14-DAY GREAT ALASKA EXPLORER

Located just two hours south of Vancouver, Canada, the city of Seattle in USA is an international port that boasts three professional sports teams, hundreds of restaurants, a myriad of cultural venues and a lifestyle that is unique to the Pacific Northwest. It is known as Emerald City due to the lush evergreen forests in the area. Well known for its impressive musical history, from jazz to the rock music style of grunge, to this day Seattle hosts a diverse and influential alternative music scene. Read more about Seattle, USA

The City of Kodiak is situated on the second largest island in the United States, SW of Anchorage in the Gulf of Alaska. Kodiak Island is famous for huge Kodiak brown bears, elk, Sitka deer (black tail), and mountain goats, all of which invite tourists to the Kodiak Archipelago. The magnificent green that the island turns during the summer is why Kodiak is affectionately called Alaska's Emerald Isle. Read more about Kodiak, USA

Ships call at the ports of Seward and Whittier on the SE coast of Alaska as gateways to Anchorage, which is home to almost half the population of Alaska. What better way to see Alaska than taking the impressive train ride from Seward to Anchorage. You'll see wild animals, beautiful scenery, and enjoy a great meal in the diner car. Read more about Anchorage (Whittier), USA

Valdez is an important ice-free port (pop. 4000) in Alaska, at the head of a fjord 24 km from its mouth at Prince William Sound. It was at the mouth of the sound that Exxon Valdez hit Bligh Reef and spilled 40-120 thousand tonnes of oi in 1989. Read more about Valdez, USA

Hubbard Glacier enters Disenchantment Bay near the top end of the Alaska panhandle. Marching to the beat of a different drum, Hubbard Glacier is advancing while the rest of Alaska's ice rivers are receding rapidly. In 1986 and again in 2002 the glacier protruded forward, blocking off Russell Fjord to create an entirely new lake. Read more about Hubbard Glacier, USA

Built on a narrow shelf between Mt. Juneau and the deep waters of Gastineau Channel, Juneau is Alaska's state capital and a rewarding destination for glacier viewing. Juneau is a blend of fishermen and teachers, legislators and artists, homemakers and lawyers, union workers and frontier entrepreneurs, students and Native elders, all sharing an active port city within an inspiring wilderness setting. Read more about Juneau, USA

Alaska’s ‘first city’ Ketchikan is situated along the shores of Alaska's Inside Passage within the heart of the Tongass National Forest. Evergreen mountains rise out of the water, the lush green landscape nurtured by the abundant rainfall of the temperate rainforest environment. Visitors are presented with a remarkable array of activities and attractions that highlight the town's history, industry and culture, and bring them up close to resident wildlife. Read more about Ketchikan, USA

Canada's northernmost coastal city and gateway to Alaska, Prince Rupert boasts one of the world's largest natural harbours, ice-free year round. Arriving into port by ship is breathtaking, as you pass hundreds of islands and make your way through narrow, mist-shrouded passageways. Because of its moderate climate and mists, it is not unusual to see several rainbows a day, including double and triple rainbows that span the entire horizon. Read more about Prince Rupert, Canada

The Inside Passage is a coastal route for ocean-going vessels along a network of passages that weave through the islands on the Pacific coast of North America. The route extends from southeastern Alaska in the United States, through western British Columbia in Canada, to northwestern Washington State in the USA. Ships using the route can avoid some of the bad weather in the open ocean and may visit some of the many isolated communities along the route. Read more about Inside Passage, Canada

Located just two hours south of Vancouver, Canada, the city of Seattle in USA is an international port that boasts three professional sports teams, hundreds of restaurants, a myriad of cultural venues and a lifestyle that is unique to the Pacific Northwest. It is known as Emerald City due to the lush evergreen forests in the area. Well known for its impressive musical history, from jazz to the rock music style of grunge, to this day Seattle hosts a diverse and influential alternative music scene. Read more about Seattle, USA