Alaska Odyssey - M/V Sylvia Earle

Upon arrival into Vancouver Airport (YVR) please collect your luggage and look for a representative in the Arrivals Hall, holding a sign with your name on it. If you have booked your flights independently, please make sure that you have advised us of your arrival flight details so that a transfer is booked for you. Be sure to keep all of your important documents - i.e. passport and travel insurance, and also your medication in your hand luggage, as your main luggage will be transferred separately to the hotel.

Upon check-in, the reception staff will provide you with your cabin tags. Please fill out the luggage tags clearly, showing your name and cabin number to allow us to

deliver your luggage to the correct cabin. Enjoy a welcome drink and meet fellow expeditioners at our voyage briefing this evening.

Enjoy a sightseeing tour and catch a glimpse of Vancouver's main highlights, including Stanley Park, Granville Island, Prospect Point and Gastown, before transferring to the pier for embarkation. After boarding, there will be time to settle into your cabin before our important safety briefings. This evening, you will be able to meet your expedition team and crew at the Captain's Welcome Dinner.

Sail the southern stretches of British Columbia's Inside Passage, navigating through narrow straits and channels that are inhabited by vast pods of orca. Your expedition crew will share their knowledge of the area and teach you about the wildlife that you spot from the ship's deck, as you explore the tiny inlets of this famous stretch of water.

Admire views of cascading waterfalls, snow-capped mountains and temperate forests and enjoy an abundance of marine life .

On Annette Island, experience the extraordinary history, art, and cultural traditions of the Tsimshian tribe of the Metlakatla Indian Community, the only Indian Reserve in Alaska. While on shore, choose one of the following excursions:-

\i Option one \i0 - Enjoy an 8km hike to Yellow Hill, a challenging walk with rewarding panoramic views of Metlakatla and Annette Bay, walking mostly on timber board walks, stairs, and moderately steep terrain. Visit the community Long House to learn about the building's history and traditions and enjoy a dance performance from a local Tsimshian dance group. Visit the Artist Village next door to see handicrafts made by local artists, with an opportunity to buy a souvenir to take back home.

\i Option two \i0 - Walking Town Tour & Totem Pole Journey. The Totem Exploration Journey is a path that guides you to the Totems & points of interest of Metlakatla. On a guided walk, you get a close-up view of the fascinating, hand-crafted cedar carvings scattered throughout Metlakatla. During the excursion, you'll discover the 14 totem poles standing in Metlakatla, all carved by local artists, you'll visit several historical and cultural points of interest, including the William Duncan Memorial Church, the Metlakatla

Indian Community Longhouse, and the Artist Village.

\i Option three\i0 - Skater's Lake Trail Walk & Totem Journey. On this scenic timber boardwalk, you'll experience the lush scenery at Skater's Lake. Afterwards, visit the community Long House to learn about the building's history and traditions, and where you will enjoy a dance performance. Afterwards, visit the Artist

Village next door to see handicrafts made by local artists, available for purchase.

Later, we sail in Misty Fjords National Monument, a wilderness area characterised by towering granite cliffs, shrouded in mist and glacial valleys. The area is a haven for wildlife, we explore the area by Zodiac, searching for grizzly and black bear, whale, mountain goat and deer.

Disembark in historic Wrangell, an important town that was founded by Russians in 1834 and which once thrived on fur and gold trading. Enjoy Wrangell's main highlights, including a visit to Petroglyph Beach to see ancient rock carvings and a visit to the city museum to learn about Wrangell's colourful history. The alternative shore excursion is a visit to Tongass Rainforest. Explore the rainforest on a guided walk on the Wrangell Nature Trail. In the afternoon, we will drop anchor in Thomas Bay, a wilderness location shrouded in the mysterious local legends, where we stop to explore around Baird Glacier.

Frederick Sound is a summer feeding ground for the northern hemisphere's largest concentration of humpback whale. Keep watch for humpback, orca, and Steller's sea lion. In Tracy Arm, glide along the steep walled fjords of a watery wilderness area that has been likened to Yosemite and enjoy views of snow-covered mountains. Zodiac-cruise in search of wildlife at the back of the Tracy Arm, home to the twin Sawyer Glaciers. Keep a lookout for harbour seal resting on 'bergy bits' which calve regularly from the active tidewater glaciers.

Nestled at the base of towering mountains overlooking the Gastineau Channel, Juneau's rich culture, and history is reflected throughout the town. In Alaska's scenic capital, we visit nearby Mendenhall Glacier. The glacier is 2.4 km wide and is fed by the Juneau Icefield and ranks as the largest, most rugged glacier that is accessible by road in Alaska. Hike the trails nearby and enjoy panoramic views. Back in town, enjoy free time to explore and learn about Juneau's local history with a visit to the newly-built Alaska State Museum.

The area around Icy Strait features the Inian Islands, George Island, Point Adolphus and Elfin Cove and offers some of the best opportunities for Zodiac-cruising and kayaking. Here you can find an abundance of iconic Alaskan wildlife, including whale, Steller sea lion, sea otter, harbour seal, bald eagle and brown bear.

As we sail west across the Gulf of Alaska, our expert team will entertain you with informative talks on wildlife, glaciers, and the rich history of Alaska - from indigenous settlement through to the Russian fur trade and the European rush for gold. In the afternoon we arrive in Disenchantment Bay, home to Hubbard Glacier, North America's largest tidewater Glacier, where we search for Kittlitz's murrelet, Aleutian tern and brown bear hunting salmon along the shore.

Kayak Island is the remote, uninhabited spot where in 1741, zoologist and botanist Georg Wilhelm Steller became one of the first Europeans to set foot on Alaskan soil. Serving as naturalist on Vitus Bering's voyage to explore a sea route from Russia to North America, Steller recorded the first evidence of Alaskan Inuit and catalogued an array of flora and fauna, many of which now bear his name. If weather permits, we will explore Cape Saint Elias and its lighthouse by Zodiac.

Framed by the impressive Chugach Mountains, we spend two days exploring Prince William Sound, an area of rugged coastline that is home to more tidewater glaciers than anywhere else on Earth. Zodiac-cruise among icebergs, and forest-covered islands that are rich in wildlife including puffin, sea lion and seal. Glacier Island at the opening of Columbia Bay offers great wildlife encounters, vast amounts of sea ice, diverse geological formations and sea caves.

Columbia and Meares Glaciers are both extremely active and produce vast quantities of ice where seal haul out on icebergs in front of them. Granite Bay features steep cliff walls where the northernmost stand of yellow cedars is found, and where mountain goat can be seen clinging to the cliff face. Kayak in College Fjord, with several glaciers named after Ivy League universities such as Harvard and Yale, which funded the 1899 exploration and discovery of the fjord.

Disembark in Seward and transfer to Anchorage, where you will continue your journey.