2012: Whales, Bears and Wilderness

This incredible trip begins August 5 at 8 a.m. in the little town of Wrangell, available via Alaska Airlines jet or state ferry. Wrangell features a lovely museum, impressive totem pole parks and strolls along the waterfront. Here you can purchase sturdy rubber boots (hard to find in the "Lower 48") and fishing licenses, if that's your thing. We suggest reservations at The Stikine Inn, a short stroll from the dock. The first part of the trip will include an exciting half-day jetboat ride to Shakes Glacier via the mighty Stikine River. Wildlife and spectacular scenery are highlights. After a few more hours in Wrangell, we then board the 50-foot Delphinus (our eating and sleeping quarters for the next eight days) and head south that evening to Anan Creek. Anan has one of the largest runs of pink salmon in Southeast Alaska, and at a small waterfall, bears congregate. Although most of the fishing bears are black bears, a few brownies also enjoy their seafood dinner here. Photo opportunities are unparalleled; we take advantage of beautiful, close-up and safe blinds.

From Anan we make our way north via the Wrangell Narrows and Petersburg (a friendly working fishing village with plenty of great photo ops) to Frederick Sound, where whales congregate. Although there are hundreds here, we typically see groups of several at a time. We'll be up close for hours and even days with these huge, magnificent creatures so that you will get amazing photos. We'll anchor in the heart of Frederick Sound at the magical Brothers Islands, with its ancient rainforest and sea lion colonies. Sometimes, too, we'll find orcas. We'll journey up Seymour Canal (actually a scenic fiord) to Pack Creek on Admiralty Island. This 100-mile long island is nicknamed "Fortress of the Bears" because of the high density of brown bears. At Pack Creek, the bears are protected from hunting, often affording great photo ops. We purposely keep the itinerary as flexible as possible to allow time for the great photo ops when we find them. Typically we do some sort of shore excursion daily. As we make our way toward Juneau, we'll detour into Endicott Arm and the little waterfall-lined bay called Fords Terror. Here in this Ice Kingdom, we'll be up close with other-worldly blue, blue icebergs. The bay is inaccessible to cruise ships, so we'll have the place to ourselves.

We finish the trip August 12 in Juneau, overnighting on the boat and disembarking after a leisurely breakfast. There is much to see and do in Juneau, Alaska's busy capital, so you may want to stay here another day. We recommend the Driftwood Lodge because of its central location.

For hundreds of photos of past trips, click here.

Other Details

We can take up to eight passengers. Four crew (captain, co-captain/naturalist, cook and photo leader) serve your every need. Cost of the trip is $4595. A $500 deposit secures your spot. For more information: trips@dolphincharters.com  •  www.dolphincharters.com
1007 Leneve Place, El Cerrito, CA 94530 • 1-800-472-9942, or contact Betty directly for any questions. This is her 13th year of leading photo trips for Dolphin Charters. Click here photos of past, similar trips, click here.