Explore More Autumn 2019

This page, top to

This page, top to bottom: Cruising Alaska’s Inside Passage; a great blue heron When we first sailed the Inside Passage 40 years ago there were hardly any cruise ships, so we took the MV Columbia ferry from Vancouver to Skagway and slept on the deck under deck heaters. Today, we were pleased to be boarding the fantastic Viking Orion in Vancouver to cruise the Inside Passage to Alaska in style and far more luxury, having booked the trip more than two years ago, before the ship was even built! It was certainly worth waiting for with Viking Orion. The ship offers amenities in abundance, spaciousness, verandas for every stateroom, and quality and tasteful decor. What’s more, the crew were second to none and the food was the best we have ever had on any holiday. We were excited to be sailing the gentle waters of The Inside Passage, which extends 500 miles along the Alaskan panhandle through Seymour Narrows, a 5km section of Discovery Passage. For most of its length, the channel is only 750m wide, which the Captain navigated superbly. The tree line hugs the water’s edge, making it ideal habitat for wildlife to live in peace against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, which we could observe from the Explorers’ Lounge. One evening early on in the trip, the restaurant suddenly erupted with “oohs and aahs” as many guests stood pointing at fountains of water spouting out of the ocean. I counted 18 of these whale blows; they were possibly from humpback whales and it was our first whale sightings of the voyage. Our stop at Ketchikan, set among soaring coastal mountains and sloping woodlands of Tongass National Forest, introduced us to the Tlingit people. Home to the largest collection of standing totem poles in the world, Ketchikan is also the gateway to America’s 50th state and known as the “Salmon Capital of the World”. We explored beyond the lively waterfront and ventured The restaurant suddenly erupted with “oohs and aahs” as fountains of water spouted out of the ocean... it was our first whale sighting into Creek Street, strolling along the board walks. With just 14 miles of roads, Sitka is the only town in Southeast Alaska facing the Gulf of Alaska and has long been inhabited by the indigenous Tlingit people. The town grew to become the capital of Russian Alaska and remains of those days can be found in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral. We visited the Alaska Raptor Centre, where injured birds are nursed and released back into the wild, and we got to see American Bald Eagles up close. After exploring nearby forest trails, we visited the Fortress of the Bear sanctuary. The bears are looked after in a spacious, natural setting, and the viewing platforms enable you to see them up close. Next we visited Juneau, the only US capital that is inaccessible by car, and one of the most picturesque cities in the world with its fjord-like terrain and dramatic backdrop of rugged mountains and vast glaciers, the closest being Mendenhall Glacier. 24 VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK | AUTUMN 2019

TRAVEL This page, clockwise from above: A Tlingit totem pole mural; a sea urchin in the Seward Sea Life Centre; Alaskan waters are great for watching orca whales in the wild AUTUMN 2019 | VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK 25