Discover iconic wild Alaska on an expedition honed over 35+ years

Venture into a land of mist-shrouded fjords, tidewater glaciers, and islands teeming with wildlife. For over 35 years we’ve been sharing the remarkable beauty of Southeast Alaska with adventurous guests, and over those years we’ve found the shallow, fast-moving channels where whales return to feed year after year and the ancestral trails carved in the forest by lumbering bears. Join us to explore these wild places and search for marine life, kayak along the coast, and spend a full day in Glacier Bay National Park with insights from a park ranger and a Tlingit cultural interpreter.

  • Hike through lush forests and muskegs, kayak into secluded inlets, and cruise by Zodiac among electric blue icebergs and curious wildlife

  • By special permit, spend a full day exploring Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

  • If schedules permit, our conservation partners from the Alaska Whale Foundation will come aboard to meet with us and speak about the local whale population

  • Discover Alaska’s seldom-seen, vibrant marine life revealed by our undersea specialist

  • Hike and kayak in the wild remote areas of Tongass National Forest by special permit

See less highlights

Duration

8 Days

Price

From $7,200 per person

Dates

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Next departure

7/31/2021

Special offers

BRINGING THE KIDS

COMBINING OFFERS

BACK-TO-BACK SAVINGS

TRAVELING AS A GROUP

Free Airfare ON SELECT DATES

CELEBRATE LIFE'S MILESTONES

Ships

Alaska

Day By Day

Get out and explore by walking forest paths created by wildlife and seeing eagles, bears, whales, sea lions, and more. Make the expedition as active as you choose, and each day join a different naturalist in exploring for more viewpoints and learning. Hike, kayak, cruise by Zodiac and stand-up paddleboard.

Current

Embark

Juneau, Alaska

Disembark

Sitka, Alaska

Itinerary PDF

Reverse

Embark

Sitka, Alaska

Disembark

Juneau, Alaska

Itinerary PDF

Please be aware we have made slight modifications to our 2021 Summer Season itineraries in accordance with our protocols.  Call 1-800-EXPEDITION for additional details.

Alternative Route

Get out and explore by walking forest paths created by wildlife and seeing eagles, bears, whales, sea lions, and more. Make the expedition as active as you choose, and each day join a different naturalist in exploring for more viewpoints and learning. Hike, kayak, cruise by Zodiac and stand-up paddleboard.

Embark

Disembark

Ready for the adventure of a lifetime?

Talk to an Expedition Specialist

1.800.EXPEDITION (1.800.397.3348)

Call now

Make a reservation

RESERVE

Sign up for our newsletter & special offers

sign up

Talk to an Expedition Specialist

1.800.EXPEDITION (1.800.397.3348)

Call now

Make a reservation

RESERVE

Sign up for our newsletter & special offers

sign up

Special Offers

Special Offers

BRINGING THE KIDS
Special Offers

We believe sharing an expedition with your kids or grandkids is a life-enhancing experience. So take $500 off for each child under the age of 18.

COMBINING OFFERS
Special Offers

Certain offers may be combinable, up to two savings opportunities, except where noted otherwise. For example, travel with a group of 8 or more on back-to-back expeditions, and take advantage of both savings.

BACK-TO-BACK SAVINGS
Special Offers

Save 10% on any consecutive journeys taken on board one of our expedition ships. This savings is applicable on voyage fares only, and are not valid on extensions or airfare.

TRAVELING AS A GROUP
Special Offers

Save 5% when traveling as a group of 8 or more people. Take advantage of these great savings, while enjoying traveling with your friends and family. This savings is applicable to voyage fares only, and is not valid on extensions or airfare. Deposit, final payments, and cancellation policies for group travel vary from our regular policies.

Free Airfare ON SELECT DATES
Special Offers

Book by November 30, 2021, to receive free roundtrip airfare from Seattle to Alaska on select departures on Exploring Alaska’s Coastal Wilderness and Wild Alaska Escapes, or free one-way airfare on select departures on Treasures of the Inside Passage: Alaska & British Columbia and A Remarkable Journey to Alaska, British Columbia & Haida Gwaii. Complimentary air is based on economy group flights and must be ticketed by Lindblad Expeditions. In the case that Lindblad's group flight is not available at time of booking, we reserve the right to issue a credit. Baggage fees may be additional. New bookings only and not combinable with other offers or pre- or post-extensions. Call for details.

CELEBRATE LIFE'S MILESTONES
Special Offers

In the spirit of celebration aboard, you and your companions will be entitled to Milestone benefits: 5% off groups of 8 or more; $150 shipboard credit which can be used for gift shop items, or most shipboard items including the LEXspa, the ship’s bar and dining room; complimentary video chronicle; complimentary custom photograph of you and your guests taken by the LEX-NG Photo Instructor to capture the moment; complimentary specially served decorated cake; special welcome gift in your cabin. For new Exploring Alaska's Coastal Wilderness departure bookings only. Milestone celebration needs to be communicated at time of booking, amenity package is one per group and intended for the guest celebrating the Milestone event. Group discount is applicable to cruise portion only, and does not apply towards additional services such as hotels, extensions, etc. Group cancellation terms also apply. Not combinable with certain offers. Valid for groups of 8 or more.

Dates, Rates & Cabins

Travel on this itinerary from $7,200 per person

Browse our team directory to discover the full cast of expedition staff

View Directory

Extensions

Extensions

Make the most of your proximity and time

Denali National Park Post Voyage Extension
Denali National Park Post Voyage Extension

Post-trip

6 Days

From

$6,950 per person

Discover the wildness that lives at the heart of Alaska; add an inland exploration of Denali National Park to your coastal expedition.

Explore from a comfortable, elegant wilderness lodge.
With the idyllic Kantishna Roadhouse Lodge as your base camp, you’ll enjoy special access. Kantishna's relationship with the Park ensures exclusive opportunities for you to explore Denali National Park’s most pristine backcountry areas for prime hiking and wildlife viewing. Set deep in the heart of the Park, this unique wilderness retreat offers unparalleled views of Denali, a wide range of outdoor activities and nightly presentations that emphasize Denali’s natural and cultural history, plus locally sourced cuisine. The small group size of 11 guests per naturalist enhances the intimacy of outings and opportunities for in-depth learning. Explore via private touring vehicles, or if you prefer a more personal exploration, you can hike a trail near the lodge or around Wonder Lake, bike the trails or even spend an afternoon fishing. At the expedition’s end, you’ll return to Anchorage first class in lavishly appointed cars on the Alaska Railroad that feature original Alaska art and a private outdoor viewing deck.

View extension

Daily Expedition Reports

View All

Daily Expedition Reports

Jul 21

Read

National Geographic Venture

Rodman Bay and Peril Strait, Southeast Alaska

Parting is such sweet sorrow today is our last day together, and somehow Alaska knew because the clouds gathered were crying all day. That did not stop us from doing one last grand wild Alaska adventure. We as a ship banded together to make sure all guests, staff, and crew still had fun, rain or shine. Our Global Explores got to drive Zodiacs. Our hikers followed old logging roads, noting how the forest had grown back.   The dive team went into the water for underwater images to share. Shay and I worked together to get all the gear collected and organized. The two divers and surface support team hopped into a Zodiac and drove to a rocky spit in Rodman Bay. Looking at the shoreline, there was some skepticism about a good dive in weather like this. As the divers descended into the murky depths, they found the little underwater rocky spit teeming with life. During the dive they videoed shrimp, fish, sea stars, anemones, sea cucumbers, and jellies. We made history in the Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic dive log as we were the first two people to dive in Rodman Bay.   Once everyone was back on ship and dried off, we all gathered in the galley to enjoy a delicious lunch that warmed us back up. We were greeted by a humpback whale family eating their lunch of tasty fish using the bubble-net technique to catch their prey. We lifted anchor, and we began our journey through Peril Strait towards Sitka.

Daily Expedition Reports

Jul 21

Read

National Geographic Quest

Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness

The National Geographic Quest entered the mouth of Tracy Arm Fjord before most passengers woke this morning. The waterway is named for former Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Franklin Tracy. Located 45 miles south of Juneau, this spectacular fjord almost immediately offers evidence of the wall of ice that created the navigable route. Glacier blue icebergs appeared as the ship made her way over 20 miles to our destination. The granite walls were covered in rushing waterfalls that begin over a mile high in the icefield and descend to sea level. The glaciers in this fjord come from the Stikine Icefield, and the star of the show is South Sawyer Glacier. This river of ice is an active tidewater glacier, which means during the summer it calves or breaks off. Tracy Arm Fjord is part of the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness and covers over 600,000 acres. This area is a small portion of the immense 17-million-acre Tongass National Forest. The deep passageway supports a dynamic spectrum of wildlife. Harbor seals occupied large ice floes in mass, mountain goats appeared precipitously balancing on the sheer wall faces, and marbled murrelets dotted the water constantly diving and suddenly reappearing.   Southeast Alaska is a dramatic landscape that is intensified by the “poor” weather. Sunny days wash out the vivid colors of the cerulean ice, emerald water, and fawn-colored walls, making overcast periods preferable. Today, we had perfect characteristic Southeast Alaskan climate, providing exceptional photo opportunities. We ended the day and our weeklong adventure with a chilly Polar Plunge. The bravest guests endured a quick dive into 48-degree water with Icy Falls as the perfect backdrop. An impeccable ending to an incredible trip filled with wildlife sightings, unbelievable scenery, and the shared experiences of kayaking and hiking into remote Alaskan forest. This truly was a trip of a lifetime.

Daily Expedition Reports

Jul 21

Read

National Geographic Venture

Glacier Bay National Park

The National Parks System is one of our country’s best ideas for so many reasons. It would be nearly impossible to list all the benefits we collectively gain from these protected and public lands. One of the clearest, however, is the living laboratory of national parks and their ecology — the way in which they provide a window into how nature takes course outside of major human impacts. Today, we discovered that Glacier Bay National Park may be one of the best examples of this.   We began our morning at the face of Johns Hopkins Glacier, one of the many tidewater glaciers snaking from the upper elevations of the Fairweather Mountain range down to the warm(er) ocean waters of Glacier Bay. Like all other glaciers here, Johns Hopkins is rapidly receding, leaving bare earth behind ready to be colonized by plants, animals, and fungi. Over the past 200 years, this has happened across the area of the park, leaving behind over 60 miles of new earth and water. Blank slate for life to takes its course.   Throughout our day of cruising, we were lucky enough to see an entire range of the life that has followed in the wake of the ice. Among the thickets of alders and hemlocks, our naturalist team and deck team spotted a lone bear feeding along the coastline. Soon, three more appeared followed by a moose that began to swim in an apparent escape from the hungry predators. A stunning encounter that set the tone for a day full of sightings. Rafts of sea otters floating gently in the glacier blue waters. Killer whales slowly swimming along the coastline. Mountain goats scrambling up sheer granite cliff faces, seemingly vertical. Thousands of sea birds nesting in safety on isolated islands. And 6 more coastal brown bears foraging for food as they wait for the salmon run to begin.   The amount of life we were lucky to find here today shows just how resilient life is and how quickly it can flourish from nothing when given the opportunity, thanks to the protections of our National Parks.

Daily Expedition Reports

Jul 21

Read

National Geographic Venture

Inian Islands and Port Althorp, Southeast Alaska

Do you remember growing up watching National Geographic specials on TV? Those memorable musical notes meant we would be transported to some remote part of the world. As children we sat in awe watching humpback whales, blue glaciers, giant icebergs, baby seals, deer with fawns, sea otters noisily munching shellfish, and the wolves of the sea, orcas. We kids never dreamt that we might grow up to see these things up-close and personal. But we’ve seen them all – on the National Geographic Venture this week.   Today, we added another marine mammal to that impressive list – Steller sea lions and wow, did we see them close! The Inian Islands sit adjacent to the open Pacific Ocean. Here, the wide ocean pours through a narrow passageway the locals call “the washing machine.” As the tide changes, an 8-knot current swirls the calm waters into eddies and whirlpools and the salmon catch the tide, and the sea lions catch the salmon. Sometimes a sea lion gets a fish and breaks it into smaller chunks by slamming it onto the water’s surface. It doesn’t take long for the gulls to swoop in for leftover scraps. We hardly knew where to look – the action was all around and it was downright exciting!   In the afternoon our childlike wonder took a different focus. Instead of looking out to sea, the magic was under our feet. The intertidal zone was in full view. As the indigenous Tlingit people often say, “When the tide is out, the table is set.” And it was a feast for the eyes: limpets and sculpins, mussels and crab, periwinkles and barnacles, cockles and whelks and seaweed as far as the eye could see! Experiences like we had today – lost in the magic of the wild world – take us back to the awe and wonder of being a child once again.

Daily Expedition Reports

Jul 21

Read

National Geographic Quest

Petersburg

Slight shifts are noticeable to the discerning eye aboard the National Geographic Quest . The days are shortening and darkness at night is deepening. The early bird guests aren’t up quite as early as previous evenings, as whale watching kept them up late. The beautiful hum of conversation envelops the lounge as guests share their experiences of wonder.   Petersburg provided the backdrop for today’s activities: walks around the muskeg and Petersburg Mountain, Zodiac cruising amongst the fishing fleet and canneries, and bike riding with a short walk in some old growth forest. In the late afternoon on my return to the Quest , I espied a Bonaparte’s gull in the channel and wished him a good day.

Talk to an Expedition Specialist

1.800.EXPEDITION (1.800.397.3348)

Call now

Make a reservation

RESERVE

Sign up for our newsletter & special offers

Sign up

Talk to an Expedition Specialist

1.800.EXPEDITION (1.800.397.3348)

Call now

Make a reservation

RESERVE

Sign up for our newsletter & special offers

Sign up