Bridging
the Bering Strait

 
     Read this itinerary as a guide only; our exact route and program varies according to ice and weather conditions - and the wildlife we encounter. Flexibility is the key to the success of this expedition.            
      
    17 June to 5 July 2004
4 to 22 July 2004

Day 1
Anchorage, Alaska
Depart home cities for Anchorage. Transfer to our deluxe hotel, where we will overnight.

Day 2
Anchorage to Nome, Alaska
Fly from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. On arrival in Nome, we will take a tour of this former boomtown of the 1899 gold rush. We will transfer to the historic St. Joseph’s Catholic Church (now a museum) for refreshments and the opportunity to freshen up or further explore the town independently. In the afternoon we will transfer to the new World Discoverer. After settling into our staterooms, meet our elite Society Expeditions lecture and expedition team. They will accompany us throughout the voyage, providing insight, ready- knowledge, and fascinating conversation.

Day 3
Little Diomede Island, Bering Strait
Little Diomede sits on the edge of the U.S. - Russia border. This steep-sided island is home to hundreds of seabirds, including auklets, murres, and Black-legged Kittiwakes. The World Discoverer will visit Ignaluk, the island’s sole village, and meet some of its residents, who are primarily Inupiak Eskimos. After a tour of the tiny village, we will witness authentic Inupiak dances performed under the direction of village elders.

Day 4
Ice Cruising, Arctic Alaska
As we reach the edge of the pack ice, we will be searching for walruses and ringed seals, as well as the world’s largest land carnivore, the polar bear. Polar bears are superbly adapted to life on the ice flows and in the water, which has led many scientists to reclassify the species as a marine mammal. With this in mind, scan the surrounding ocean for polar bears –they can swim as much as 60 miles at a stretch! If conditions permit, we will board Zodiacs for tours through the Chukchi Sea led by your Society Expeditions lecture staff.




Day 5
At Sea
Join Society Expeditions’ natural history staff on deck today to watch for the numerous seabirds that live and feed in the area. These waters are also prime territory for whale watching, which may include humpback, gray, and orca whales exhibiting a variety of behaviors. Several seal species may also be spotted. A full program of lectures will be offered throughout the day.

Day 6
Cross the International Dateline
This day will be lost as we cross the International Dateline.

Day 7
Lorino, Chukchi Peninsula and Mechigmenskiy Bay, Russia
Today the World Discoverer will call on the tiny village of Lorino. Our approach to Lorino should provide excellent birding, as the region is dappled with nesting cliffs. The area is also known for its concentration of grey whales. These and other marine mammals are essential to the survival of the villagers of Lorino, who continue an age-old marine subsistence lifestyle. The villagers will welcome us to their home with a cultural performance and village tour

Day 8
Ittigran and Yandrakinot Islands, Russia
Today we will visit the small Chukchi village of Yandrakinot. Near the village we will explore the remains of a ritual center built by a forgotten sea-mammal hunting civilization of the 13th and 14th centuries. Recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this ancient monument was constructed from the skulls and mandibles of over 60 blowhead whales .

Cross the International Dateline
This day will be repeated as we re-cross the International Dateline

Saint Lawrence Island, Bering Sea, Alaska
St. Lawrence Island is located 38 miles from Russia and 230 miles from Nome, Alaska. In Gambell, we will investigate ancient traditional hunting sites established by the early Yup’ik settlers. Today, Yup’ik culture remains distinct from that of the Aleuts. Islanders here have retained their native tongue, similar to the dialect found in Provideniya, across the Bering Strait. Whalebones, fish-drying racks and umiaks (traditional walrus skin boats) are a regular part of the landscape. We will view traditional dances, which also bear similarities to those of their Siberian cousins. The fine art of carving walrus ivory has been a part of the Siberian-Yup’ik culture for generations. We may have the unique opportunity to see some of the exquisitely carved pieces and perhaps even witness a carving demonstration

Day 9
Hall Island, Saint Matthew Island, Alaska
Isolated in the middle of the Bering Sea, this deserted island presents a spectacular thousand-foot cliff. We will take Zodiac excursions around the tip of Hall Island to gushing grottos filled with thousands of seabirds, including puffins, cormorants, Northern Fulmars and Glaucous Gulls. Conditions permitting, we may visit Bull Seal Point for a nature walk on Saint Matthew Island. Here the tundra is a mass of wildflowers. Beach walkers may find agates and seashells, while those hiking into the nearby hills may spot the endemic McKay’s Bunting, or the remains of a 6,000-head reindeer herd, which was introduced to the island during World War II, but died out in the 1960s.

Day 10
Saint Paul, Pribilof Islands, Alaska
Though discovered in 1786, the Pribilofs did not have permanent settlers until 1820, when the Russians relocated Aleuts to the island. We will search the cliffs of Saint Paul for the estimated two million nesting seabirds that inhabit these precipitous environs each year. Guided by our Society Expeditions ornithologist, we should find Horned Puffins, Thick-billed Murres and Crested Auklets in some of the largest seabird colonies in the Western Hemisphere. The Pribilofs also are the site of the world’s largest breeding colonies of northern fur seals. An ecologically controlled visit to their rookery should afford unsurpassed photo opportunities, including large bulls with their harems and newborn pups. A fascinating visit to the tiny Aleut community reveals the Russian influence still found here, as reflected in the elaborate Orthodox church of Saints Peter and Paul.

Day 11
Dutch Harbor, Unalaska Island, Aleutian Islands
As the World Discoverer leaves the Bering Sea, scan the horizon for whales and seabirds, which feed in abundance in these nutrient-rich waters. We will visit Dutch Harbor, the center of Alaska’s offshore crab and halibut industries. We may call on the local school, which houses an array of Aleut artifacts. We will explore World War II bunkers and visit the town’s galleries, which offer fine quality crafts that reflect the town’s ties with the native peoples of the Russian Far East.


Day 12
Unga Island, Shumagin Islands, Aleutian Islands
Today Society Expeditions will explore Unga Spit, located on the northern shore of Unga Island. After landing on a sandy beach, we will have the opportunity to walk along the shore to see the petrified remains of an ancient forest embedded in an exposed bluff. Eagles nest high up on the ridge, while the rolling tundra invites further exploration. After viewing the “forest frozen in stone,” we will break into small groups to join our lecture staff on guided walks and hikes throughout the area.

Day 13
Aghiyuk, Semidi Islands
Located in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, we will venture by zodiac to explore the jagged cliffs and rocky shores of Aghiyuk Island. View prolific bird rookeries, and a sea lion haul- out set against the lush green hillsides of the island.

Day 14
Kukak Bay, Katmai Peninsula, Alaska
The Katmai Peninsula is best known for the 1912 eruption of Novarupta Volcano, which exploded with ten times the force of Mount Saint Helens. The eruption was so powerful that the island of Kodiak, 100 miles distant, was buried under a foot of ash. As the World Discoverer enters Kukak Bay, look for thick layers of ash deposited on the surrounding mountains. Via Zodiac, we will tour under dramatic basalt cliffs covered with alder, lupines, and wild beach peas. Harlequin Ducks, playful river otters, and Bald Eagles are just a few of the species we may see. In addition, Katmai’s secluded bays and calm beaches offer excellent opportunities to search for foraging brown bears and their young cubs during our Zodiac excursions.

Day 15
Chiswell Islands, Kenai Fjords, Alaska
The 650,000-acre Kenai Fjords National Park is dominated by a 700-square mile ice field that spawns hundreds of glaciers. Watch for some of the wildlife for which the Kenai Fjords are famed: brown bears fishing in the streams for salmon; kittiwakes and puffins nesting in the cliff sides; and seals patrolling the shoreline. Expeditionary cruising is the plan of the day as we skirt these verdant shores by both ship and Zodiac. In the afternoon, the World Discoverer will cruise by the remote Chiswell Islands to watch seabirds returning to their nesting grounds. More than 50,000 seabirds, representing eighteen species, nest on the rocky islands. As always, Society Expeditions’ ornithologists will be on hand.




Day 16
Kayak Island, Alaska
It was here on July 20, 1741 the legendary explorer Vitus Bering dropped anchor and sent George Wilhelm Stellar ashore to begin the first identification of Alaska’s bird, sea and animal life. In 1778, Captain James Cook also landed on Kayak Island. Today, the island is a State Marine Park, and an important wildlife refuge. We will view the dramatic Cape St. Elias with its rocky spire, and hopefully catch sight of humpback whales feeding in the icy waters .

Day 17
Icy Bay, Tsaa Fjord, Alaska
Created as recently as last century during a rapid retreat of the glaciers on 18,000-foot Mount St. Elias, Icy Bay offers incredible views of the Wrangle-St. Elias Range. The area is populated with bears, mountain goats and deer, as well as bald eagles, Aleutian terns and jaegers .

Day 18
Glacier Island / College Fjord / Whittier, Alaska
After passing Bligh Reef, where the Exxon Valdez ran aground in 1989, we will continue on to Glacier Island – a pristine wilderness gem located in Prince William Sound. While here, we will see the large colony of endangered Steller Sea Lions at Bull’s Head. We will also watch for vast array of bird life inhabiting this incredible island, including Horned and Tufted Puffins, dowagers and numerous songbirds .

Day 19
Whittier to Anchorage, Alaska
Whittier lies approximately 75 miles Southeast of Anchorage, on the Northeast shore of the Kenai Peninsula. Following breakfast on board, today’s excursion will take us from Whittier to Anchorage via the Seward Highway. Our sightseeing tour includes a visit to the 25-acre Alaska Native Heritage Center, a new foundation developed by Alaskan native corporations in recognition and tribute to the culture of the Alaskan people. Our tour will conclude this afternoon at the Anchorage International Airport .     
 

Map of Voyage

      
 
     
 
      
 
          

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If you have any questions on these expeditions please contact us at
mailto:sailing@victory-cruises.com

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