Featured: Alaska’s Inside Passage cruise, US
30 July 2026 – 9 days from £9,095 per person
Cruise Alaska’s spectacular Inside Passage aboard a small expedition-style ship accommodating just 20 guests. Experience calving glaciers, wildlife-filled fjords, stunning national parks and endless tundra. The abundant wildlife in the region includes sea lions, sea otters, porpoises, orcas and humpback whales.
Shaped by the incredible force of gigantic glaciers millions of years ago, Alaska’s Inside Passage is a breathtaking coastal waterway that extends approximately 800 kilometers along the Pacific Ocean. This scenic route winds through a stunning maze of picturesque fjords, lush temperate rainforests, and rugged islands, offering unparalleled views of towering snow-capped peaks and pristine waters teeming with marine life.
During this cruise, there are ample wildlife viewing opportunities, from majestic marine mammals to diverse birdlife and land animals. Humpback whales, orcas, and gray whales are frequently spotted, along with playful sea otters, harbor seals, and Steller sea lions. Bald eagles soar overhead, while puffins, murres, and Arctic terns nest along the rugged coastline. Onshore, black and brown bears roam near salmon-rich streams, while mountain goats and Sitka black-tailed deer navigate forested slopes.
Travel aboard the Safari Quest, accommodating 20 guests in 10 cabins. It is the perfect home from which to explore the dramatic wilderness of the Inside Passage and the famous Glacier Bay. Join guided nature hikes ashore, kayak among icebergs and keep watch for whales and bears from the deck. By cruising on a smaller vessel, you can enjoy a more flexible and intimate experience, travelling with like-minded fellow passengers in search of wildlife and natural wonders. Travelling on a small ship also offers the chance to explore hidden inlets and pristine fjords that larger cruise ships simply can’t reach.
This cruise to Alaska is suitable for all those with a general interest in glaciology, conservation, nature and marine biology, as well as those wanting to follow in the wake of generations of pioneers, traders and explorers to explore a stunning wilderness area.
For those looking for the ultimate Alaska wildlife adventure, the dates of this tour can be combined with our Alaskan brown bear, ecology and wilderness adventure for a two week Alaskan experience, offering the chance to view wildlife on land and at sea.
In partnership with Polar Routes.
Lara Paxton
DAY 1: JUNEAU
On arrival into Juneau, you will be met at the airport and transferred you to your hotel. The rest of the day will be free for you to explore Juneau at your own leisure.
Located between snow-topped mountains and ice-blue inlets, Juneau offers stunning scenery and great wildlife, including whales, seals, sealions, porpoises, otters, bears and eagles. Lying in the panhandle of south-east Alaska, it became the state's capital city in 1906. First settled at the time of the gold rush, Juneau welcomes with both small-town charm and towering glaciers.
In the evening, meet with your expert and the rest of your group for a welcome meeting, followed by dinner at a local restaurant.
DAY 2: JUNEAU AND EMBARKATION
In the morning, there will be free time for you to explore Juneau. In the afternoon, return to your hotel where you will be transferred to the Safari Quest, your home for the next seven nights. Once on board, meet your expedition team with time to settle into your cabin.
Wildlife viewing, exploration and getting off the boat as much as possible are certainly the focus during this cruise, with excursions at least twice daily by foot, skiff or kayak. The trip itinerary will be relatively flexible and dictated by weather and wildlife activity.
This evening, leave the city of Juneau behind as you set sail for the scenic inlets and secluded wilderness of the Inside Passage.
DAY 3: ICY STRAIT
After breakfast, head out to explore the remote bays of Icy Strait. There may be an opportunity to kayak in these sheltered waters, paddling through giant bullwhip kelp that can grow to more than 30 metres long. Perhaps take a skiff excursion to a rocky outcrop where sea lions play, or step ashore for a guided forest hike.
During skiff rides, on walks and when the ship is repositioning, the onboard expedition team will share facts about the region's marine biology, flora and geology.
Tonight, Safari Quest sails into Glacier Bay National Park with a special early entry permit only available on this itinerary.
DAY 4: GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK
Today, a National Park Ranger will join the ship as you cruise through the spectacular Glacier Bay National Park.
Glacier Bay National Park offers unrivalled scenery of glaciers, mountains, islands and fjords, together with a wealth of wildlife. Orcas, humpback whales and minke whales feed in the channels, while you may see bears along the picturesque shoreline, turning over rocks to find crustaceans. You may also see Dall’s porpoises, while colonies of Steller’s sealions congregate on rocky islets to bask or mate, and thousands of harbour seals breed and nurture their pups.
Cruise past South Marble Island, known for its abundant birdlife including puffins, guillemots and gulls, before continuing to the far end of Tarr Inlet. Here, the ancient Margerie and Grand Pacific glaciers calve huge chunks of ice directly into the water.
Time and weather permitting, visit the sheer-sided Tidal Inlet, where bears can often be seen foraging along the shoreline, or enjoy a short forest hike at Bartlett Cove.
DAY 5: ADMIRALTY ISLAND NATIONAL MONUMENT
Today, explore Admiralty Island National Monument, home to the highest density of brown bears in North America. Wildlife activity abounds on this rugged island in the Inside Passage. Members of the Tlingit Indigenous community call the island Kootznoowoo, meaning “Fortress of the Bear”. The island also has a higher density of bald eagles than all the other US states combined.
Kayak or skiff in and out of the bays and islets, keeping an eye out for Alaskan brown bears and nesting bald eagles.
DAY 6: FREDERICK SOUND
Today, you'll cruise through Frederick Sound, a popular haunt for humpback whales. Surrounded by the majestic snow-covered mountains of the Coast range, which rise to 3000 metres, the glacier-fed waters of Frederick Sound are abundant with krill and herring, making them one of the premier places to observe feeding humpback whales. It's estimated that more than 500 humpback whales migrate to Frederick Sound from Hawaii, visiting to feed on its nutrient and krill-rich waters. Other marine animals that can be seen here include orca, Steller's sealions, Dall’s porpoises and harbour seals.
Witness Alaska's oldest light station, the Five Fingers Lighthouse, and watch out for sea lions around the Brothers Islands.
DAY 7: WINDHAM BAY AND STEPHENS PASSAGE
Your captain will navigate Windham Bay and Stephens Passage.
One of the straightest stretches of the Inside Passage, Stephens Passage is located between Admiralty Island to the west and the mainland and Douglas Island to the east. The passage is generally considered to offer some of the best whale-watching waters in Alaska: a misty spout is a sure sign they’re in the neighborhood. It also holds plentiful populations of Steller sea lions, as well as flocks of gulls and guillemots that clatter aloft as the ship passes. The passage was named by George Vancouver in 1794 after being charted by Joseph Whidbey.
DAY 8: ENDICOTT ARM AND DAWES GLACIER
Surrounded by snow-covered mountains and glacier-carved valleys, take a skiff cruise into one of Alaska's most beautiful corners. Endicott Arm and Fords Terror reveal a spectacular combination of icebergs, waterfalls and the dazzling blue ice of the Dawes glacier as it creeps down from the Coast mountains. With a sharp crack, the white thunder of a calving slice makes a megasplash.
Tonight, the Alaskan wilderness will provide a fitting backdrop to your farewell dinner.
DAY 9: DISEMBARKATION IN JUNEAU
Your crew and new friends wish you heartfelt goodbyes. This morning, transfer to Juneau airport or to your hotel for your onwards travel home.
