Just about everyone someday wants to cruise Alaska’s Inland Passage (a fact to which 1,200,000 Google hits bear cyberwitness). But if you’re inclined to do it with less glitz,fewer talent shows, and more intimacy, our three (very up-to-the-minute) boats, the 12-guest Safari Escape and Safari Spirit and the 21-guest Safari Quest, are your ticket.

The eight-day itinerary below is for one of the scheduled Safari Quest cruises (note that these ships are also available for private charter). It includes a rare two nights in epic Glacier Bay National Park, but it’s representative of the ability of our ships to avoid the sea lanes plowed by the grandiose leviathans, and it provides up-close, Zodiacing, shore-wandering looks at this shimmering maritime, ice, and mountain jewel. We anchor in hidden coves, watch humpbacks, Stellar sea lions, porpoises, and orcas at work, wander in the miniscule village of Elfin Cove on Chichagof Island, kayak in misty inlets, and watch grizzlies amble along the nearby shore, getting an intimate feel for the Inland Passage’s mix of scenic drama and subtle, soul-warming delights.

Day 1: sail from Juneau after city and glacier tour, wilderness anchorage • Days 2 & 3: Glacier Bay National Park, shore visits, glacier viewing, kayaking in remote coves • Day 4: into Icy Strait, visit Elfin Cove village • Days 5 & 7: into the heart of the Inland Passage, kayaking, wild-life viewing, anchorages at remove coves and between towering waterfalls • Day 8: arrive in Sitka for flights home.

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