Beautiful day at Multnomah Falls, Oregon, US
Guests on zodiac explore the Columbia River, Washington, USA.
A plate of steak dinner aboard the ship National Geographic Quest.
Guests enjoying wine from the the sundeck on the ship National Geographic Sea Bird.
Food and Wine invites you on an immersive new journey along the Columbia & Snake Rivers aboard National Geographic Sea Bird and National Geographic Sea Lion
Beautiful day at Multnomah Falls, Oregon, US
ExpeditionsColumbia and Snake Rivers: Food, Wine and History

Columbia and Snake Rivers: Food, Wine and History

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HighlightsItineraryDates & RatesShips

Experience the bounty of the Pacific Northwest with National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions and wines curated by Food & Wine Executive Wine Editor Ray Isle. Choose a 6- or 8-day journey to delve deep into the history, harvests, and landscapes of the Columbia and Snake rivers, while indulging your senses with the region’s culinary splendors and world-class wines. Actively explore the region on hikes, kayaking excursions, and visits to museums and wineries. Our nimble, intimately scaled ship offers an unmatched vantage for taking in the rolling valleys and soaring canyons, and a top team of naturalists—including experts on history, geology, and wine—illuminates all we see and savor.

Highlights

Crew staff apple picking at Draper Girls Country Farm, Oregon, USA.
  • Indulge in gourmet, seasonal menus featuring sustainable ingredients sourced primarily from the surrounding Pacific Northwest region

  • Enjoy nightly tastings of the region’s best wines, personally selected by Food & Wine magazine’s Executive Wine Editor, Ray Isle

  • Witness the region’s geological wonders—from Beacon Rock to Multnomah and Palouse Falls—and explore up close and at water level aboard kayaks and Zodiacs

  • Explore art galleries, sweets shops and tasting rooms in delightful downtown Walla Walla

  • Gain exclusive access, including a private reception at the Columbia Gorge Museum as well as private tours and tastings with local winemakers

  • In Astoria, visit scenic Cape Disappointment where Lewis and Clark first saw the Pacific Ocean (8-day itinerary only) 

From

$3,675

/ per person

Does not include any flights

View our brochure for more details

Wild Pacific Coast 2025-28

Talk to an Expedition Specialist1.800.397.3348

From

$3,675

/ per person

View our brochure for more details

Wild Pacific Coast 2025-28

From

$3,675

/ per person

View our brochure for more details

Wild Pacific Coast 2025-28

Itinerary

Multiple routes available

Some departures follow a modified itinerary. Please refer to departure dates for exact routing of your departure.

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Starts atPortland, Oregon
Ends atClarkston, Washington

Day 1

Portland, Oregon / Embark Ship

Arrive in the early afternoon in Portland, located in the shadow of snow-capped Mount Hood. Embark in early evening and enjoy wine and champagne as the ship sails along the Willamette River under eight of Portland’s 12 eclectic bridges.

Arrival Time: Arrive by 3:00 p.m. local time.  
Arrival City: Portland, Oregon   

Meals Included: Dinner

Day 1

Portland, Oregon / Embark Ship

Arrive in the early afternoon in Portland, located in the shadow of snow-capped Mount Hood. Embark in early evening and enjoy wine and champagne as the ship sails along the Willamette River under eight of Portland’s 12 eclectic bridges.

Arrival Time: Arrive by 3:00 p.m. local time.  
Arrival City: Portland, Oregon   

Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2

Astoria

Begin your journey by navigating the Columbia to the mouth of the river at Astoria. At Cape Disappointment, take in the dramatic scenery where Meriwether Lewis saw the Pacific for the first time in 1805. Walk or enjoy a scenic hike to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center to learn more. In the afternoon, there are several options to explore Astoria—visit the maritime museum to learn about this estuary’s navigational hazards and history of shipwrecks, take a shuttle to the Astoria Column or explore the shops and restaurants on your own.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 2

Astoria

Begin your journey by navigating the Columbia to the mouth of the river at Astoria. At Cape Disappointment, take in the dramatic scenery where Meriwether Lewis saw the Pacific for the first time in 1805. Walk or enjoy a scenic hike to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center to learn more. In the afternoon, there are several options to explore Astoria—visit the maritime museum to learn about this estuary’s navigational hazards and history of shipwrecks, take a shuttle to the Astoria Column or explore the shops and restaurants on your own.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3

Cruising / The Dalles / Hood River

Immerse yourself in natural and man-made marvels as you explore the scenic Columbia and pass through Bonneville Lock and Dam. Take a steaming cup of coffee to the bow where your naturalists offer honest perspectives on the controversial history of dams along the river. In the afternoon, make a stop at neck-craning Multnomah Falls before an optional hike of iconic Beacon Rock, a basalt column towering 848 feet above the Columbia River. Later, enjoy a private event with Syncline Winery at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center. Savor canapes and Syncline’s distinctive wines as you take in 15,000 years of cultural history, including indigenous art and a massive working steam engine.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3

Cruising / The Dalles / Hood River

Immerse yourself in natural and man-made marvels as you explore the scenic Columbia and pass through Bonneville Lock and Dam. Take a steaming cup of coffee to the bow where your naturalists offer honest perspectives on the controversial history of dams along the river. In the afternoon, make a stop at neck-craning Multnomah Falls before an optional hike of iconic Beacon Rock, a basalt column towering 848 feet above the Columbia River. Later, enjoy a private event with Syncline Winery at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center. Savor canapes and Syncline’s distinctive wines as you take in 15,000 years of cultural history, including indigenous art and a massive working steam engine.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4

Cruising the Gorge

Spend the day cruising through some of the most scenic and geologically interesting stretches of the Columbia River and the Columbia Plateau. Your geologists provide fascinating insight on the glacial floods that sculpted the landscape 13,000 years ago, as your food and wine expert illustrates the expression of such unique terrain through its tastes and tannins. Relive the historic tales of the Corps of Discovery through the eyes of a historian as you sail by important landmarks. Or unwind with a massage in preparation for an exciting day ahead.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4

Cruising the Gorge

Spend the day cruising through some of the most scenic and geologically interesting stretches of the Columbia River and the Columbia Plateau. Your geologists provide fascinating insight on the glacial floods that sculpted the landscape 13,000 years ago, as your food and wine expert illustrates the expression of such unique terrain through its tastes and tannins. Relive the historic tales of the Corps of Discovery through the eyes of a historian as you sail by important landmarks. Or unwind with a massage in preparation for an exciting day ahead.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5

Walla Walla, Washington

Drive through some of the most fertile agricultural areas in the nation, with bright, rolling green and purple fields of sprouting wheat, asparagus and famous Walla Walla sweet onions. In the morning, discover the thriving art scene on a guided tour, or choose to visit the Whitman Mission, a standout National Historic Site where friction between Native Americans and white missionaries erupted into an event that continues to reverberate in American culture. After lunch at a local winery, explore charming downtown Walla Walla at your leisure, perusing local galleries, sampling sweets at the country’s #1 candy store or popping into cozy tasting rooms. 

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5

Walla Walla, Washington

Drive through some of the most fertile agricultural areas in the nation, with bright, rolling green and purple fields of sprouting wheat, asparagus and famous Walla Walla sweet onions. In the morning, discover the thriving art scene on a guided tour, or choose to visit the Whitman Mission, a standout National Historic Site where friction between Native Americans and white missionaries erupted into an event that continues to reverberate in American culture. After lunch at a local winery, explore charming downtown Walla Walla at your leisure, perusing local galleries, sampling sweets at the country’s #1 candy store or popping into cozy tasting rooms. 

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6

Palouse River

The still water of the Palouse River is the perfect mirror for the surrounding basalt cliffs as you set off on your Zodiac and kayak adventures. Visit Palouse Falls, where waters plunge 200 feet into a churning pool. These falls and the surrounding canyon with its towering cliffs, cavernous holes in the earth and winding water routes are part of geologically unique channeled scablands created by ancient floods. Afterwards, sail up the Snake River, enjoying a taste of local specialties.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6

Palouse River

The still water of the Palouse River is the perfect mirror for the surrounding basalt cliffs as you set off on your Zodiac and kayak adventures. Visit Palouse Falls, where waters plunge 200 feet into a churning pool. These falls and the surrounding canyon with its towering cliffs, cavernous holes in the earth and winding water routes are part of geologically unique channeled scablands created by ancient floods. Afterwards, sail up the Snake River, enjoying a taste of local specialties.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7

Clarkston

Today, explore the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers, more than 450 miles from the sea. Travel by comfortable jet boat into spectacular, 125-mile Hells Canyon, North America’s deepest river gorge, mostly inaccessible by road. Observe remnants of the Nez Perce tribe, including ancestral horsetrails along the hillsides and petroglyphs on rock formations, while keeping an eye out for the stately and nimble Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. In the evening, you'll be joined by a Nez Perce storyteller, and a local winemaker hosts your final tasting as you toast an unforgettable journey before a special final dinner.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7

Clarkston

Today, explore the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers, more than 450 miles from the sea. Travel by comfortable jet boat into spectacular, 125-mile Hells Canyon, North America’s deepest river gorge, mostly inaccessible by road. Observe remnants of the Nez Perce tribe, including ancestral horsetrails along the hillsides and petroglyphs on rock formations, while keeping an eye out for the stately and nimble Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. In the evening, you'll be joined by a Nez Perce storyteller, and a local winemaker hosts your final tasting as you toast an unforgettable journey before a special final dinner.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8

Clarkston / Disembark Ship

Disembark in Clarkston and transfer to the airport for flights home. Choose to fly from nearby Lewiston, Idaho or from Spokane, Washington, two hours away.

Departure Time: After 12:00 p.m., local time (Lewiston); after 12:00 p.m., local time (Spokane)  
Departure City: Lewiston, Idaho, or Spokane, Washington   

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 8

Clarkston / Disembark Ship

Disembark in Clarkston and transfer to the airport for flights home. Choose to fly from nearby Lewiston, Idaho or from Spokane, Washington, two hours away.

Departure Time: After 12:00 p.m., local time (Lewiston); after 12:00 p.m., local time (Spokane)  
Departure City: Lewiston, Idaho, or Spokane, Washington   

Meals Included: Breakfast

Video

In Good Company - Food, Wine & History with Ray Isle

  • Nov 2023

In 2024, Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic and Food & Wine are collaborating to deliver an immersive small-ship journey along the Columbia and Snake Rivers, a fertile region known for its exceptional culinary scene. Ray Isle, Food & Wine's Executive Wine Editor, has handpicked more than 40 local wines for guests to taste throughout the voyage. He will also join the inaugural departure on March 31, 2024. In this episode of In Good Company, Isle shares more about his wine selections and how great wine is a “way to travel the world in a glass.

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    National Geographic Sea Bird

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    CABINS 31

    DECKS 3

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    National Geographic Sea Lion

    GUESTS 62

    CABINS 31

    DECKS 3

    National Geographic Sea Lion accommodates just 62 guests in 31 outside cabins. With a shallow draft and small size, she can easily reach places inaccessible to larger ships.

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