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We're proud to be awarded the #1 small ship cruise line by the 2021 Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards! |
Hear the thunderous crack of calving glaciers. Sail alongside pods of killer whales. See breaching humpbacks and soaring eagles. Feel the stillness in verdant old-growth rainforests. Kayak peaceful coves and coastlines. Explore a land where towering mountains rise from the sea and colossal glaciers carve the living landscape. Coastal brown bears lumber through streams fishing for spawning salmon, and the sea comes alive with feeding whales and playful otters. In the 35 years we’ve been exploring, we have created the richest experience possible in Alaska.
This is what happens deep inside in Alaska where our nimble ships roam—a thrilling spectacle, playing right off the bow.
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Alaska
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Length
15 days
From
$11,580
Prices are per person
Alaska
Special Offers
Alaska
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Length
8 days
From
$7,340
Prices are per person
Alaska
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Alaska
Special Offers
Length
14 days
From
$10,640
Prices are per person
Alaska
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Alaska
New and Noteworthy
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Length
8 days
From
$5,400
Prices are per person
Alaska
New and Noteworthy
Special Offers
Each part of the Alaskan cruising season also holds its own allures. Midsummer makes for the most daylight hours, while the shoulder season—the first week of May and the beginning of September—is the only time one can transit the entire Inside Passage.
This is the Alaska of legend — to experience it you have to go deep. Venture into narrow fjords, where virgin rock that has never before been seen or touched by humans is now being exposed by receding glaciers. Go into remote bays to linger and observe whales going about the slow business of their daily lives. Walk through temperate rainforests on trails worn into the spongy earth by foraging bears. Venture into small towns, populated by hardy, friendly souls, to discover the way life has been lived in Alaska for centuries. Meet First Nations people in mutually rewarding encounters and learn their traditions and ways of life. Plus, sail aboard U.S.-built and -flagged ships to minimize time-consuming protocols to clear customs and maximize time exploring.
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When Zodiac cruising around icebergs, I always feel like I'm in the middle of nature's sculpture garden.
Doug Gould, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
watch videoFrom climate conditions, to cabin information, to packing the right footwear, find answers to the questions Expedition Specialists get most often.
Read moreHenry David Thoreau called it the "tonic of wildness." It’s what Alaska, with its beauty and wildness intact, gives you—a spirit lift. To compound this healthful effect, add the luxury of comfort to the privilege of being here—with a quality of shipboard life and a philosophy of wellness designed to relax and rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit.
Everyone was knowledgeable and well able to explain and share their information with anyone. Their enthusiasm is contagious!
Peter & Ann G.
Lindblad Expeditions supports stewardship efforts in the places we explore, and one way we do that is through the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic (LEX-NG) Fund. Traveler contributions to the LEX-NG Fund in Alaska currently support our regional partner, Alaska Whale Foundation, in its efforts to study and conserve Alaska’s whales and other wildlife.
9/10/2021
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National Geographic Quest
A fine and adventurous day was awarded to us on our last chance to explore Southeast Alaska on this voyage. We anchored in the morning at Ushk Bay just between Baraknof and Chicagof Islands. We spent the morning exploring the vast beach, meadows, and forests that make this area so special and wild. Salmon were making their final push upstream while the less lucky fishes lay as carcasses along the streams. We have learned and seen so much in our short time in Southeast Alaska and it has never disappointed.
9/9/2021
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National Geographic Quest
We woke up to today to sculptures of ice floating down the mirror-still water of a mist filled fjord as we proceeded towards Johns Hopkins Glacier. The air was crisp and still holding only a slight chill. The dramatic landscape unfolded in front of us, showcasing countless waterfalls spilling from the high walls of the fjord and complex structures of ice at the face of the glacier. Kittiwakes streamed by silently in the morning air as seals gave us a curious glance. Spending the day in Glacier Bay National Park is always an anticipated highlight of our voyages. This incredible location has so much to offer, as our full schedule showed. Shortly after our early morning glacier, we made way to view our late morning glacier at the northern extent of Glacier Bay. The cool air and increasing fog just added to the mystique of this very special place. Throughout the day we switched between viewing wildlife, listening to presentations, and dining with our friends, new and old, aboard the National Geographic Quest. A mother and cub brown bear gave us quick looks as they skirted from the beach into the forest. Mountain goats effortlessly traversed the impossibly steep walls of Gloomy Knob. Dazzling flocks of seabirds painted lines around the ship in Russel Cut. Rafts of sea otters paddled along as the fog lifted from the azure waters. Glacier Bay does not disappoint. Approaching South Marble Island, a breeding location for many seabirds and a haul-out spot for Steller sea lions, life was abundant. The sea lions were present in loud playful groups, and the birds showed themselves in large quantities and diversity. As we were starting to depart, a pod of killer whales came towards the island. Four individuals, including a male with a distinct tall dorsal fin, began to tour the island and the sea lion haul-outs. The pinnipeds scrambled to get to high ground as the tide took their crowded refuge. Several naturalists believe that the whales were successful in hunting sea lions during our prolonged stay at the island. Observing killer whales hunt is a rare opportunity, so we were all glued to the bow taking in the dramatic scene unfolding in front of us. As we began to peel away from the island and share the excitement of what we had just witnessed, puffins flew about and several more brown bears worked their way along the shore. This was the kind of day that will live on in story for years after it ends; another amazing day in Alaska.
9/8/2021
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National Geographic Quest
After several days of liquid sunshine in Southeast Alaska, the sun came out to illuminate the Inian Islands and all of the wildlife that utilizes this amazing corridor of Alaska. Everyone took a Zodiac ride in the morning to see Steller sea lions, sea otters, and a myriad of birds. The current ripped through the islands, bringing the fish buffet up to the hungry sea lions. The ecosystem in this area is returning homeostasis compliments of the burgeoning sea otter population after their near extinction during the Russian America days. Everyone enjoyed close up views of sea otters! After lunch, the expedition continued to George Island where there were a variety of hikes through the forest and kayaking from the beach. The afternoon ended with some hot cider and an opportunity to take a “Polar Plunge” in the Southeast Alaskan waters.
9/7/2021
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National Geographic Quest
This morning the National Geographic Quest headed towards Kuiu Island and dropped the hook in Security Bay. Dropping all of our toys after breakfast, we prepared for our chosen activities: kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, or hiking. On the water, perfect calm conditions and a gorgeous coastline made for smooth paddling and some of us had good sightings of harbor seals and sea otters. In the forest, hikers were blown away by the beauty of the enchanted temperate rainforest. HUGE Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees left us in a state of “WOW.” If only these trees could talk they’d have quite the stories to tell. Our landing area, from where all activities commenced, was very close to a spot called Retaliation Point. An intriguing name with a story of dire consequence. Northern Kuiu Island is part of the traditional territory of Kake Tlingit. Security Bay was heavily used by these native people prior to 1870. In 1869 two white men were killed by Kake Tlingit, presumably to avenge the shooting of one of their people by an Army guard. In retaliation a Lieutenant Commander Meade, commanding the US steamer Saginaw, burned and destroyed three villages, including the one here at Retaliation Point. Poking around the forest we found some indentations in the earth and wondered if these could have been old house sites from the village that was burned. While the island is home to the two largest known trees in Alaska, it has seen its fair share of logging. We found evidence of that industry in the woods: huge stumps, cables and a yarder used to pull the trees out of the forest with a winch. Old fishing boats and a mysterious barge were also encountered on the shore. In the woods we found scat, evidence of moose and bear. Kuiu is home to one of the densest black bear populations in North America with up to 4 bears per square mile! As we head further north to the ABC islands we will leave these two species behind. Moose and black bear populations on Kuiu arrived here by island hopping from Mitkof and Kupreanof islands after swimming across from the mainland. While it was a wet day in Southeast, Alaska, we made the most of our layers and rain gear and were “WoW’ed” by the incredible forest and coastline.
9/6/2021
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National Geographic Quest
National Geographic Quest spent the morning in the fishing village of Petersburg as the largest ship among a fleet of small fishing vessels. We then positioned south to Ideal Cove, a wonderful place to introduce everyone to the amazing temperate rainforest I call home.
I’ll never forget doing our original reconnaissance in Alaska—soaring in a floatplane over such a wild landscape of dense forest, massive glaciers, and endless waterways. Southeast Alaska is simply magical.
Sven-Olof Lindblad
