trip specifics

price

	Early	Low	High
6 Day	$2,800	$3,560	$3,860
8 Day	n/a	n/a	$3,860

The 6-day Glacier Bay Adventure Cruise is the only small ship cruise that spends most of its itinerary inside Alaska's famed Glacier Bay National Park. The itinerary travels from waterfall-laden Geike Inlet to the barren mountain faces of the East and West arms of Glacier Bay National Park, then routes outside the park to Point Adolphus for whale watching. Hundreds of miles of glacial fjords are here for you to enjoy by kayak, hike and small ship cruise. Your base of exploration is the historic 12-passenger small ship M/V Sea Wolf. Because this is an Alaska owned and operated adventure, and due to the Sea Wolf's small size, the Glacier Bay Adventure Cruise has the flexibility and local knowledge to venture to unique locales. If the fish are running, Sea Wolf might head to the Tongass; if bears are active on Chichagof Island, you may sail there to view them.

The highlight is exploring Glacier Bay National Park in the company of expert local guides on exciting small ship explorations with hikes and kayaking excursions right from the boat. Each day offers the possibility of seeing the coastal brown bears, black bears and the rare glacier bear as well as wolves, mountain goats and moose. Glacier Bay National Park is also home to numerous seals, sea lions, sea otters, humpback and orca whales along with hundreds of bird species. Marvel at breathtaking glaciers, towering mountains that shoot up from the sea and the acrobatic humpback whales. All of this and more make up the magic of the Glacier Bay Adventure Cruise aboard the Sea Wolf.

Read about the Glacier Bay Adventure Cruise in the Dec 2010 British Airways Horizons Magazine "Radical Departures" by Peter Frost.

Day 1 - Bartlett Cove & Geike Inlet

Board the MV Sea Wolf in Bartlett Cove at 8am and embark on your exciting Glacier Bay Adventure Cruise. Meet for a brief orientation/introduction to discuss safety, boat layout and Sea Wolf amenities as your Alaskan adventure cruise begins.

Cruise up Glacier Bay to Geike Inlet while enjoying lunch and the beautiful sights. Once in Geike Inlet - a beautiful waterfall laden fjord, partake in your first kayaking excursion that may offer a glimpse of black bears, wolverines, mountain goats and a large variety of seabirds and ducks.

Once back aboard cruise to your evening anchorage a few hours up the bay - a journey filled with incredible vistas, wildlife on the beaches and possibly acrobatic whales in the waters. Along the way, learn about the natural history of Glacier Bay, about some of the research projects that the park is conducting and about the plentiful sea and wildlife. Enjoy dinner aboard the Sea Wolf as you watch the sunset over Glacier Bay.

Accommodations: Sea Wolf
Included Meals: lunch and dinner

Day 2 - Reid & Marjorie Glaciers

Breakfast at 8:00 am, and we're off for a hike to Reid Glacier for an up-close view of this glacially carved landscape. An easy hike up the mountain, down the beach and fording a few glacial streams will bring us to the face of Reid Glacier. Here we will learn about glaciers geology, plant and animal succession and explore among the grounded icebergs. We hunt for ice worms, and for those so inclined we scoop up glacial silt for wonderful glacial facials. On our intertidal walk back, we look under rocks to discover what the bears feast on during low tide. Brown bears, wolverine, small mammals and harbor seals all live in this area. Another beach offers bird lovers a binocular paradise, as it is a nesting ground for Arctic Terns, Kittlitzes, Murrelets, Ptarmigan, Grouse, Plovers and a variety of other shore and sea birds.

During lunch head to Tarr Inlet where the Grand Pacific and Marjorie Glaciers cascade into the water. Paddle kayaks along a sheer cliff, which is a Kittiwake and Puffin rookery, and then out in front of Marjorie Glacier for a breathtaking experience of watching an active calving glacier from a safe distance. Once aboard, enjoy happy hour and dinner cruising while the Sea Wolf hugs the shore between Tarr Inlet and Blue Mouse Cove looking for wildlife. Conclude the day with a fun natural history presentation on the wilderness you are exploring.

Accommodations: Sea Wolf
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 3 - Muir Inlet, the East Arm of Glacier Bay

After an 8am breakfast, enjoy a short cruise to Gloomy Knob for a beautiful hike up the mountain to an enthralling vista and maybe a glimpse of the brown bears or wolves that frequent this area. Then it's back to the Sea Wolf for lunch as the ship gets underway to Muir Inlet, the East Arm of Glacier Bay. This is a rarely visited and exceptional wilderness area within Glacier Bay, vastly different in landscape and spirituality than the West Arm. There are many options here that are weather and tide dependant. At McBride Glacier go explore by foot a bay of icebergs with sheer hillsides that show the geology of the last 20,000 years. The shorelines have a great variety of shore birds, vistas and possibilities to seeing bears, wolves or moose. Back aboard the Sea Wolf, cruise to the evening's anchorage and dinner location to unwind.

Accommodations: Sea Wolf
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 4 - Riggs Glacier

After a hearty breakfast, pack a picnic lunch while underway to a kayaking drop-off spot in the East Arm of Glacier Bay. Paddle along ancient shores scouting wildlife, marine life and shorebirds. Today's destination is Riggs Glacier where you will enjoy your lunch and then head up the mountain to walk along the side of the glacier. Ice caves, tremendous waterfalls and towering spires of ice will fill your vision. After a slow paddle back to the Sea Wolf, enjoy cocktails and dinner as you recap the day while cruising to the evening anchorage.

Accommodations: Sea Wolf
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 5 - North Sandy, South Marble Island & Dundas Bay

If the tides are right, enjoy a great morning paddle at North Sandy, a very rich ecosystem that supports brown and black bears, moose, wolves and a plentiful marine environment. Paddle over to Puffin Island for a truly wondrous look at a low tide vertical intertidal zone, home to hundreds of aquatic species such as sponges, periwinkles, whelks, sea stars, sea cucumbers and urchins. If the tides are not right, paddle at Dundas Bay, another very rich ecosystem.

Back on board the Sea Wolf, head to South Marble Island to view a large Stellar sea lion haul out and a seabird-nesting rookery as you cruise onward to Dundas Bay, one of the most remote regions of Glacier Bay National Park. Drop kayaks here and start paddling down the bay to a meadow strewn with erratic boulders, climbing on them for views of the rivers and surrounding meadows. Watch for sea otters, brown and black bears, wolves and moose as well as hoary marmots that graze these meadows and feed upon the intertidal dinner plate. Along the way, taste native plants and revel in the glorious flower-strewn meadows. Cow parsley, chocolate lily’s yarrow, lupine, wild irises, lily of the valley and Indian paintbrush are among the few plants that brighten the splendid landscape here. Cross a river for a brief foray through a Sitka spruce forest and hike up the mountainside to explore and learn about a mature muskeg. Here you will see bog plants such as orchids, an insect-eating plant called a sundew, stunted spruce, hemlock, marsh marigolds and violets. This is the end of a plant life cycle that starts from the rocky lands just exposed by glaciers and ends as a mossy watery bog called a muskeg. After this exploration, head back to the Sea Wolf for a brief lecture about the Native history and lore of this area. Spend the evening relaxing on board and savoring dinner as the peaceful sounds of the wilderness overcome the ship.

Accommodations: Sea Wolf
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 6 - Humpback Whale Watching & Point Adolphus, Gustavus

Enjoy breakfast cruising up Dundas Bay watching for all the critters of the land on the way to Point Adolphus, a favorite spot to observe the acrobats of Humpback whales. Over 100 whales frequent these nutrient-rich waters, and it is a beautiful sight watching them spy hop, tail lob, roll in the kelp and at times burst all the way out of the waters in a full on breach. A late lunch is served while cruising back to Bartlett Cove for a 2:00pm docking. A local taxi will transport you to the Gustavus airport for your flight to Juneau.

Accommodations: n/a
Included Meals: breakfast and lunch

Alternative Itinerary: In addition to the standard 6-day Glacier Bay Adventure Cruise itinerary listed above, there is an 8-day Juneau to Ketchikan departure in September, as well as a special Wild Harvesting deparure in July. Please call AdventureSmith for more detailed information about each voyage.

Wild Harvesting Special Departure, July 28-Aug 2, 2013
A "Wild Foraging and Natural History Adventure," this special cruise allows you to identify and taste dozens of wild foods that sustained the First People for thousands of years. Naturalists/foragers Jennifer Hahn and Kimber Owen guide this adventure. During the week, between kayaking, hiking and natural history walks, gather wild-foraged treats from sea and land. Sea Wolf's fabulous chef will whisk them into appetizers, side dishes, main courses and desserts such as Wild Berry Crisp, BBQ Salmon in Kelp Leaf Wrap and Miso-ginger Halibut with Seabeans and Kelp Chutney. Each dinner will feature one to two recipes by celebrated West Coast chefs in Jennifer's new book: "Pacific Feast: A Cook's Guide to West Coast Foraging and Cuisine."

8-Day Itinerary, Juneau to Ketchikan, Sept 3-10, 2013
Day 1 - Juneau, Stephens Passage, Limestone Inlet
Day 2 - Endicott Arm, Dawes Glacier, Fords Terror
Day 3 - Admiralty Island
Day 4 - Frederick Sound
Day 5 - Thomas Bay, Baird Glacier
Day 6 - Wrangell Narrows
Day 7 - Zimovia Strait
Day 8 - Ketchikan, disembark

Itinerary Notes: This itinerary is subject to change based on Glacier Bay National Park closures/openings, weather and travel conditions and wildlife movements. Sea Wolf will try to navigate to whales, bears, sea lions, eagles, wild flowers and soaring landscapes but the anchorage may change dependent on the above. Other destinations may include Fingers Bay, Sundew Cove, Sebree Cove, the East Arm and the Islands. Sea Wolf serves Alaskan seafood for most lunches and dinners but can cater to any diet needs with advance notice.

Included: Trip costs include shipboard accommodations, ship excursions, crew, all meals and guides, unless otherwise indicated in the itinerary. Also includes the $20 taxi fare to the airport at the end of your trip. We reserve the right to make any changes in the itinerary or crew.

Exclusions: The cost of air flights, unless otherwise indicated in the itinerary, taxes, passports, visas, immunizations, insurance of any kind, laundry, excess baggage, items of a personal nature, medical costs, costs of hospitalization, additional expenses arising from the delay or extension of a trip due to weather, political disputes, illness, failure of transportation, or other causes beyond our control. Gratuities are not included. A possible fuel surcharge of 5% if prices rise again.

Room Configurations: Vessel accommodations are semiprivate. Choice of cabins is on a first-come, first-served basis. All cabins accommodate couples or two companion travelers. If you prefer a cabin to yourself, there will be a rate supplement of 50% of the single fare cost. There are limited Single Cabins on each sailing.

Families & Children: These trips are adult oriented, but may be suitable for children, depending on the child's age and experience. The M/V Sea Wolf is available for private family charters. Contact AdventureSmith Explorations for more information.

Arrival & Departure: Due to the 8:00am Embarkation in Gustavus on Day 1 we highly recommend travelers arrive in Gustavus one night prior to embarkation (however early-morning flights from Juneau to Gustavus are available). The Alaska ferry comes to Gustavus three times per week. Contact our Alaska experts to arrange pre- or post-cruise overnights in Gustavus or Juneau and flights to/from Juneau. Suggested times for return flights from Gustavus to Juneau at the end of cruise depend on the itinerary and the point of disembarkation. Please contact our Alaska small ship cruise experts for further details.

Payment & Cancellation: At the time of reservation if prior to the January before your trip: 50% deposit is due, which includes a non-refundable deposit of US $500 per person. Final payment is due 90 days prior to departure.

PLEASE NOTE a special cancellation policy applies to this trip which is stricter than the AdventureSmith Explorations policy. All requests for cancellations must be received in writing. Cancellations received:
More than 150 days prior to departure: Refund of deposit minus $500pp
120 to 90 days prior to departure: forfeiture of total deposit
89 or fewer days prior to departure: forfeiture of full trip cost

Sea Wolf will make every effort to fill a canceled booking. If they are able to refill your canceled stateroom then your payments less the booking deposit will be refunded.

Terms & Conditions: This trip is subject to AdventureSmith Explorations Terms and Conditions. Please read this information carefully and call us if you have any questions. A packing list and extensive pre-departure and travel insurance information is sent upon confirmation.

Travel Insurance: We highly recommend our travelers protect their investment with travel insurance. Please note that you must purchase your travel insurance policy within 14 days of booking your trip for it to cover pre-existing medical conditions. Click the link below for a selection of policies from our partners at Travelex.



Activities: Hiking and kayaking are available aboard Sea Wolf. Expect uneven terrain on hikes and on glacial till beaches. Hikes up to two miles, and kayaking is usually three to seven miles per day, depending on the level of activity you want.

Qualifications: The Glacier Bay Adventure Cruise is available to any traveler with a love of nature and sense of adventure. Non-smoking passengers only, as smoking is not permitted on this boat.

Accessible Travel: The Sea Wolf has been renovated with wider decks, access to all public areas and 3 accessible staterooms. A McKinnon Hugger is available to lift persons with disabilities into kayaks for wilderness paddles. If you require a wheelchair or have any other special needs, contact us to see if this cruise is a good fit for you.


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