Compare Alaska Adventures Small Ship Cruise by Maple Leaf Adventures vs Alaska: The Great Exploration by Discover Corps
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| Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 9 days | 7 days |
| Price From | $ 7,103 | $ 4,695 |
| Price Per Day | $ 789 | $ 671 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Small ship cruise | Group tour |
| Lodging Level | Premium | Standard |
| Physical Level |
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| Travel Themes |
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| Countries Visited | ||
| Cities and Attractions |
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Ground transport included |
| Activities |
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| Meals Included | N/A |
6 Breakfast, 5 Lunches and 4 Dinners |
| Description |
Southeast Alaska is majestic; tall snow-capped mountain peaks rise from the ocean where long fjords lead to powerful rivers or calving glaciers. Where the waters open to great expansive sounds humpback whales can be found all around. Sandy beaches, rocky shorelines, rainforest islands, and salmon bearing streams. |
As America’s last frontier, Alaska boasts a nearly endless amount of natural beauty. From glaciers that rival the size of some states to snow-capped mountains that scrape the sky, the rugged Alaskan landscape is unrivaled. Add to that a litany of land and marine life found nowhere else in the U.S. and you have one of the most awe-inspiring experiences available to travelers today. |
Day 1
Board at Petersburg, cruising Frederick Sound, introduction to Alaskan life, introduction to coastal rainforest on walk. Wilderness anchorage at entrance to fjord.
Day 2
Cruising spectacular fjord to tidewater glacier, ice bergs, wildlife viewing. Option to zodiac, kayak and/or walk, exploring glacier, ice bergs in this awesome ice world.
Day 3
Humpback whales of Frederick Sound, Five Fingers Lighthouse, Windfall harbour. Explore estuary and look for brown bears.
Day 4
Guided brown bear viewing and rainforest walk up salmon creek at Pack Creek on Admiralty Island, with special access for swell guests.
Day 5
Frederick Sound marine mammals and islands. Island anchorage. Guided brown bear viewing and rainforest walk up salmon creek at Pack Creek on Admiralty Island, with special access for Maple Leaf guests.
Day 6
Cruising to Warm Springs Bay. Rainforest / bog walk and natural hot springs. Cruising the waterfall coast of Baranof Island. Peril Strait to Kruzof Island
Day 7
Hike on Kruzof Island through many ecotypes to spectacular west coast beach. Cruising the west coast, sea otters, seabirds.
Day 8
Weather permitting, exploring by zodiac at St. Lazaria, a spectacular island with thousands of nesting seabirds and rich intertidal life. Vistas of volcanic Mt. Edgecumbe as it sweeps down toward the sea. Hot springs.
Day 9
Cruise to Sitka for disembarkation.
Day 1: Arrive in Anchorage
Meals: Dinner
Our Alaskan adventure begins in its charming city of Anchorage. Arrive into Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC) and meet your local Alaskan guide. We’ll get a brief introduction to the area before settling into our accommodations at a boutique inn in downtown Anchorage. Dine alongside locals at a brewhouse and get to know one another as we gear up for the week ahead.
Day 2: Learn about Alaska's History and Meet a Member of the Beluga Whale Alliance
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Today's adventure takes us to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. As Alaska’s largest living cultural center, we’ll get the unique opportunity to explore a village of authentic and traditional structures from Alaska’s many native cultures. We’ll also be treated to a range of performances including native dancing led by a community dance group, or athletes demonstrating World Eskimo-Indian Olympic Games skills. In the afternoon, enjoy a picnic lunch and guided hike into the snow capped mountains of the Chugach State Park. Stop along the way to discuss the stunning geography of the area while learning about Alaska history as you gaze over aerial views of Anchorage.
Before dinner, we’ll get a visit from a member of the Beluga Whale Alliance to discuss the declining Beluga Whale population of nearby Cook Inlet and their effort to sustain the species by volunteer driven data collection. Enjoy dinner with a view overlooking the Cook Inlet, named after Captain James Cook during his search for the Northwest Passage.
This hike is all abilities level and will be based on group pace with 3 different routes to choose between.
Day 3: Ride a Glass-Top Train to Seward & Explore Kenai Fjords National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Rise early for an adventure down the Alaskan coast. Hop aboard the Coastal Classic train and venture from Anchorage to Seward in style. Often ranked as the top ten train rides in North America, you’ll wind along Turnagain Arm, where the steep mountains of the Chugach Range plunge directly to the sea before entering into the backcountry wilderness. Take in the panoramic vistas of Alaska’s beauty under the glass dome ceiling railcars. This 4.5 hour scenic ride will offer plenty of photo opportunities of wildflowers, rivers, and possible wildlife sightings so be sure to keep your camera handy! Arrive into the quaint, fishing town of Seward where you’ll go from train to boat for an afternoon of wildlife and glacier viewing in the remarkable Kenai Fjords National Park. Keep an eye out for whales, porpoises, puffins, sea otters, the stellar sea lion, and more as we cruise through Aialik Bay towards the mighty Holgate Glacier, an actively calving tidewater glacier. We will spend time in front of the glacier to watch for calving, where giant chunks of glacial ice break off and crash into the water. The tour is fully narrated by a National Park Ranger
Day 4: Join the Alaska Sealife Center for a Puffin Experience before a Dog Sled Tour Through the Wilderness
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Wake to the sounds of fishing boats departing for the day and views of towering Mt. Marathon and Mt. Alice outside your window. Today we will head to Alaska’s only marine rescue and research facility, The Alaska Sealife Center. You’ll have the opportunity to learn about how the center is protecting marine wildlife through rescue and rehabilitation. Go behind the scenes with researchers and learn about a range of animals from stellar sea lions, ringed & spotted seals as well as the giant pacific octopus. Join staff in a privately led deep dive into the characteristics and traits of a puffin. Learn first hand why their bright orange beaks change colors during the year and how they’ve earned their nickname, clowns of the sea!
In the afternoon, visit a local homestead kennel for a look into Alaska’s Iditarod dog sledding family, The Seaveys. Get to know their beloved team of huskies, a tether-free environment, and how mushing runs deep within the family line and their way of life. Your adventure begins with a 2-mile dog sled ride. Feel the power, excitement, and energy of these amazing sled dogs as they are harnessed to comfortable wheeled sleds on this hour and a half dog sled tour. Mush through the Seward Alaska wilderness to the base of Resurrection Mountain and along Box Canyon Creek.
Day 5: Head to Homer & Meet with the Alaska Center for Coastal Studies for "Belly Biology"
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
After breakfast, we will hit the road and head to the other side of the Kenai Peninsula stopping along the way in the old gold mining town of Cooper Landing. We’ll arrive in Homer and visit the Wynn Nature Center at the Alaska Center for Coastal Studies, whose mission is to protect the unique marine and coastal ecosystems of Kachemak Bay through science-based environmental education and stewardship. Get to know the 150 acre wildlife corridor with a habitat that includes spruce, black cottonwood, and alder trees and is the epicenter for a range of birds from the Black-capped Chickadee to the Orange-crowned warbler. The preserve is located on top of a bluff 1200 feet above Kachemak Bay. After touring the grounds, head down to the Homer Marina with a trained naturalist guide as you explore marine invertebrate life living on & around the Homer Harbor Docks in an activity called, belly biology.
Day 6: Visit a Local Oyster Farm
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Rise for a delicious breakfast followed by some free time to explore the small shops & cafes on the boardwalk along the Homer Spit. In the afternoon, we will board a boat for yet another engaging ocean experience. This time we will explore Kachemak Bay stopping at a local oyster farm to enjoy a tasting! Learn about ocean research by participating in a plankton tow, viewing them under a microscope and using an underwater remote operating vehicle to explore the ocean bed and all the creatures that call this place home! We’ll stop at the secluded Peterson Bay Field Station & visit Intertidal Creature Touch Tanks. Later in the evening, we’ll come together for a memorable Farewell Dinner to cap off our great Alaskan adventure!
Day 7: Explore the Homer Spit before Returning Home or Continuing to Denali
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Enjoy a relaxing final morning in Homer. Head into town for souvenir shopping or beach combing along the oceanfront. In the afternoon, we’ll drive back to Anchorage for evening flights out. Those who opt for the Denali Extension will bid the rest of the group farewell and take a domestic flight from Homer to Anchorage then onwards to Denali National Park.
