Alaska Destination Overview

It's early morning in the Gulf of Alaska, and horned and tufted puffins are zipping overhead. A gentle mist lingers in the air. Against the indistinct horizon, auklets in their thousands create a shadowy haze against the silver-grey sky. Meanwhile, eight chilly figures, wrapped in scarves and hats, sit in a Zodiac – waiting, hoping, to hear a unique sound we had heard just moments before. Whoosh! A water spray blows high into the air, just 50 metres away. Whoosh! It happens again. We turn to face the noise and spot the striking grey dorsal fin of a humpback whale rise and fall along the water's surface. Whispers of 'wow' rally around the boat.

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Alaska Map

Alaska


When and how to Travel

Weather: If you want to experience milder weather and longer daylight hours, visiting between May and September would be ideal. This also gives you the opportunity to see glaciers calving and to enjoy activities like hiking and kayaking in more comfortable conditions.

Wildlife: During the Summer months, you're more likely to see whales, bears, eagles, and other wildlife in their natural habitats.

Scenery: Alaska's scenery is stunning year-round, but the Summer months offer more opportunities to spend longer outdoors and taking it all in. 

Weather: If you want to experience milder weather and longer daylight hours, visiting between May and September would be ideal. This also gives you the opportunity to see glaciers calving and to enjoy activities like hiking and kayaking in more comfortable conditions.

Wildlife: During the Summer months, you're more likely to see whales, bears, eagles, and other wildlife in their natural habitats.

Scenery: Alaska's scenery is stunning year-round, but the Summer months offer more opportunities to spend longer outdoors and taking it all in. 

Weather: If you want to experience milder weather and longer daylight hours, visiting between May and September would be ideal. This also gives you the opportunity to see glaciers calving and to enjoy activities like hiking and kayaking in more comfortable conditions.

Wildlife: During the Summer months, you're more likely to see whales, bears, eagles, and other wildlife in their natural habitats.

Scenery: Alaska's scenery is stunning year-round, but the Summer months offer more opportunities to spend longer outdoors and taking it all in. 

Weather: If you want to experience milder weather and longer daylight hours, visiting between May and September would be ideal. This also gives you the opportunity to see glaciers calving and to enjoy activities like hiking and kayaking in more comfortable conditions.

Wildlife: During the Summer months, you're more likely to see whales, bears, eagles, and other wildlife in their natural habitats.

Scenery: Alaska's scenery is stunning year-round, but the Summer months offer more opportunities to spend longer outdoors and taking it all in. 

Weather: If you want to experience milder weather and longer daylight hours, visiting between May and September would be ideal. This also gives you the opportunity to see glaciers calving and to enjoy activities like hiking and kayaking in more comfortable conditions.

Wildlife: During the Summer months, you're more likely to see whales, bears, eagles, and other wildlife in their natural habitats.

Scenery: Alaska's scenery is stunning year-round, but the Summer months offer more opportunities to spend longer outdoors and taking it all in. 

The primary sailing season in this region is between May to September. The weather is changeable, with rain and sun common at this time of year. Temperatures can range between 9°C and 16°C. While not all itineraries are the same, the stops mentioned are frequently built into Alaska’s expedition itineraries. Landings are determined in real-time by Expedition Leaders according to weather, swell and tides.

Several expedition companies voyage the Alaskan coastline. Trips can include land extensions, particularly to witness brown bears foraging during the summer salmon run. Ask your operator for further information.

Since 2019, only US-registered vessels can operate Zodiac excursions in North American waters. Other companies use local boat operators for similarly enthralling experiences. Itineraries to Ketchikan join forces with local companies to run offshore tours that showcase the crab fishing industry. The three-hour adventures provide the opportunity to spot marine life, tick off seabird species, and even pull in some king crabs at the same time.

Top tip: Back-to-back voyages allow you to see the best of this remarkable coastline in one epic bucket-list trip.

Alaskan Gulf Zodiac Cruise CREDIT KAREN EDWARDS
ALASKAN GULF ZODIAC CRUISE: PHOTO CREDIT KAREN EDWARDS

Ship types

This part of the world is all about small-ship cruising. Some ships are all about luxury; others offer kayaking, paddleboarding, hikes, and guided walks.

A knowledgeable and experienced expedition team can significantly enhance your experience with insights and guided excursions, and you’ll often find these people onboard.


Activities

Activities on Alaska cruises centre around the great outdoors. You can watch wildlife and admire the scenery, whether from your ship, on zodiac cruises, or on shore excursions. Some of the most popular activities include hiking, glacier viewing, kayaking, and viewing the Northern Lights. Cultural sites you might visit include the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Totem Bight State Historical Park, and the Alaska Native Heritage Centre.


Wildlife

If a wildlife expedition is what you’re looking for, Alaska is undoubtedly the place to find it. Most expedition cruises travel along the state’s southern coastline, with smaller ships winding their way into the intricate fjords to witness the snow-capped mountains and crackling glaciers that line the banks. In these icy waterways, you will see one of the smallest marine mammals on Earth – the sea otter.

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Extraordinary History

While Alaska’s landscape and wildlife are like nowhere else in the world, its history is just as unique. Onboard the ship, our resident historian takes to the stage to give us a presentation on how Alaska became part of the United States—and the story is not what you might expect.

In 1724, Danish navigator and captain Vitus Bering was given a mission from the then Tsar, Peter I, to establish whether Russia (Asia) and North America were connected by land. At the time, the region – known as Russian America – was predominantly settled by fur traders, and much of the area remained uncharted. A short expedition across the Bering Strait and into the Arctic proved no land connection between the two continents. Over the next 20 years, Bering undertook several more expeditions – including Russia’s Great Northern Expedition, which charted much of the north Siberian coastline. In 1741, he mapped the Gulf of Alaska, Mount Saint Elias (on the Alaska-Canada border) and Kodiak Island. After a storm separated the convoy they were travelling, Bering’s co-navigator, Aleksey Chirikov, found himself among the remote Aleutian Island outcrops that speckled the Bering Sea.

Meanwhile, Bering continued to trace the southern Alaska coastline alongside naturalist and surgeon Georg Wilhelm Steller. A landing on Kayak Island marked a significant moment for the odyssey, with Stellar discovering evidence of a native Aleut population living on the island. Stellar is also said to have studied wildlife species throughout the Gulf, with his name given to categorising the Stellar sea lion and the eagle species.

Over a century later, in 1867, with only a few Russians having settled in Alaska, the Russian Empire sold Alaska to a rapidly expanding United States of America – for the humble sum of 7.2 million dollars. The deal, now entitled the ‘Alaska Purchase’, was widely contested by Americans as a bid for ‘useless’ land. Today, however, Alaska is home to some of America’s most lucrative industries – oil, gas and seafood.

Unga Island Landing CREDIT KAREN EDWARDS
UNGA ISLAND LANDING: PHOTO CREDIT KAREN EDWARDS

Remote Abandonment

One of the highlights of this wild stretch of coastline is following in the footsteps of those early explorers. Expedition itineraries within Alaska range between six and 15 days, often starting and ending in Seward, Sitka, or Juneau.

Longer voyages through the remote Aleutian Islands are rarer and usually begin or end in the tiny port town of Nome on the far west coast. Almost all Aleutian trips stop at the world-famous Dutch Harbor, a gateway fishing town on Unalaska Island made famous by the hit TV show Deadliest Catch.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Dutch Harbor is an ideal port to stock up on cold-weather clothing and enjoy a seafood feast. It's also a great place to spot the bald sea eagle, the United States national bird.

Once sailing among the Aleutians, landings include Unga – an island settled by Aleuts until 1969 and is now an abandoned ghost town dotted with wildflowers. Uninhabited Bogoslof, by contrast, thrives with life and is a breeding ground for an estimated 100,000 tufted puffins, cormorants and red-legged kittiwakes. It is also considered an island sanctuary for breeding Stellar sea lions. Kiska and Attu islands – where the United States Navy battled Japanese troops in World War II – still house evidence of the bloody war fought in this region.

Holgate Glacier CREDIT BRAD SIVIOUR
Holgate Glacier: Photo Credit brad siviour

What to Pack

It's important to pack the right things for your Alaska expedition, especially base layers and waterproof clothing. See a list below of the things to remember to pick up.

  • Top and bottom base layers, Merino wool is recommended
  • Fleece or mid-layer for insulation
  • Wind and waterproof shell jacket
  • Several pairs of woollen socks that reach the knee
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Expert Tips

Experiencing Alaska’s inimitable local culture is an unmissable highlight. Make the most of your time spent in towns such as Seward, Ketchikan, Sitka and Juneau by finding a local eatery and feasting on delights like seafood platters. Chinooks in Seward serves everything from classic fish (halibut) and chips to seafood chowder, caribou meatloaf and vegetarian poke bowls.

Sitka’s Burger & Crab Shack is a humble hit with locals and guests alike, while Tracy’s King Crab Shack in Juneau is the place to sample the state’s key delicacy. At Dutch Harbor, Harbour Sushi produces a fresh and sumptuous selection of homemade nigiri, nori, California, and rainbow rolls. Nome’s Breakers Bar is a great spot to meet the locals and get under the skin of this rural, former gold rush town.