zWild Alaska and The Bering Sea

Step aboard the luxurious Silver Discover and settle in to your spacious outside stateroom. This afternoon, you’ll be introduced to your outstanding shipboard Expedition Team and will participate in a safety drill. Enjoy an elegant evening meal in the dining room and get to know your fellow travelers before our ship’s scheduled sailing at 10:00pm.  Meals D

This morning, our shipboard Expedition Team is on hand to broaden your understanding of the region and to answer your questions as we navigate past the massive Holgate Glacier. Keep your ears open for the remarkable sounds of the ice popping and cracking, and watch for enormous blocks of ancient ice to calve off the glacier’s face. This afternoon, we’ll explore the Chiswell Islands where nearly 40 million birds representing 30 species congregate in thriving colonies along the coastlines. Over 20,000 Horned and Tufted Puffins return here to make their nests every summer. Accompanied by our expert Expedition Team, you’ll visit rookeries teaming with birds including Parakeet Auklets, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Ancient Murrelets and Red-faced Cormorants.  Meals B,L,D

Our journey along the Alaska Peninsula continues today. You’ll find the shifting landscapes to be breathtakingly beautiful with active volcanoes, towering mountain peaks, rolling tundra and rugged, wave-battered shores. The Peninsula is also home to the largest Brown Bear population in the state!

This morning finds us surrounded by the waters and magnificent landscapes of Katmai National Park. With its other-worldly topography and 15 active volcanoes, Katmai is on the top of many “Best of Alaska” Lists! Our first exploration will be in Kukak Bay, known for its concentration of bears and the salmon on which they feed. Natural history walks and Zodiac tours with our Expedition Team offer terrific opportunities to get up-close and personal to the abundant wildlife and raw natural beauty.  In the afternoon, we’ll experience the inspiring scenery of Geographic Harbour, located at the head of Amalik Bay. Bears here are ubiquitous! Meals B,L,D

This morning, the Silver Discoverer will be navigating through the Semidi Islands. This remote and nearly uninhabited archipelago is home to some of the largest populations of native and undisturbed wildlife in the United States. There are 2.5 million birds here, almost half the breeding seabirds of the Alaska Peninsula. You’ll find huge numbers of Horned Puffins, Northern Fulmars and Jaegers, and over a million Murres. Ancient Murrelets and Parakeet Auklets are among the other species found, while the surrounding sea is home to sea otters, sea lions, seals, porpoises and whales. This evening, we’re scheduled to call upon Chignik, a tiny hamlet in Alaska’s Lake and Peninsula Borough. According to the 2010 census, Chignik had a population of 91 people.  Meals B,L,D

Exploring by Zodiac with our shipboard Expedition Team, we’ll have a chance to observe Sea Lions on the rocky shores and Sea Otters at play in the extensive Bull Kelp beds that surround. Embedded in the island’s sea cliff is a spectacular petrified ancient forest.  Meals B,L,D

Together with the city of Unalaska, Dutch Harbour is a bustling community of about 4,000 residents. It is connected by bridge to the rest of Unalaska on Amaknak Island and its name is frequently applied to the entire town. During our guided shore excursion this morning, we’ll see World War II bunkers and visit the spectacular Russian Orthodox Church.  Meals B,L,D

After breakfast, we’ll step ashore on this remote Bering Sea island for a guided walk to the Salt Lagoon, Town Cove and Rift Point Fur Seal haul out. While one of the most notable sights on the island is the Northern Fur Seal rookery, Saint Paul Island is also renowned as a bird watching haven.  Meals B,L,D

This morning, you’ll have the rare opportunity to set foot on an island which few people have ever even seen! Known as Alaska’s most remote location, and designated in 1909 by Teddy Roosevelt as one of America’s first wildlife refuges, St. Matthew’s will be yours to explore together with our Expedition Team. The focus today is on botany and birding with McKay’s Bunting, Lapland Longspur and myriad other seabirds to observe. In addition, you’ll see plants alive in purple, pink and blue hues. St. Matthew is also home to the adorable Singing Vole and a healthy population of Red Foxes, the largest mammal on the island. As we enjoy lunch onboard, the Silver Discoverer will reposition to Hall Island where we use our fleet of Zodiacs to explore the rugged coast of this uninhabited island. Here we hope to encounter the vast numbers of Kittiwakes and Guillemots that make their nests on the steep cliffs. And be on the look out as well for Arctic Foxes, Horned Puffins and Walruses that are regularly seen from the Zodiacs.  Meals B,L,D

As our ship navigates in northwesterly direction toward Russia, we’ll cross the International Date Line, thus “losing” a day on our voyage!

After clearing immigration formalities in the former Soviet military port of Provideniya, we’ll be treated to a traditional Russian welcome of Vodka, black bread, and sweets. Then after a rousing performance of traditional regional dancing, we’ll join our local guides for a walking tour through town and including the regional museum. Meals B,L,D

An early morning expedition by Zodiac brings us to Cape Dezhnev, an Inuit people heritage site. There’s a small historical village here as well as a monument to Russian explorer Semyon Dezhnev, for whom the cape is named. Just 28 miles off Cape Dezhnev in the middle of the Bering Strait is Big Diomede Island, a former Soviet military base that was used during World War II and even into the Cold War. Big Diomede is now unpopulated, housing only a Russian weather station and a small base for Russian Border guard troops. Less than one mile east is the International Date Line between Russia and the United States. In addition to learning about the indigenous Inuit heritage, there’s a good chance we’ll be able to observe hauled out Walruses.  Meals B,L,D

The small village of Lorino is home to the Chukchi people, known for their reindeer-herding lifestyle. After a short welcome ceremony by the villagers, we’ll have a chance to experience their traditional ways as we join them for dog sled rides and excursions in their traditional boats, made from animal skins. As we approach Yttygran Island, keep a sharp lookout for Gray Whales that are often seen in these waters. On the island’s northern shore is Whale Bone Alley, named for the large number of carefully arranged whale skulls and bones.  Meals B,L,D

A leisurely day at sea is yours to enjoy. Begin perhaps with a late breakfast and another cup of coffee or tea during the first of today’s fascinating shipboard lectures, filled with dramatic tales of adventure and enriching information so you can learn more about the landscapes and wildlife of the places you’ve explore over the past two weeks. Also today, our ship will call again at the Russian port of Provideniya so that we can clear outbound immigration formalities. Meals B,L,D

Crossing the International Date Line between Russia and the USA, we’ll have gained back the day we “lost”. Early this morning, the Silver Discoverer will arrive in Nome, Alaska where your voyage will come to an end as you disembark.  Meals B

Expedition highlights and wildlife listed here are possible experiences only and cannot be guaranteed. Your Expedition Leader and Captain will work together to ensure opportunities for adventure and exploration are the best possible, taking into account the prevailing weather and wildlife activity. Expedition Team members scheduled for this voyage are subject to change or cancellation.