December 18, 2003

Tahoe City, CA > There's no arguing; Alaska is big. The largest state in the union is home to towering glaciers, huge national parks and the tallest mountain in North America. Yet, ecotourism company AdventureSmith Explorations wants travelers to think small when planning their vacation to the Great Land. That is, think small group of fellow adventurers, exploring aboard small ships and even smaller yachts, with access to remote wilderness areas in small Zodiac shore craft and sea kayaks. In other words, thinking small means big adventure in the Last Frontier.

Of the company's many Alaska offerings, its weeklong adventure cruises aboard the “sport utility vessels” M/V Wilderness Adventurer and M/V Wilderness Explorer, avoid the crowded tourist towns and explore only the remote wilderness areas of Alaska's Inside Passage such as Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Bay National Park. Each ship is outfitted with sea kayaks and Zodiac inflatable shore craft for up-close exploration. Cruise rates range from $1,390 to $4,500 depending on the vessel, departure date and cabin category. Single and triple cabins available. As a perfect add-on to their cruise, guests can enjoy an 8-day land package featuring the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Denali National Park, with hiking, rafting, flight seeing and a ride on the Alaska Railroad at $3,495 per person.

From sea level to the highest peak in North America, travelers can witness Alaska's breathtaking scenery, abundant wildlife and boundless natural history on AdventureSmith Explorations’ 12-day Alaska Explorer, featuring four nights aboard an oceanographic research vessel exploring Prince William Sound and four nights in the heart of Denali National Park, with an included flight seeing tour of Mt. McKinley and a scenic ride on the Alaska Railroad. Trips depart between June and September at $5,195 for adults and $3,795 for children 12 and under.

Small inns are “in” and AdventureSmith Explorations delivers with its Southeast Alaska and Kachemak Bay Inn to Inn excursions. The Southeast Alaska excursion features the comfort of cozy inns at each historic town along the itinerary including Juneau, Haines and Skagway, combined with adventure activities such as rafting, sea kayaking, glacier and wildlife viewing, hiking and biking plus a train ride on the famous White Pass Yukon Route. Round trip from Homer, located near 375,000-acre Kachemak Bay State Park, guests also enjoy the comfort of cozy inns, while exploring the region by sea kayak. Both trips begin in June, with prices ranging from $3,695 to $3,995 per person.

AdventureSmith Explorations also offers the 9-day Ultimate Alaska Expedition, providing opportunities for camping along Southeast Alaska's coastline, sea kayaking with humpback whales at Point Adolphus, bear viewing at Pack Creek Bear Sanctuary on Admiralty Island, and witnessing active, calving tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park. Trips depart between June and August and cost $3,495 per person.

For reservations or more information, call 1-800-728-2875, email travel@AdventureSmithExplorations.com, write to PO Box 1696, Tahoe City, CA 96145 or visit AdventureSmithExplorations.com.

AdventureSmith Explorations is a new ecotourism company founded on the ideal of utilizing soft adventure travel to create connections with the world's exotic natural environments and native cultures. The company's founder, Todd Smith, utilizes his years of experience in the adventure travel industry as well as his expertise as a professional naturalist to distinguish AdventureSmith Explorations by combining fun and exciting activities such as sea kayaking, hiking, small ship cruising and rafting in places not found on more conventional itineraries; extraordinary places in such destinations as Alaska, Costa Rica, Belize, Ecuador and the Galapagos, Guatemala and New Zealand.

Attention Media: For more information and downloadable, hi-res images, view the media resources in our Press Room at AdventureSmithExplorations.com.