New York City to Cape Cod: Discovering Whales, Great White Sharks, and Seafaring History

Arrive in New York City and transfer to National Geographic Sea Lion for embarkation. Sailing out of New York Harbor, we pass the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island before making our way up the East River under the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. We will cross under six more bridges including the Queensboro and Whitestone bridges, and, finally, the Throg’s Neck Bridge and out into Long Island Sound. (D)

In the morning, we wake up amongst the many islands of Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge on the Connecticut side of Long Island Sound. In the morning, we launch our Zodiacs for our first landing of our expedition. With nesting birds including ospreys, gray catbirds, and yellow warblers and walking trails among hickory, maple, birch, and sassafras trees, Long Island Sound's north shore is a nature lover’s delight.

Back aboard National Geographic Sea Lion, we enjoy lunch and a leisurely exploration of the north shore of Long Island Sound. In the afternoon, we reach Outer Island, and if conditions are right, we will launch our kayaks for water-level exploration. (B,L,D)

This morning, we arrive where the Connecticut River meets Long Island Sound. Venturing a short way upriver, we arrive at New London where we disembark and explore the largest maritime museum in the world at Mystic Seaport.

Back on board, we cross to the south into New York waters. At Great Gull Island, our Zodiacs take us close to nesting seabirds including common terns and the pink-hued roseate terns. The largest breeding populations of these two species in the Western Hemisphere are here at Great Gull Island. At the island, we learn about the research projects lasting over 50 years. (B,L,D)

Today we will pick up a local conservation specialist from The Nature Conservancy who will be with us as we cruise around Plum Island. They'll speak with us about their ongoing efforts to save this 840-acre island from going on the auction block and being developed. The island is a haven for wildlife: it's the location of the largest seal haul-out in New York, hosts over 220 species of birds, and is rich in ecological diversity. It was also home to Fort Terry from the Spanish American War until World War II and is currently the home of the world-renowned Plum Island Animal Disease Center. (B,L,D)

Today, we make the first of several stops in Massachusetts waters. The fascinating tales of little-known Penikese Island, part of the Elizabeth Island archipelago, come alive. Human use of the island has gone through many different permutations including serving as a leper colony. As we walk along the trails, we will hear these stories of the island, now allowed to return to its natural state.

As we dine on lunch on board, we sail towards Woods Hole, the quiet, Cape Cod town that is home to one of the leading marine laboratories in the world–Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Here we are fortunate to take a behind-the-scenes tour of this top facility, learning about the many projects worldwide in which the institute is involved. (B,L,D)

Arriving at the elbow of Cape Cod today, we take our Zodiacs to the quiet shores of Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. An extremely important stop for migratory shorebirds, Monomoy will be a hotbed of activity this time of year with numerous species including Hudsonian godwits, red knots, and black-bellied plovers in their stunning spring finery, refueling before setting north again to breeding territories on the Arctic tundra.

Over lunch, we sail past Monomoy, out of Cape Cod Sound and into the Atlantic. Off Chatham, we are joined by Atlantic White Shark Conservancy staff to learn about the apex predator's return to Cape Cod waters and to watch for great whites that frequent the area from June to October. (B,L,D)

Overnight, National Geographic Sea Lion has navigated along the outer side of the peninsula arriving to the tip of Cape Cod: Provincetown. Choose to tour the many galleries in town, with its thriving community of artists. Or opt to explore the Cape Cod National Seashore farther south.

At the Wellfleet and Eastham communities and touring the Three Sisters Lighthouses and the beautifully restored Atwood-Higgins house, we learn about the history of the Cape. Construction was completed in 1730, making it likely the oldest house on the Cape. George Higgins donated the house and the many out-buildings on the property to the National Park Service in 1961. And of course as we continue our tour of the National Seashore, we are always on the lookout for wildlife. The Cape is home to 450 species of amphibians, reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals.

Back on board, we enjoy lunch as we depart into the whale-rich waters north of the Cape and on to Stellwagen Bank, always on the lookout for the cetaceans of the Atlantic, which may include humpback, finback whales, and, with a great deal of luck, the highly endangered northern right whale. As the sun sets, we turn towards Boston Harbor. (B,L,D)

This morning, National Geographic Sea Lion sails into Boston, where we disembark and transfer to the airport for flights home (B)