Voyage Name Aleutians to Katmai: Wild Alaska Revealed (Southbound)

Embark in Whittier’s wild fjords

Your expedition begins with a transfer from Anchorage to Whittier, where you will embark MS Roald Amundsen.

Whittier is a small town of a few hundred residents set between soaring mountains and the deep waters of Prince William Sound. This is one of Alaska’s most dramatic settings: glaciers descend from the ranges above, waterfalls cascade down sheer rock faces, and the Sound stretches across 10,000 square miles of fjords, islands, and protected waterways, home to humpback whales, sea otters, and countless seabirds.

Settle into your cabin, meet the Expedition Team, and attend the safety briefing.

Sailing southwest towards Katmai

Today we enjoy a day at sea as we head southwest along the Alaskan coast toward Katmai National Park.

The mountains of the Kenai Peninsula fall behind us as we round the coast. Join the Expedition Team for lectures and citizen science projects. Keep watch for sea otters, seabirds, and whales moving through these cold northern waters.

Spot brown bears on the Alaskan coast

Katmai National Park spans roughly four million acres of the Alaskan Peninsula. It’s home to around 18 volcanoes, including seven active since 1900, and shelters the world’s highest concentration of protected brown bears: around 2,000 in total.

We scout from the ship deck and in expedition boats, watching bears work the shoreline: digging for clams, fishing in the shallows, moving through the coastal grasses with the unhurried confidence of a species at the top of the food chain. Depending on conditions, we explore Geographic Harbor, Kinak Bay, or Kukak Bay. Patience is richly rewarded here.

Ring of Fire

We head west into the Aleutian chain, one of the most remote stretches of the Pacific.

Our first stop is Unga Island, where the ghost village of Unga — first settled in 1833 and abandoned in 1969 — stands slowly yielding to wildflowers and tundra. It’s an eerie, affecting place.

From there we continue west through volcanic ridgelines, cliff-nesting puffins, sea lions, and coast-skimming seabirds, landing by Zodiac where few ever travel.

After a day at sea, we reach Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island, the country's busiest commercial fishing port by volume, set against the looming profile of Mount Makushin, an active volcano reaching 6,680 feet. You'll learn about the Unangan people who have called these islands home for at least 9,000 years, visit the Museum of the Aleutians, the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, or the WWII museum commemorating the Battle of Dutch Harbor in 1942.

Sailing toward the Gulf of Alaska

Enjoy a day at sea as we leave the volcanic chain of the Aleutian Islands behind and turn east, toward the Gulf of Alaska.

Attend a lecture on Aleutian ecology and geology in the Science Centre, or take time on deck to watch the ocean. These are cold, productive waters. Watch for seabirds tracing the ship’s route and marine mammals, who surface when you least expect them.

The ancestral homeland of the Sugpiaq

Known as the 'Emerald Isle', Kodiak rises from the Gulf of Alaska in a sweep of lush temperate forest and rugged shoreline. This is the ancestral homeland of the Sugpiaq people, whose connection to these islands runs thousands of years deep.

We’ll spend two days here, visiting Kodiak town and a small coastal community to learn about local culture and traditions first-hand. Out on the water, we search for humpback whales, sea otters, and harbour seals. The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, covering roughly two-thirds of the island, is home to around 3,500 Kodiak brown bears, a subspecies found nowhere else on Earth.

Birdwatching and relaxing at sea

Your cruise continues across the Gulf of Alaska. Enjoy the infinity pool, hot tubs, sauna, gym, or even treat yourself to a spa treatment.

In the Science Centre, the Expedition Team invite you to join lectures on Alaska’s wildlife, geology, glaciology, and history.

From the open deck, scan the horizon for seabirds. Three species of North Pacific albatross inhabit these waters: the laysan and black-footed are regularly spotted, while a glimpse of the rare short-tailed albatross would be the ultimate sighting of the voyage.

Ancient rainforests and Łingít culture

These three days carry us deep into the rainforests of the Tongass National Forest. We begin at Sitka: Łingít homeland, Russian outpost, and American purchase, where Mount Edgecumbe volcano rises from the sea and the Russian Orthodox Cathedral stands at the heart of town.

From there, we sail to Klawock on the western shore of Prince of Wales Island, where the Totem Park’s 21 carved poles pay tribute to Łingít tradition.

We end at Misty Fjords, a pristine wilderness of towering evergreens, waterfalls, and snowcapped peaks, where we explore by Zodiac or kayak, watching for mountain goats, harbour seals, and bald eagles.

Marine wildlife along the Pacific coast

The Inside Passage is one of the great coastal routes of the world, with over 900 miles of sheltered Pacific waterway, carved by glaciers and fringed by ancient forest. Today we venture beyond its shelter into the open waters of Queen Charlotte Sound and Hecate Strait, where the island of Haida Gwaii lies to the west.

These are productive seas. Keep watch for humpback and fin whales, orcas, minke whales, and Pacific white-sided dolphins. This is a voyage that rewards those who keep their eyes on the horizon.

Disembark in Vancouver

Your adventure ends in Vancouver, a Pacific seaport framed by steep mountains and dense coastal forest. Wander the Victorian streets of Gastown, or walk the seawall past the towering cedar groves of Stanley Park, a first taste of the wilderness ahead. The seafood and farm-to-table dining here is exceptional.