Alaska field activity at a glance
- Zodiac and skiff safaris
- Launched from the ship into ice fields and along rocky shorelines
- Sea kayaking
- From stern platforms into sheltered coves such as Endicott Arm and Thomas Bay
- Bushwalking
- Off-trail, naturalist-led, through rainforest and across glacial moraine
- Floatplane safaris
- Access to restricted bear sanctuaries such as Anan Creek and Pack Creek
- Usually included
- Ship-led Zodiac, kayak and walking activity on expedition vessels
- Usually extra
- Flightseeing, helicopter glacier landings and floatplane bear trips
What Do Excursions Look Like on an Expedition Ship?
They are field activities rather than tours. Inflatables launch straight from the ship to work ice fields and shorelines, kayaks go out from a stern platform into quiet coves, and naturalists lead off-trail walks on beaches and moraines. There is no coach, no dock and usually no ticket.
On our June 2021 week aboard the 62-guest National Geographic Sea Lion this was the shape of nearly every day: a morning Zodiac cruise or landing, an afternoon kayak, a walk somewhere with no trail. The journal entry has the week in detail.
By contrast, our August 2023 sailing on the Seabourn Odyssey was a port-day trip: town time in Skagway, Sitka and Ketchikan, with booked tours ashore. Both are good weeks. Only one of them puts you in the water. See our big ship versus expedition comparison, and the Odyssey journal entry.
What Are the Main Kinds of Expedition Excursion?
Four: Zodiac and skiff safaris through ice and along shorelines; guided sea kayaking in sheltered coves; tundra and rainforest bushwalking led by naturalists; and remote floatplane safaris into bear sanctuaries that cannot be reached from a road or a dock.
Zodiacs are the workhorse. They manoeuvre through dense brash ice, approach active tidewater faces where permitted, and trace shorelines for brown bears and sea otters. Kayaks are the quiet option — silent, eye-level, and the closest most travellers come to feeling alone in Alaska.
Floatplane safaris are the exception to the included-fare rule. They fly to permit-controlled sites such as Anan Creek and Pack Creek, capacity is capped, and they need booking well ahead. Our bear viewing guide covers the sites and the seasons.
Where Does This Actually Happen?
Away from the commercial ports. Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier for ice work, Misty Fjords for deep-fjord kayaking, Chichagof and Baranof Islands for bear tracking in old-growth forest, Frederick Sound for humpback feeding groups, and Thomas Bay for glacial moraine walking.
| Region | Signature activity | What you are looking at |
|---|---|---|
| Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier | Zodiac navigation through ice pack | Calving blue tidewater ice, harbor seals hauled out on floes |
| Misty Fjords National Monument | Deep-fjord sea kayaking and skiff cruising | Sheer granite sea cliffs rising some 3,000 feet, orca, mountain goats |
| Chichagof and Baranof Islands | Guided rainforest bushwalking and bear tracking | High-density coastal brown bear feeding areas, old-growth timber |
| Frederick Sound and Chatham Strait | Skiff-based marine mammal observation | Humpback bubble-net feeding groups, Steller sea lion rookeries |
| Thomas Bay and Baird Glacier | Glacial moraine trekking and mudflat walks | Active glacial runoff, ice features, pioneer plant succession |
Access varies with tides, ice, weather and permit conditions. Every expedition itinerary is an intention rather than a schedule.
These are the places that justify a small ship. None of them has a dock, and several are inaccessible to vessels above a certain draft.
What Is Included, and What Should You Pre-Book?
On expedition ships, activity led by the onboard expedition team — Zodiac cruises, kayaking, guided walks — is almost always in the fare, with gear loaned. Air activity is not: flightseeing, helicopter glacier landings and floatplane bear safaris are charged separately and sell out early.
On a large ship, almost everything ashore is a separately priced tour. Independent operators are often cheaper, but only book independently with an operator who puts a back-to-ship guarantee in writing. Our cost guide sets out excursion pricing, and for one worked example of doing a port independently, see Skagway beyond the docks.
Alaska excursion questions
Are excursions included on an Alaska expedition cruise?
Ship-led activity — Zodiac cruises, kayaking, guided walks — is almost always included, with gear loaned. Flightseeing, helicopter glacier landings and floatplane bear safaris are charged separately.
Do I need to be fit for expedition excursions?
You need to manage a step into a Zodiac from a moving platform and walk on uneven ground. Most ships grade activities each day, so there is usually a gentler option alongside the longer walk.
Should I book Alaska excursions independently?
On a large ship it can be cheaper, but only with an operator who guarantees your return to the ship in writing. On an expedition ship there is little to book independently, because the ship runs the day.
What is the best single excursion in Alaska?
For us, kayaking out from the ship into a still inlet with no dock or road in sight. It costs nothing extra on an expedition ship and it is the part of Alaska we both remember most clearly.
More on Alaska
Alaska cruise ports
Sixteen ports and what to do in each.
Skagway beyond the docks
Doing one port independently, by car.
Alaska bear viewing
Fly-in sanctuaries and salmon-run timing.
Big ship vs expedition ship
Why off-ship time differs so much between the two.
Kayaking on expedition
How kayak programmes work aboard.