Wildlife Excursions to Experience on Your Alaska Cruise
We’re letting our imaginations run wild daydreaming of all the ways to experience The Last Frontier on an Alaska cruise. Imagine exploring some of the most beautiful, remote wilderness in the world and getting the chance for up-close encounters with a variety of wildlife like moose, black bears, bald eagles, puffins, and whales.
With Norwegian, Alaska Shore Excursions provide plenty of chances to encounter wildlife. You can take a wilderness hike in the Tongass National Forest where you might experience moose, Sitka black-tailed deer, and bald eagles. Or, hop aboard the Aleutian Ballad, which is the fishing vessel seen on the Discovery Channel's documentary TV show The Deadliest Catch. You'll head out into the calm waters of the Inside Passage where you can have the chance to catch eels, octopus, and prawns.
Ready for something truly wild? Here are some of our top Alaska Wildlife Excursions.
#1. Mendenhall Glacier & Whale Quest
Located near Juneau, the 13-mile-long Mendenhall Glacier is awe-inspiring to view. On this tour, you'll board a motorcoach and journey into Mendenhall Valley to the glacier where you'll learn about the incredible force of glacial ice from Forest Service interpreters. Then enjoy a wildlife tour through Stephens Passage aboard a jet-powered catamaran, where you're guaranteed to see at least one whale and may also see sea lions, porpoise, harbor seals, bald eagles and more.
#2. Gold Panning, Sled Dogs & Scenic Railway
Meet some of the world's most powerful, dedicated canines on this excursion. This tour provides an inside look at what it takes to race a sled dog competitively. You'll get to meet the team of huskies. They are friendly and love showing off their skills with a demonstration run. Then, you can meet and cuddle with puppies. After this, you can test your skills at gold panning. Who knows? You might get lucky and strike gold! This tour also includes a scenic ride on the famous White Pass Railway.
#3. Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary, Eagle Center & Totems
This is a must-do tour for any wildlife lover. You'll spend more than two hours at an exclusive, private nature sanctuary. This sanctuary is home to a large variety of birds, seals, black bears, and more, thanks to the salmon-rich waters of the nearby Eagle Creek. An experienced naturalist guide will help you navigate through the dense forest of Alaska cedar and spruce to view the abundant wildlife. The tour also includes stops at the Herring Bay Lumber Company sawmill and Alaska Raptor Center's Ketchikan exhibit. Plus, you'll get to watch a master totem pole maker at work.
#4. Wildlife Safari & Beach Bonfire
Go on a real Alaskan Wildlife Safari. You'll be going on an expedition with other cruisers on the Safari to see harbor seals, orca, and humpback whales. The experienced naturalist will tell you all about the animals' behaviors and life cycles. After the expedition, you'll cruise to a remote Alaska island, where you'll be greeted by native Alaskan hosts. Enjoy a beach bonfire set in a stunning location. The excursion also includes a feast of salmonberry jam, reindeer sausage, kettle chips, and other Alaskan delights.
This is just a sample of some of the exciting wildlife excursions that you can experience on a cruise to Alaska. To explore all available Alaska shore excursions click here.