Alaska: 10-Day Alaska Bear Odyssey
Alaska
Day 1: Arrival: Petersburg, Alaska
Local Bed and Breakfast
Arrive into Petersburg one day prior to your departure on the SV Island Odyssey and overnight at a local bed and breakfast in town. Flights via Alaska Air land in Petersburg once per day with arrival time in the early evening. Take advantage of the extra time to tour the city fondly known by locals as “Little Norway.”
Day 2: Board and Frederick Sound
SV Island Odyssey
Head to the Petersburg Harbor Master’s Office, where you will be greeted by your crew and led to the SV Island Odyssey for check in and departure. Along the way, view one of Alaska’s most impressive fishing fleets. Once on board, after cabin assignments and a brief boat and safety orientation, depart from Petersburg and head north into Frederick Sound. Keep a look out for spouting humpback whales along the way!
Day 3 – 9: Various Stops
SV Island Odyssey
Guided by an experienced naturalist, you’ll spend the next week watching fascinating wildlife and exploring the shorelines for intertidal animals. Learn about various birds, plants, and marine mammals, while also contributing to ongoing data records, by recording the species and behaviors you see while aboard.
Your first stop will be the beautiful Frederick Sound, which is the core feeding area for humpback whales as they migrate through Southeast Alaska. You will spend at least five days in the Frederick Sound and Chatham Straits observing humpback whales and perfecting your photography skills!
In addition, visit the Admiralty Island National Monument, which offers beautiful evening anchorages and has the highest concentration of grizzly bears in North America. You’ll also have the opportunity to visit the bear viewing area in Pack Creek and Windfall Harbor – two of Southeast Alaska’s bear hotspots!
Along the way, take an exciting excursion to LeConte Glacier by jet boat, via an incredibly scenic ride through the infamous Wrangell Narrows. Visit Anan Creek and the US Forest Service’s wildlife observatory where you can watch numerous bears, eagles, seals, and ravens feast during the largest pink salmon run in southeastern Alaska. It’s incredible to watch these bears feed on spawning salmon in a frigid, rushing river – a truly classic Alaskan wilderness experience.
Day 10: End of Journey: Prince Rupert Sound, BC Canada
Conclude your epic wildlife journey upon arrival into Prince Rupert. Arrive to Prince Rupert in the early afternoon and catch the evening Air Canada flight onward. Bon voyage!
