Travel-Learn Program
Cruising Alaska’s Glaciers and Inside Passage
When: August 01, 2013 - August 08, 2013 (iCal)
Description
“I had high expectations and they were met. The ship was perfect and the wildlife photography was great.”
Cruise with us from Vancouver, British Columbia, through the pristine waters of the Inside Passage, to Seward, Alaska aboard the Six-Star, all-suite M.V. SILVER SHADOW. Experience the remarkable beauty of fjords, tidewater glaciers, mountains and untouched coastlines. We will have the opportunity to watch for whales, seals, porpoises, sea lions, sea otters, and eagles in their habitat. Together, we will cruise up-close to Sawyer and Hubbard glaciers, and see historic Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Sitka, where we will step back into the gold rush era and discover the living heritage of the Tlingit people. A pre-cruise extension in Vancouver and a post-cruise extension to Fairbanks and Denali National Park, as well as a number of optional shore excursions are also available.
Activity Level: Moderate
Featuring Fauclty Host:
Professor Boris Hasselblatt
Cost
From $5,799
Includes cruise and air; per person, based on double occupancy.
To avoid the disappointment of a sold out program, Register Now!
Contact
Usha Nand Sellers Ed. D., Director Tufts Travel-Learn Program, at usha.sellers@tufts.edu or 617-627-5323.
Itinerary
Day 1 - U.S./Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Depart for Vancouver, British Columbia. Upon arrival, we will embark the M.V. SILVER SHADOW.
Day 2 - The Inside Passage
As we cruise the protected waters of the Inside Passage, one of the few pristine marine wilderness areas in the Western Hemisphere, we will pass countless islands and evergreen forests that reach down to the water’s edge. Along our journey we will watch for an ever-changing variety of birds, humpback whales, harbor seals, and sea otters.
Day 3 - Ketcjikan
The colorful fishing village of Ketchikan is also the “salmon capital of the world.” Together we will stroll the boardwalks of Creek Street and watch salmon swimming upstream in the middle of the village. We will have the chance to learn about the rich culture of southeast Alaska during optional excursions: chose to view the impressive collection of cedar totem poles at the Totem Bight State Historical Park, listed on the National Register of Historic Places; or visit the Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery, where king and Coho salmon and steelhead trout are raised. Another alternate option is to cruise to breathtaking Misty Fjords National Monument, full of wildlife and spectacular mountain scenery.
Day 4 - Sawyer Glacier/Juneau
Today our cruise will take us into the deep fjord of Tracy Arm, where waterfalls spill from the dramatic cliffs, lush forest fades to sheer rock, and icebergs glint in the sunlight. We will end at the twin North and South Sawyer Glaciers, actively calving chunks of ice that become floating platforms for hundreds of harbor seals. We are likely to spot Arctic terns, pigeon guillemots, and even mountain goats. This afternoon, we will arrive in Alaska’s picturesque state capital, located on the edge of scenic Gastineau Channel. Juneau boasts one of the largest land masses in North and South America (spread over 3,108 square miles) and is the only American state capital not accessible by automobile. Available optional excursions include: a visit to Mendenhall Glacier, or the opportunity to explore Juneau’s urban attractions, including the Alaska State Museum and the Red Dog Saloon, Alaska’s best-known frontier watering hole.
Day 5 - Skagway
During the great Klondike gold rush of 1896-1901, prospectors thronged to Skagway, the gateway to the Yukon Territory. Today there is an optional excursion aboard the historic landmark narrow-gauge White Pass and Yukon Route Railway steam train along 20 miles of the gold prospectors’ route and through some of Alaska’s most spectacular scenery and forbidding territory. Or, spend the day exploring this gateway city on land.
Day 6 - Sitka
Today we will explore a renowned and beautiful Inside Passage city borough (self-governing community) built on Baranof Island. Sitka is laden with the richness of the art and history of its Russian, American, and native Alaskan past. It was originally settled by the native Tlingit people, but by the late 1790s, Russian fur traders had become permanent settlers. We will explore the native artifacts in the National Historical Park and an impressive collection of gold and silver icons in St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral. During an optional excursion visit the Raptor Rehabilitation Center, Alaska’s foremost bald eagle habitat, where more than 100 injured eagles recuperate and are released back into the wild each year.
Day 7 - Hubbard Glacier
Today we will take in one of nature’s ice-age wonders. The awesome “galloping” Hubbard Glacier— whose rapid advance is at times over 40 feet in one day—is the longest tidewater glacier (75 miles long and covering 1,350 square miles) in North America! We will watch for icebergs calving from the face of this 300-foot-high glacier which set an unprecedented geological record in 1986 when it blocked Russell Fjord, creating a natural dam over 90 feet high.
Day 8 - Seward/Anchorage
In Seward, we will disembark the M.V. SILVER SHADOW and by motorcoach travel the scenic Seward Highway en route to Anchorage. As we trace the shores of spectacular Turnagain Arm and snake around the towering snow-capped mountains of the beautiful Kenai Peninsula, we will watch for pods of orca and beluga whales hunting for salmon, and spot waterfalls cascading to the valley floor. We will board our homebound flights in Anchorage.
*Price and Itinerary are tentative and subject to change
617-627-5323|usha.sellers@tufts.edu
