While Coastal Brown Bears and Humpback Whales may steal the show for most wildlife lovers in Alaska, we were also impressed by the wide variety of other wildlife we saw along the way. Salmon, of course, are a big part of the wildlife experience in the summer, particularly from middle of July through August when they cram into the streams sometimes in such density that the water looks like one continuous flurry of activity. Salmon stream at Mendenhall Glacier (Mary Curry)
Marine invertebrates
In addition to salmon, we saw quite a few other marine creatures. Seastars clung to the rocks in large numbers along the coastline, jellyfish floated in the water, and sea urchins dotted the tidal pools. We even caught sight of a crab meandering along the tidal pools. Starfish in Inian Islands (Mary Curry)Jellyfish in Inian Islands (Mary Curry) Crab Alaska's Inside Passage (Mary Curry)
Birds
The puffin is one of the quintessential birds of the north and we were lucky to see quite a few reasonably close to the ship. Personally I've never been much of a 'bird watcher' when binoculars are involved, but these little cuties were close enough to see clearly without (though the ship did have binoculars available to borrow for anyone so inclined. Puffin, Inside Passage Alaska (Mary Curry)Puffin, Inside Passage Alaska (Mary Curry)
Besides the puffins, the cormorants made a regal sight, particularly when they decided to pose for us in front of a rainbow... Cormorants and Sea Lions Alaska's Inside Passage (Mary Curry)
Back out in the water, we also spotted sea lions, seals and otters on multiple occasions. The otters spend their time in the kelp forests along the shoreline where they can raise their young. Mama will bundle her otter baby in a piece of kelp so that she can dive down to the seafloor to gather a crab or mussel for a snack. What an innovative daycare system! Sea Otter Alaska's Inside Passage (Mary Curry)Sea Lions, Inside Passage Alaska (Mary Curry)
Finally back on shore we also spotted Sitka deer. Just like back home in Montana, these resourceful deer spent most of their time nibbling on the flowers or lawns in local towns. Sitka Deer (Mary Curry)
Mary has kept in regular contact and prepared me for everything so far
Michael Sinner
2 months ago
Very prompt responses. Erin found us the trip we were looking for and gave us good advice.
Nancy Brown-Koeller
2 months ago
I don’t have the words to describe it but the last week has been one of the best I can remember. 6 days of adventure in South East Alaska including trekking through lush rain forest, sitting in silence listening to glaciers calving, up early to see the northern lights, kayaking and stupidly swimming in iceberg frozen waters ! (That actually hurt).
Animal sightings including black and brown bears, Minke and hundreds of Humpack Whales, porpoises, sea lions, mountain goats, harbour seals, bald eagles, salmon and more birds than I can count. Wonderful friends and connections made. A huge shout out to Trevor and his totally amazing crew on the Admiralty Dream whose energy and enthusiasm made this most incredible experience.
DAVID JAMES
3 months ago
From the initial booking all the way through the trip, this was by far our favorite trip. Small boat travel is the only way to see a location. The excursions were so much more than I could explain. The locations were remote and awesome.
Lori I
3 months ago
Personal, knowledgeable service. We felt so informed and supported before our trip. Highly recommend and would use again.
