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Hokkaido to Seward: Russia & Alaska Expedition Cruise

Hokkaido to Seward: Russia & Alaska Expedition Cruise

EWASS
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Description

Join us for a journey along the Kuril and Aleutian Islands. This is an incredible opportunity to witness the people and wildlife that thrive in this desolate and wild part of the world. Experience distinctive cultural presentations in Korsakov, Sakhalin Island and in Petropavlovsk, on the Kamchatka Peninsula.Take Zodiac cruises to find whales and seals. Observe Bald Eagles up close in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Hike the side of Yankicha Island to see the magnificent caldera. Enjoy landscapes that have barely been touched by human hands and take in sulphur springs and fumaroles that will remind you of just how active the ground is beneath your feet.
Throughout the voyage, learn about the history, geology, wildlife and botany of this spectacular area from lecture presentations offered by your knowledgeable onboard Expedition Team.

Trip Name
Hokkaido to Seward: Russia & Alaska Expedition Cruise
Days
18
Overview
Vessel Type: Luxury Expedition Length: 108 metres Passenger Capacity: 144 Built / refurbished: 1989 / 2008 / 2018 Silversea’s purpose-built luxury Silver Explorer expedition cruise ship has been designed specifically for navigating waters in some of the world’s most remote destinations, including both of earth’s polar regions. A strengthened hull with a Lloyd’s Register ice-class notation (1A) for passenger vessels enables the Silver Explorer Expedition Cruise Ship to safely push through ice floes with ease. A fleet of 12 Zodiac boats allows Silversea Expedition guests to visit even the most off-the-beaten path locations and an expert Expedition Team provides insight and understanding to each unforgettable Silver Explorer luxury cruise adventure.

Itinerary



Day 1 - Day 1 HOKKAIDO (OTARU)
Otaru is a small harbor city west of Sapporo. Famous for its many hills and a nearby ski resort, the town has been an important trade and herring fishing center. A wide canal that led from the port to the old town’s warehouses has been maintained for touristic purposes and the old stone or brick-built warehouses have been beautifully converted to restaurants and boutiques.
Day 2 - Day 2 KORSAKOV
Korsakov is used as a technical stop for ships clearing in and out of Russia. In addition to being a port of call for these formalities, the city was once home to an Ainu fishing village frequented by regional traders and early Russian expeditions. History also suggests that there may have been a significant Japanese population here at one time with reports of a Japanese religious temple on record.
Day 3 - Day 3 TYULENIY ISLAND
Thousands of Northern fur seals and Steller sea lions call Tyuleniy Island their home. The island is appropriately named, as the word tyuleniy means “seal” in Russian. During the summer months, tens of thousands of seals and sea lions haul ashore here during the breeding season. The cacophony of their barks, belches, grunts and groans is difficult to imagine. Bulls, their harems, and many thousands of young black pups all jostle for space on the crowded beaches that flank the small rocky island.
Day 4 - Day 4 DAY AT SEA
Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is whale watching from the Observatory Lounge, writing home to your loved ones or simply topping up your tan by the pool, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.
Day 5 - Day 5 YANKICHA ISLAND
Any articles published about the Kuril Islands are likely to linger over the impressive Yankicha Island. It is the southernmost of two islets forming Ushishir Island. Yankicha is distinct in having at its center a caldera that is accessible by small boat only during high tide. Inside this extraordinary lagoon are fumaroles and hot springs, both traces of the tremendous forces that created the island long ago. Fortunate visitors may encounter an Arctic fox or the rare Whiskered Auklet. Ashore it is also possible to see Arctic Warblers and Middendorff’s Grasshopper Warblers.
Day 6 - Day 6 ATLASOVA ISLAND
The near-perfect cone of Alaid volcano dominates Atlasova Island with its 2000-meter (6,500-foot) peak. It is the highest volcano in the Kuril Islands and over time generated the black lava beaches and the eroding Taketomi tufa limestone cone near the landing site. At one time a women’s prison, or gulag, was located on Atlasova. The women, many of them political prisoners during the Soviet rule, were sent here to raise foxes for fur. Peregrine Falcons can sometimes be spotted flying above the beach, while buzzards, Eurasian Wigeons, and Tufted Ducks have all been observed on the island.
Day 7 - Day 7 UTASHUD ISLAND
Three small islands form Utashud and seem to be the remnants of a former volcano raising 80 meters (262 feet) out of Vestinik Bay. Although the island is deprived of forest, fragments of giant petrified trees have been found on its shores. Utashud is one of the richest islands on the southeastern side of Kamchatka in terms of wildlife. The island is notable for its population of sea otters (up to 300 individuals). In fact, native people from Kamchatka used to visit this island to hunt for sea otters, valuing the thick fur of their pelts.
Day 8 - Day 8 PETROPAVLOVSK KAMCHATSKY
The Kamchatka Peninsula is part of the Eastern frontier of Russia. Due to its close proximity to the United States, the region has played a strategic role in the defense of Russian territory throughout modern history. As a result, the territory was closed for many years to foreigners and Russians alike. Fortunately, the region's isolated position played a significant role in preserving and protecting its unique wilderness and rich biodiversity. With few roads, most regional transportation is by plane, boat, or helicopter.
Day 9 - Day 9 DATE LINE GAIN A DAY - DAY AT SEA
Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is whale watching from the Observatory Lounge, writing home to your loved ones or simply topping up your tan by the pool, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.
Day 10 - Day 10 ATTU ISLAND
On a world map Attu Island marks the westernmost point of the United States. It is also the site of the only WWII battle fought on North American soil. Over two thousand Japanese soldiers lost their lives at the aptly named Massacre Bay on Attu’s southeastern coast. Today the island is an ornithologist’s paradise visited by an array of birds migrating through as they come or go to Asia with the seasons. Peregrine Falcons, Lapland Longspur and Aleutian Canada Goose might be spotted in the summer months.
Day 11 - Day 11 KISKA HARBOR (ALEUTIAN ISLANDS)
Russian traders led by Vitus Bering in the mid-1700s would have been some of the first non-native explorers to visit Kiska Harbor on Kiska Island in the Aleutian chain. The Japanese occupied the island during WWII and relics of war have been left behind in the harbor including a Japanese two-man submarine. The occupying force of 6,000 soldiers also left a Shinto shrine behind whose remains can still be visited today. Ashore there are ptarmigans, Lapland Longspurs and Bald Eagles.
Day 12 - Day 12 DAY AT SEA
Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is whale watching from the Observatory Lounge, writing home to your loved ones or simply topping up your tan by the pool, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.
Day 13 - Day 13 SEGUAM ISLAND (ALASKA)
Seguam Island is made up of several stratovolcanoes in the Andreanof Islands group in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The island contains two calderas, one of them having erupted as recently as 1993. The mountainous oval-shaped island covers an area of just over 200 square kilometers or 80 square miles. The stark beauty of this remote island is offset by the chilly surrounding waters known for occasional whale sightings.
Day 14 - Day 14 DUTCH HARBOR
The crumpled peaks, and tranquil scenery, of Dutch Harbor belies its history as one of the few places on American soil to have been directly attacked by the Japanese - who bombed the significant US military base here during the Second World War. Located on a string of islands, which loops down into the Pacific from Alaska, a visit to this Aleutian Island destination offers comprehensive military history, and extraordinary ocean scenery. Hike the volcanic, gloriously green landscapes, and look out for wonderful wildlife, like bald eagles, as they survey the surroundings.
Day 15 - Day 15 UNGA ISLAND
The Aleutian island of Unga holds an ancient petrified wood forest and a more recent ghost town that was the site of a small gold rush in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The village was eventually abandoned in the 1960’s and now has a somewhat somber appearance. Many of the houses have collapsed and are overgrown with brilliant fuchsia fireweed wildflowers. From a distance the church looks intact, but up closer it is apparent that the roof is standing on the ground, and the walls have completely collapsed.
Day 16 - Day 16 CASTLE BAY (ALASKA)
Castle Bay lies immediately west of Tuliumnit or Castle Point. The rugged sandstone tower and pinnacle formations give the point and the bay their names. The bay is several miles long with a entrance about two mile wide
Day 17 - Day 17 KODIAK ISLAND (LARSEN BAY)
Larsen Bay is one of the hotspots of commercial and sports fishing on Kodiak Island’s western side. The village of Larsen Bay is home to one of the oldest standing canneries on Kodiak Island. Situated in a scenic valley at the mouth of a narrow fjord, the small village of Larsen Bay lies within Kodiak Island’s National Wildlife Refuge -which covers the southwestern part of Kodiak Island- and is the starting point for scenic flights over the mountainous island.
Day 18 - Day 18 CHISWELL ISLANDS (ALASKA) & HOLGATE GLACIER (ALASKA)
The Chiswell Islands are part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, and deservedly so. Small bays, inlets and sea cliffs are populated by innumerable seabirds including Black-legged Kittiwakes, Pelagic Cormorants, Horned and Tufted Puffins, as wells as guillemots, auklets and murrelets. The Chiswell Islands are blessed with towering cliffs and sea caves offering up spectacular scenery and a Steller sea lion rookery that bustles as the marine mammals commute to feeding grounds, socialize, and care for their pups.Kenai Fjords National Park’s famous Holgate Glacier is a spectacularly active river of ice. The surrounding glaciated landscape paints a dramatic portrait of the rugged mountains in contrast to the cold blue ice of the glacier. On approach, the waters leading up to Holgate Glacier may be peppered with bits of ice and the crackling noise of ancient air bubbles being released from small bergs. Periodically loud cannon-like blasts emanate from the glacier, and some are accompanied by calving events off the ice front.
Day 19 - Day 19 SEWARD (ANCHORAGE, ALASKA)
It is hard to believe that a place as beautiful as Seward exists. Surrounded on all sides by Kenai Fjords National Park, Chugach National Forest, and Resurrection Bay, Seward offers all the quaint realities of a small railroad town with the bonus of jaw-dropping scenery. This little town of about 2,750 citizens was founded in 1903, when survey crews arrived at the ice-free port and began planning a railroad to the Interior. Since its inception, Seward has relied heavily on tourism and commercial fishing.
Day 20 - Please Note:
Expedition highlights and itinerary 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.

Trip Dates

StartEndPrice FromRoom Type

Inclusions

    • Discover Tyuleniy Island, Yankicha Island, Dutch Harbor, Unga Island, Holgate Glacier
    • Visit Russian Orthodox Churches and museums
    • Experience cultural presentations in Korsakov on Sakhalin Island and in the mainland Russian town of Petropavlovsk
    • Wildlife Watch List: Steller sea Lions, Northern fur seals, Crested and Whiskered Auklets, Brünnich’s, Pidgeon and Common Guillemots, Black-Legged Kittiwakes, Northern Fulmar, Tufted and Horned Puffins, Short-tailed Shearwater, Black Oystercatcher, Red-faced Cormorant. American Pipit, Savannah Sparrow, Long-tailed Duck, White Wagtails, Buff-bellied Pipits, Red-breasted Merganser, Harlequin Duck, Bald Eagles, Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur, Redpoll, Song Sparrow, Winter Wren, Bank Swallow, American Dipper, Gray-crowned Rosy-finch, Common Raven, Rough-legged Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Belted Kingfisher, Red and Artic Fox

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