic wilderness. And
what will you find? Here in the bay there are puffins and sea lions, mountain
goats and bears, moose, eagles, and scenery more spectacular than any place
on earth.
Day 4: Icy Strait
You'll search for the tell-tale blow of the humpback whale as you cruise
in Icy Strait today, and later, all the charm of Alaska will greet you
as you pull into tiny Elfin Cove, a miniscule village tucked into
Chichagof Island. You'll step ashore to stretch your legs and meet the
people who choose to live their lives far removed from modern-day
conveniences. Imagine waiting for the mail plane to come in once a week
here in Elfin Cove. This evening you'll anchor in a remote bay and drop
the kayaks for a paddle before calling it a day.
Days 5-7: Wilderness, Whales, and Hotsprings
You'll cruise into the heart of Alaska's Inside Passage during the next
four days. On any given morning, awake to find the crew ready to send you
off in your kayak, complete with hot coffee in a thermos. Wander through
misty coves where colorful sea life clings to the intertidal rocks, and
the silence remains unbroken except for the clear call of a Pacific loon,
or a marbled murrelet. Or maybe there will be a knock on your stateroom
door to inform you that a bear and her two cubs are ambling along the shoreline
just beyond the bow. Spend your days cruising the waters where humpback
whales, Steller's sea lions, orcas and porpoise feed and frolic. You'll
slip into scenic bays, enjoy guided nature hikes and soak in natural hotsprings.
Anchorages will vary from remote coves to dramatic, waterfall-laced fjords
where the cliffs rise over 2,500 feet straight up out of the water. It simply
does not get better than this.
Day 8: Sitka
After arriving in Sitka this morning you'll be transferred to the airport
for connections home.
Notes:
Included:
Meet/greet services and transfers; exclusive shore excursions; all meals
aboard; premium wine, beer and liquor; kayaking and small-boat
exploration; onboard professional naturalist or guide; all taxes, port
charges and fees.
Not Included:
Airfare to and from your home city; super-premium wine, beer and liquor;
discretionary gratuities to vessel's crew, typically 5-10% of fare;
travel insurance.
