ALASKA: Inside Passage Photography Adventure Cruise

Length of Tour

11-days/10-nights

Brief Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrive in Petersburg

Day 2 – Explore wildlife areas

Day 3 – Board Yacht

Days 4 through 10 – The weather and wildlife will guide us

Day 11 – Return to Petersburg

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival in Petersburg

Arrive in Petersburg and transfer to hotel. Meet for an orientation to the trip.

Day 2 – Explore Mitfoff Island

Petersburg is a tiny fishing town on Mitkoff Island. From our hotel we will explore some of the great photo opportunities nearby. This will include Eagle’s Roost Park, Petersburg Harbor (full of waterfowl) and the Muskeg Trail.

Day 3 – Board our Yacht

In the morning we will have time to explore Petersburg on your own. Walking along the docks and shoreline we will see many birds and meet some of the locals. We will meet for lunch and board the yacht at about 2:00pm.

We will motor north to Thomas Bay, anchoring in either Scenery Cove or Cascade Creek and, weather permitting, go for a walk along the shore and in the forest.

Days 4 through 9

The following six days’ adventures are dependent upon the wildlife. Since we are not committed to a strict schedule, we can take advantage of new discoveries that we make along the way—stopping to enjoy birds, whales or a magnificent sunset—whatever opportunities may be presented. Weather permitting, we will photography beautiful star-filled skies and the Northern Lights.

Through the guidance of the leaders, participants will help decide the preferences and priorities for each of these days. However, each day will include one or more of the destinations listed.

See list of possible locations below

Day 10 Return to Petersburg

After a final morning of exploring we will head back to Petersburg, arriving late-afternoon. After dinner in town we will return to our hotel to relax and prepare for our return home!

Day 11 Return Home

Our final breakfast before return flights home.

Locations we MAY Visit

There is never enough time to “do it all,” however, these are the main highlights we will try to fit into our amazing journey!

Le Conte Glacier OR Dawes Glacier

The most active of Alaska’s tidewater glaciers are almost continually calving and are the fastest moving glaciers in the world. Watch in awe as huge chunks, some as large as a house, sheer off with a thunderous roar.

Brothers Island

There is a Steller sea lion haul-out here which typically has hundreds of animals. It is a great photographic opportunity!

Admiralty Island / Eliza Harbor

This beautiful remote bay on Admiralty Island is home to the highest concentration of brown bears in the world!

Cape Fanshaw

This location offers some of the best opportunities for salmon fishing as well as whale watching!

Cascade Creek

Spectacular Cascade Creek tumbles down from the mountains until it roars into the bay. We will enjoy a wonderful hike through the spruce forest and misty spray of the creek.

Baranof Island

A beautifully rugged island, full of brown bears feeding on salmon when they are running… usually early September!

Cost

Cost is $13,950 per person, based upon double occupancy, from Petersburg, AK (Airport code PSG.
This trip ends in Petersburg, AK (Airport code PSG).

Standard Cabin

Cost of is per person, double occupancy.
Standard cabin has one full size bed and one twin-sized upper bunk. $500 discount will be offered to the person choosing the upper bunk.

Single Standard Cabin

As there are only 3 total cabins available for guests on board, requesting a single cabin would obviously eliminate a participant from the trip. Therefore, the cost of the single cabin would be $26,500 to cover the loss of the eliminated participant.

Queen Suite

The Queen Suite is $15,000 per person, double occupancy (or $30,000 total per couple.) As a single, cost would be $28,000.
Suite has one queen bed and lots of walking space, counters and stowage.

Single Supplement

If a single hotel room is preferred, or we are unable to find a suitable roommate for you, a single supplement fee of $12,000 will be assessed.

NOTE: For boat-based tours, see pricing options for single cabins. Single cabin cost includes the single hotel cost above.

Minimum Number

If fewer than the minimum number of required participants are registered, we may still be able to run the trip by adding a small-group supplement fee, per person, determined by the number of participants registered.

Deposit Requirements

A $2,500 deposit per person is required to hold each space on this tour. Deposit may be made online by clicking the "Book Your Trip Now" button and using any credit card. If you prefer, you may call us at 888-875-9453 to pay by phone. You may also mail us a check, however, remember that all space is held on a first come-first served basis as deposits are received.

How to Book

In order to hold your space, click the "Book Your Trip Now" button above and complete the deposit process, including payment of the deposit through our Paypal portal using ANY CREDIT CARD. Upon completion of deposit, please visit our secure, online CLIENT INFORMATION FORM to complete your registration.

Final Payment

For all land-based tours: full payment by check is due 120 days prior to the departure date.

For all boat-based adventure cruises of 7-days or longer: full payment by check is required 180 days prior to departure.

NOTE: If you prefer to use credit card for final payment, a 3% fee may be added to cover the credit card merchant fees we incur.

Scandia House

Scandia House Hotel in Petersburg offers a quiet stay while in the fishing town of Petersburg. On the edge of town, along the main street, Nordic Avenue, it is an easy walk to restaurants and stores. Petersburg is a fishing town, so there is not a lot of options for food and very little in the way of “tourist” shops, but the local people are quite friendly!

Northern Song

Our 84’ yacht, the luxurious M/V Northern Song, offers accommodations for up to 6 participants plus leader and crew. Two standard cabins and one suite all have private facilities. The roomy galley and dining area are managed by our private chef, offering incredible meals.

The lounge/salon is the common area to relax with computers as we await our next wildlife adventure. The spacious wheelhouse offers a panoramic view as we motor through scenic fjords and along quiet shores.

Activity Level Rating: 2 (Note: 1 is easy and 5 is difficult)

This is a very easy trip with the most difficult activity being getting in and out of the zodiac skiff for our shore landings, and walking on some rocky/slippery shorelines.

Gear for Birding & Wildlife Viewing

• Good quality binoculars
• Spotting scopes are not typically needed as we will be photographing much of the time, unless you plan to do some digiscoping.

Photography Gear Recommendations

The best camera is the one you have with you! That said, we will help you get great photos no matter what camera you use.

This Photo Workshop is geared toward those using DSLR or Mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses, here is what we recommend that you bring:

• Bring at least 2 camera bodies – to reduce changing lenses and just in case of accidental damage to one

Recommended Lenses for Birds & Wildlife

• 100-400mm (or equivalent) for birds in flight
• 500mm lens or longer for birds and wildlife

Recommended Lenses for Landscape Opportunities

• 24-105mm (or equivalent) for landscape and general purpose
• In addition you may also want to have an ultra-wide lens equivalent to about 16-35mm which may be used for fun landscapes and night sky photography.

Optional Filters (Mainly for Landscape Photography)

• Polarizing Filter for removing reflections (screw in for wide-angle lenses)
• Filter Holder for 4×6″ (or similar) filters
• 2-stop Neutral Density Filter
• 8-stop (or more) Neutral Density Filter
• 2-stop Hard and/or Soft Graduated Neutral Density Filter

Other Accessories

• Tripod for long exposures, big lenses and steady video
• Rain cover for camera
• Weather resistant Camera Bag (Backpack style is best)
• Batteries and chargers
• Lots of memory cards!
• Laptop or other downloading device

Purchasing Flights

Do not purchase your flights until the trip has been confirmed to go.

Detailed Trip Information

Upon notification that final payment is due (120 days prior to departure for land based tours / 180 days for boat based tours), you will receive a trip package of detailed information for your tour.

Any additional information about the trip, including lodgings, contacts, participants, meeting locations, etc., will sent about 2 weeks prior to the trip departure, or after final payment is received for late registrants.

Travel Insurance

As with all tours, we recommend purchasing Travel Insurance to help cover your investment, for covered reasons. Please see our section on Travel Insurance.

Passport & Visa

US Citizens may require a visa to enter certain foreign countries. See above for any required visa information.

Participants arriving to the USA from a foreign country may need to get a travel visa to enter the United States. Be sure to check the requirements for your country of origin.

Itinerary Changes

The trip itinerary is developed many months ahead of time. Occasionally, despite our best planning, changes may occur during the trip, or we may be forced to alter our plans. Changes may occur because of weather, road conditions, safety concerns or other circumstances. In these situations, it is the leader(s) responsibility to carefully consider and implement appropriate alternatives. Any additional costs incurred because of changes will be the responsibility of each individual participant. Refunds will not be issued as a result of itinerary changes.