Visit the Mendenhall Glacier and take in magnificent views of the glacier, icebergs, and lake. Continue to the Mount Roberts Tramway offering breathtaking views of the Chilkat Mountains, Gastineau Channel, Douglas Island and Silver Bow Basin. At the Chilkat Theater learn about Native Tlingit culture, and enjoy lunch at the Timberline Bar & Grill before transferring to the pier to embark on the M/Y SAFARI ENDEAVOUR, your home for the next seven nights. Your 88-passenger ship will take you to remote and seldom-seen areas not visited by larger ships, such as narrow waterways and isolated coves and offers three decks with ample outside viewing opportunities and relaxing public spaces. M/Y SAFARI ENDEAVOUR.

Wake in a fjord flanked by sheer granite walls. Grab a hot cup of joe and take it all in from the bow. Cascading waterfalls, drifting icebergs, a lazy harbor seal or two… Hop in a skiff for a better look at the glacier – the temperatures drop the closer you get to it. Your expedition guide clues you in to signs of the ice ages that carved this landscape. Keep an eye out for mountain goats, bears, and eagles. Make waves for Stephens Passage. It’s all hands on deck watching for signs of humpbacks. It’s a big first day! M/Y SAFARI ENDEAVOUR.

Have your rubber boots handy. You’re in for muskeg and mud in Alaska’s backcountry. Hiking along Baird’s moraine, look for shimmers of gold and quartz – this area is known for it. The glacial outwash plains look almost lunar, but you’re not alone in this moonscape. The glacial valley is a nesting hot-spot for Arctic Terns. Splash away the mud before a paddle along the bay’s mossy cliff walls. Back on board, it’s time for a cocktail and a soak in the hot tub. M/Y SAFARI ENDEAVOUR.

LeConte is the southernmost tidewater glacier in North America. If tides are low, take a boot-sucking walk to check our icebergs resting on the mudflats. If it’s high tide, a skiff ride brings you up-close to its iceberg gardens. Surrounded by national forest, Ideal Cove’s boardwalk trails wind through meadows of ferns and grasses. Or test your balance paddle boarding in this quiet cove. It’s just you and the vast wilderness. M/Y SAFARI ENDEAVOUR.

“Kake” comes from a Tlingit word meaning ‘opening of daylight.’ Apropos, start your day in this native village with traditional storytelling and dancing. Count the many totems on their 132-foot pole. Drop the kayaks in Saginaw Bay or some other hidden cover along the Keku Islands. Black bears are common sights along shore. But so are eagles in the treetops and Orange-billed surf Scoters paddling nearby. For hikers, your guides have a route in mind. Make for the forest, far off the map. Cruising Frederick Sound is spectacular, where abundant krill (small, shrimp-like crustaceans), zooplankton, and herring thrive in the glacially fed waters of Frederick Sound, making it one of the premier places in Alaska to observe feeding humpback whales who migrate here in the hundreds. Dall’s porpoise are common bow riders, and orcas can be seen anywhere along the journey. Surrounding the Sound are the majestic craggy snow-covered mountains of the Coast Range rising from the sea to grand heights of 10,000 feet. M/Y SAFARI ENDEAVOUR.

Leave it to the captain to steer you through Chatham and Peril Straights. Explore scenic and mountainous Baranof Island which is laced with many bays and fjords and bordered on the west by the Gulf of Alaska and on the east by the Chatham Straits. Part of the historic Inland Passage, endless opportunities for exploration exist among a maze of waterways and secluded inlets. Your top-notch expedition team has the game plan dialed. Head to the woods for an adventuresome bushwack, or slide into a kayak for an easygoing shoreline paddle. Find a perch on deck in Peril Strait – it’s a twisting drama of currents and history. M/Y SAFARI ENDEAVOUR.

The western side of Baranoff Island is dotted with hundreds of coves and uninhabited islands, filled with sea otters. The protected beaches are made for exploring the intertidal zones and spotting bears. So, boot up for a guided hike. After exploring, join your ship mates and the crew in a farewell toast and a festive dinner. At the end of the evening your Expedition Leaders will present you with a “photo journal” that was compiled during your voyage. M/Y SAFARI ENDEAVOUR.

Enjoy a final breakfast with your group before heading back to land in Sitka. Nestled at the foot of magnificent glacial carved mountains facing the Pacific Ocean on Baranof Island, Sitka is located on the outer coast of Alaska’s Inside Passage and lies at the heart of the largest temperate rain forest in the world, the Tongass National Forest. Accessible only by air or sea, Sitka offers incredible scenery, fishing, hiking, abundant wildlife, and Alaska’s most culturally rich history and community. Residents and visitors alike enjoy and experience all this dynamic town has to offer and you’re free to explore it all day. This evening, join your group for a farewell dinner to reminisce with your fellow travelers. WESTMARK SITKA.

Transfer to the airport for you flight home. While you might return to life as usual, you will be forever changed by the time you spent here, one on one, with Mother Nature.

Fly to Fairbanks and explore the city, then take a drive to Denali National Park, a wild and unspoiled frontier with crystal clear rivers, mountain lakes, expansive tundra and copious wildlife. Spend the next three days immersed in the natural wonders of this area with Mt. McKinley majestically rising 20,320 feet above the park. Upon arrival, you will be met by a naturalist for the drive deep into the wilderness along the park’s sole road where you may see caribou, moose, grizzly bear and resident, plus migratory birds. Hike with trained guides on 2-6-hour excursions. Other activities (some at additional cost) include flight-seeing, white-water rafting, gold-panning, dog-sled demonstrations and more. Then take a scenic train ride south to Anchorage to end your Alaskan discovery adventure and return home.