After raising our anchor, National Geographic Venture moved to our new anchorage in the Inian Islands. Looking for wildlife and a morning of adventure, we enjoyed two rounds of Zodiac cruising in this magical group of small islands. We had incredible encounters with Steller sea lions and sea otters! During lunch, National Geographic Venture repositioned to Port Althorp for a variety of walks across a large tidal meadow to a very active salmon stream, where two species of salmon captured our attention as they struggled upstream toward their spawning beds! We enjoyed lots of signs of brown bears and one bear sighting made for a very exciting afternoon of hikes!
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 23 Aug 2022
Inian Islands, Port Althorp, 8/23/2022, National Geographic Venture
- Aboard the National Geographic Venture
- Alaska
Rich Kirchner, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Rich Kirchner has worked as a naturalist in Antarctica, Alaska, the Bering Sea, Baja and the High Arctic, including Svalbard, Greenland, the Canadian Arctic and Iceland, along with other destinations. His 33 years as a professional wildlife photograp...
Read MoreShare Report
Alaska's Inside Passage
VIEW ITINERARYRelated Reports
5/28/2025
Read
National Geographic Venture
Kelp Bay
Southeast Alaska’s rainforest was verdant in the morning rain. Small whitecaps textured the surface of the sea as we searched for marine life. Then, ahead in the distance, a big splash. Then another splash, followed by another. The bridge team expertly moved our ship closer. The young humpback whale had unlimited energy for throwing itself out of the water and flopping back in. We watched this youngster breach over and over until we needed to be on our way. Our next off-vessel excursion was on Baranof Island in Kelp Bay. Bushwhackers and moderate hikers passed along animal trails, climbing through Sitka spruces and western hemlocks. Giant bear’s bread fungus sprouted from downed trees. Delicate flowers, including Jeffrey Shooting Stars, decorated the path. We made our way to the boggy muskeg where few trees survive the wet environment. Streams of snowmelt and raindrops were occasionally blocked by the busy work of beavers. The forest was quiet and warm while hardy Zodiac cruisers toured the shoreline to view waterfalls and gulls hitching a ride on a floating log. Once back on board, we felt the warm comfort of the ship and came to realize that in just a few days, National Geographic Venture has come to feel like home.
5/27/2025
Read
National Geographic Quest
Glacier Bay National Park
A nice morning that only got better and prettier and sunnier! Truly a gift to bring guests here to witness the scale and diversity of ice and wildlife. South Marble Island had so many tufted puffins, and a few unexpected horned puffins, with sea lions and humpback whales galore. During lunch, we cruised up towards Margerie Glacier to view the impressive glacier and look for Arctic terns. Afterwards, we went past Gloomy Knob and saw mountain goats, looked for wildlife at Russel Cut (saw an osprey!), and ended the day with a stunning colorful sunset with an abundance of whales!