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W
hen 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 sail the Inside Passage to
Alaska in style and far more luxury.
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 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
Clockwise from left: Hubbard Glacier;
historic Creek Street in Ketchikan; a grizzly
bear swimming at the Fortress of the Bear
sanctuary in Sitka
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.
Journey to Sitka for a tour of
the Alaska Raptor Center
