Day 1 — Juneau, Alaska
Arrive in Juneau. Meet our naturalists and visit the newly constructed Alaska State Museum—home to an impressive collection of natural history and cultural artifacts. Tour downtown Juneau, and settle into your cabin before dinner. Later, explore the port of Juneau on your own.
Meal: Dinner
Day 2 — Tracy Arm Fjord—Fords Terror Wilderness
Voyage into Tracy or Endicott Arm, both spectacular glacially carved fjords. See the soaring South Sawyer or Dawes Glacier up close, and take a cruise in an expedition landing craft for an unbeatable view of sculpted icebergs. Keep an eye out for harbor seals, porpoises, and arctic terns.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 — Petersburg
Search for humpback whales as we head toward the small Alaska town of Petersburg on Mitkof Island, founded more than 100 years ago by Norwegian fishermen. Explore Southeast Alaska’s muskeg, an area with stunted trees and carnivorous plants. There is an opportunity for bike riding or optional flightseeing (weather permitting). Enjoy a crab feast for dinner this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 — Exploring Frederick Sound and Chatham Strait
These waters often offer great whale watching. Look for Steller sea lions stretched out on the rocky islands that dot the channels, and take a walk with naturalists along a quiet forest trail or kayak in the area's tiny coves. Meet members of the Alaska Whale Foundation—whose work is supported by a grant from the Lindblad Expeditons-National Geographic Fund—and discuss some of their recent discoveries about the region's marine mammal population.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 — Icy Straits and Inian Pass
Cruise among the Inian Islands, home to an abundance of Steller sea lions and sea otters. Hike nearby islands, kayak, and search for marine mammals in the rich waters off Icy Strait. Conditions permitting, we’ll lower the ship’s hydrophone to listen in on the whales’ communication.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 — Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
By special permit, explore Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve today. See glaciers that end abruptly at the water’s edge, and observe them calving—when tons of ice crash into the sea. Wilderness abounds—mountain goats and brown bears patrol the shore; and harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and puffins swim in these icy waters. A native Tlingit interpreter joins us to discuss indigenous culture, and a National Park Service ranger will offer insights on the natural world.
Please note: The 2019 National Geographic Sea Lion departures have a modified itinerary and do not visit Glacier Bay National Park. Instead, guests will have an opportunity to explore the rarely visited outer bays—either Dundas Bay or Fern Harbor—where they will have the opportunity to go on naturalist-led hikes in search of wildlife, kayak into secluded coves, or cruise around sea stacks on expedition landing crafts.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 — Exploring Alaska's Islands, Bays, and Fjords
Today, nature is our guide. We may explore an isolated beach to take a closer look at tide pools and beachcomb, hike stunning forest trails, or see bear tracks worn into the soil while walking through an isolated meadow. Sightings of bald eagles are very common. If conditions permit, we’ll go kayaking, always watching for marine and terrestrial life.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 — Sitka/Seattle
After breakfast, disembark in Sitka, Southeast Alaska’s only oceanfront town. Visit the onion-domed St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral. At the Alaska Raptor Center, get an up-close view of species normally seen at a distance. Drive to the airport for your flight home.
Meals: Breakfast