Alaska Glacier Bay Historic Ship Adventure Cruising Tour
Snowy Peaks, Icebergs & Abundant Wildlife
- Available: May, June, July, August
- Activity: Level 2
- Accommodations: Comfortable Hotels,Comfortable Small Ship
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Group Size:
Up to 12 Guests
Min Age: 8
Highlights
- Take a hike up Reid Glacier for up-close views of its glacially carved terrain
- Kayak to Sandy Cove and look out for black bears, moose, puffins and mountain goats.
- Spend hours watching humpback whales springing out from the water at Point Adolphus
Itinerary
Arrive in Gustavus, Alaska
Day 1
Welcome to Gustavus, Alaska! An MT Sobek representative will take you over to the Annie Mae Lodge at the edge of Glacier Bay National Park. Explore the nearby sandy beach and beach-fringed meadows by foot or hop onto one of the bikes to cycle the town. This evening, enjoy a hearty welcome dinner at the lodge.
Accommodation: Glacier Bay Lodge-Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Embark and Enter Glacier Bay National Park
Day 2
This morning, meet at Bartlett Cove Dock in Glacier Bay National Park and board the M/V Sea Wolf. En route to Geike Inlet, assemble in the main salon for introductions and a briefing on safety, amenities and itinerary. After a kayaking introduction and lunch, paddle the beautiful Geike fjord while looking out for black bears, wolverines, mountain goats, and seabirds. Board again for a few hours' cruise to the anchorage while marveling at acrobatic whales and wildlife on the shores. End the day with dinner as the sun sets over Glacier Bay.
Accommodation: M/V Sea Wolf-Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Activity: 4 hours cruising & wildlife watching
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Discover Upper Glacier Bay
Day 3
After breakfast, head off for an easy hike to Reid Glacier; learn about its geology, flora and fauna and get up-close views of this glacially carved landscape. Hunt for ice worms, seek out brown bears, wolverine, and harbor seals, and explore grounded icebergs. Scoop up glacial silt and apply for a facial! Enjoy lunch en route to Tarr Inlet, cascading point of the Grand Pacific and Marjorie Glaciers. Paddle along a sheer cliff - a Kittiwake and Puffin Rookery, then cruise through Russell Cut on the way to this evening's anchorage.
Accommodation: M/V Sea Wolf-Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Activity: 4 hours cruising & wildlife watching; 1 hour/1 mile glacier hike
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Explore Central Glacier Bay to the East Arm Entrance
Day 4
After an 8am breakfast, set off to Gloomy Knob to seek out mountain goats and other wildlife. Weather conditions permitting, take a morning botany hike up Gloomy Knob for striking bay views. In the afternoon, head off for a paddle at one of the anchorages, drawing closer to the East Arm entrance.
Accommodation: M/V Sea Wolf-Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Activity: 4 hours cruising & wildlife watching; 1 hour/1 mile hike
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Head to Muir Inlet, the East Arm of Glacier Bay
Day 5
Enjoy breakfast as engines start and the voyage begins, to the East Arm of Glacier Bay. Activities depend on wilderness water opening/closing dates. Go on an amazing hike by McBride Glacier, with a paddle either up to Riggs Glacier, or from Muir Glacier to Riggs. Spot a variety of birds and, with luck, bears, wolves, or moose. Back on the boat, head out to this evening's anchorage and dinner. Options for this day include Dundas Bay, George Island and Idaho Inlet, based on weather, park closures and wildlife.
Accommodation: M/V Sea Wolf-Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Activity: 4 hours cruising & wildlife watching; 1 hour/1 mile glacier hike
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Admire Abundant Wildlife at Lower Glacier Bay
Day 6
After breakfast, have a morning paddle at North Sandy Cove (tides permitting), a rich ecosystem home to black bears, moose, coyotes, and abundant marine species. Kayak around the shores scanning for wildlife, then paddle to Puffin Island for a wondrous low-tide vertical zone, home to hundreds of sponges, periwinkles, whelks, sea stars, sea cucumbers, and urchins. Back on board, head to S. Marble Island to watch a stellar sea lion haul-out and a seabird nesting rookery from the vessel. Cruise onward to Fingers Bay, tonight's anchorage.
Accommodation: M/V Sea Wolf-Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Activity: 4 hours cruising, 2 hours optional kayaking & wildlife watching
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Watch the Humpback Whales of Icy Strait
Day 7
Savor the last breakfast aboard the Sea Wolf before heading to Point Adolphus, a world-famous area for watching magnificent humpback whales. Around 12:30pm, journey back to Bartlett Cove Dock in Glacier Bay National Park for a 2pm docking where we've arranged for transport to your lodging or to the airport for your flight home.
Activity: 4 hours cruising & whale watching
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Dates & Prices
- 2023
- Go Custom
- Inclusions
2023
Scheduled Dates
The earlier you book, the more choice of available dates you’ll have and once you book, your price is guaranteed.
- $5,850 price per person dbl occ+$2,925 single supplementAvailableConfirmed
- $5,850 price per person dbl occ+$2,925 single supplementWaitlistConfirmed
Go Custom
Create Your Very Own Adventure
Dreaming of an adventure designed exclusively for you? With insider access and decades of experience, our travel experts create custom tailored adventures that are perfect for families, couples, and large groups. MT Sobek's custom adventures are designed to our exacting standards and led by our award-winning adventure guides.
When to start planning? Earlier is always better when designing a custom trip. More time allows for better availability of preferred accommodations, guides and your desired activities. Ideally, start the conversation with us at least 6 months before you want to travel. If you are looking for a custom trip that departs within three months, chances are greatly diminished in securing requested accommodations and the best guides.
*Custom trips require a 25% non-refundable deposit once an itinerary is agreed upon.
Start PlanningInclusions
Price Includes
- Expertise and services of our experienced adventure guides
- All accommodations as noted in the itinerary
- Breakfasts, lunches and dinners as noted in the itinerary
- Snacks and water between meals
- Additional regional guides and experts on many trips
- Comprehensive Trip Planner with detailed pre-trip information
- Private guided tours at historic sites, museums, wineries and other select attractions as noted in the itinerary
- Special events and other select attractions as mentioned in the itinerary
- All gratuities at hotels and restaurants
- Equipment and experienced guides for activities as described in the itinerary
- Park and other entry fees (unless otherwise noted)
- Fares for trains, ferries and other modes of travel as listed in the itinerary
- Select transfers as mentioned in the itinerary
- Baggage transfers and porterage
Price Does Not Include
- International airfare, airport taxes, and excess baggage fees
- Alcoholic beverages (MT Sobek provides wine at select events)
- Gratuities for MT Sobek guides and guide-drivers
- Travel Protection Program
- Personal expenses
Need help picking your next adventure? Call us to answer your questions.
Your Guides
The best people to immerse you in a destination are the ones who live there, which is why we feature local Adventure Guides on our trips. Here are a few that you might meet on this adventure.
Jenny Hahn
Naturalist Jenny Hahn has more than 30 years of wilderness travel under her boots and kayak hull-including kayaking solo from Ketchikan, Alaska, to Washington. Currently she is a professor at western Washington University's Fairhaven college, teaching courses on northwest wild food and the Salish Sea ecology. Jenny guided her first trip with the Sea Wolf in 2011--a wild foraging trip. In 2015 Jenny took a sabbatical as she received a grant to study seaweed toxicology in the Salish Sea. She is currently sharing her research results with tribes & first nations and divides her time between teaching, writing and guiding.
Emma Carey
Emma grew up on the coast of Connecticut and graduated from the University of southern Maine with a degree in geography and anthropology. She has been a guide and naturalist for 5 years in Maine, New Zealand, Hawaii, and of course, Alaska. She has spent most of her time kayaking the wild landscapes of resurrection bay and Kenai Fjords National Park, and is thrilled to explore the incredible coast of southeast Alaska. She loves to forage for useful and edible plants and fungi, is a budding bird nerd, and gets quite animated on the topic of geology.
Monika Becker
Monika is a long time naturalist/guide in southeast Alaska, leading multi-day camping paddling trips as well as guiding on the sea wolf. Monika has guided for the Sea Wolf for 7 years. Off -season, Monika lives in New Zealand with her husband, dog and farm animals on a small organic farm growing as much of their own food as possible.
Activity Level
This trip is rated activity level 2. 1 hour guided walks will average 1 mile on shoreline beaches or forested trails with little to no elevation gain. Sea kayaking excursions (1-1.5 hours) are optional. Steep ladders on the ship for getting between decks. You should be comfortable doing wet landings from the inflatable tender with help from the crew.
Learn more about activity levels here.
Activity Snapshot
Day 2
4 hours cruising & wildlife watching
Day 3
4 hours cruising & wildlife watching; 1 hour/1 mile glacier hike
Day 4
4 hours cruising & wildlife watching; 1 hour/1 mile hike
Day 5
4 hours cruising & wildlife watching; 1 hour/1 mile glacier hike
Day 6
4 hours cruising, 2 hours optional kayaking & wildlife watching
Day 7
4 hours cruising & whale watching
Accommodations
The refurbished, historic M/V Sea Wolf ship offers a perfect platform for wildlife expeditions while providing comfort, intimacy, and breathtaking anchorage settings.
M/V Sea Wolf-Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Perfect for intimate group trips carrying up to 12 passengers, the beautiful 75-year-old M/V Sea Wolf expedition vessel features Douglas Fir deck planks and varnished woodwork. Passengers enjoy spectacular vistas from the ship's covered aft viewing/dining deck, heated and enclosed in glass, the large outdoor viewing deck, or the wonderful wide bow, and books from the boat's extensive naturalist library.
Glacier Bay Lodge-Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Nestled under the spruce trees lining Bartlett Cove, Glacier Bay Lodge is the only hotel within Glacier Bay National Park. Guests delight in striking sunset views of the Fairweather Mountain range and relax in the warmth of the lobby's massive stone fireplace. The cozy rooms all come with en-suite bathrooms.
Weather
Enjoy mild summers, with almost daily light rain, chilly winds near glaciers, and breezy ocean sides. Daytime 55°F - 70°F. Evenings 40°F - 50°F
Know Before You Book
This cruise is not privately chartered for MT Sobek travelers. In order to offer the widest selection of travel dates and flexibility for our guests, MT Sobek works directly with the ship owner to book MT Sobek travelers on scheduled departures throughout the year, and we are pleased to offer our in-house expertise and services to assist you every step of the way. The actual itinerary routes vary from departure to departure.
FAQs
Who will meet me on arrival?
You will meet the boat captain, crew and guides at Barlett Cove Dock at Glacier Bay National Park on Day 2 of the trip.
Are we required to participate in all of the activities?
The daily hiking and sea kayaking activities are optional, and you may stay on board and enjoy the sights from the boat instead. Activities may vary in length and location based on the daily weather conditions.
What are the ship's cabins like?
The cabins on board are space-efficient. They are all equipped with comfortable bunk beds, nightstands, closet, cupboards, window, and their own bathroom with shower, sink and head.
What are the meals like?
The delectable gourmet dining will surely surprise you. Salmon, halibut, spot prawns, scallops and Dungeness crab harvested in SE Alaska by local fisherman will be served with fresh and organic produce. The boat's chef can work with most any special diets.
Will there be beverages served onboard?
There will be a variety of non-alcoholic beverages on board, however, no commercial sodas or mixers are stocked. These must be requested at least 3 weeks ahead of your departure. We do serve light complimentary beer and wine at happy hour and dinner.
Are there many communal areas on board?
The Sea Wolf is a 97' ocean-going ship that carries 12 passengers plus 5-6 crew in great comfort. There are many guest areas including a main viewing salon, covered aft viewing/dining deck and a wonderful wide bow.
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Guest Reviews
"The August 13-19 trip in the "Seawolf Explorer" with 10 passengers and a crew of five was something extraordinary. Cindy and I consider it among the best five trips in our long lives. We traveled approximately 250 miles, kayaking 2 hours, and hiking 2-3 hours every day. Among the wildlife we saw were Humpback whales, killer whales, sea lions, harbor seals, sea-otters, 19 bears, mountain goats, several bald eagles, puffins, and many sea birds. The total list of species that Jenny put on the board was over 100 including land and sea animals, insects, plants, and mushrooms. The views were spectacular, nature is very large at Glacier Bay......I would recommend this trip to anybody who wants to see the best of southeast Alaska."
Guido S.
MT Sobek Guest, Alaska Glacier Bay Historic Ship Adventure Cruising
"The Sea Wolf trip was the best. The passengers were delightful and companionable, the crew were fabulous, and the food was superb. We saw many humpbacks, four bears, eagles, otters, sea lions, harbor seals, two wolves, and countless birds. I would highly recommend this trip for those who are active."
Martha K.
MT Sobek Guest, Alaska Glacier Bay Historic Ship Adventure Cruising