THE WILDS OF ALASKA

Our adventurous circuit of Alaska – by rail, road, boat and plane – has been designed to capture the mesmerising scenery and prodigious wildlife of the American continent’s wild, wild north.

Glacier Bay in south-east Alaska is the world’s largest marine sanctuary, a mosaic of virgin fjords, tide-water glaciers and snow-capped mountains. The waters around Frederick Sound and Chatham Strait are alive with killer and humpback whales – herds as large as thirty are a common sight – whilst Denali National Park is home to wolves, eagles, moose, caribou and bear.

Our tour starts less than 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle at Fairbanks, where the Denali Star, the Alaska Railroad’s flagship train, will convey us through pristine forest and sweeping tundra into the heart of the Denali National Park. Here we will spend three nights in the shadow of Mt McKinley, North America’s highest peak, studying the Alaskan interior’s natural and cultural history, including its birds, mammals, flowers and ecology.

A short flight will take us to Sitka, the terminus a quo for our voyage across Alaska’s coastal wilderness aboard the nimble but sturdy Sea Bird. We will spend the next eight days investigating this diverse land and seascape, including the 20 mile-long fjord and cascading waterfalls of Tracy Arm.

We will walk through forests of spruce, track the flight of the majestic bald eagle and watch sheaths of ice thunder into the deep waters from the face of a glacier.

A small fleet of kayaks will enable us to observe the region’s whales at close quarters – including their fascinating tail-slapping behaviour. Harbour seals, porpoises and quietly dozing Steller’s sea lions will also adorn our cruise.

Accommodation away from National Geographic Sea Bird is in three star hotels.