Extreme Alaska

This action-packed Alaskan yacht expedition includes close encounters with bears, orcas and sharks, exhilarating heli-rafting, heli-biking, adventurous trekking, fishing and climbing, all rounded off with a high-octane skydive. Not your average yacht experience, Pelorus has created this Southwestern Alaskan itinerary for those seeking thrilling, adrenaline-fuelled adventure in remote, unspoiled surroundings. This is a holiday you won’t forget.

When to go

April - September

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Cordova

Land in Cordova where you will meet your yacht and begin your Alaskan experience. Once settled, travel by tender to spend the afternoon in Orca Inlet where you’ll observe the highest concentration of sea otters in the world. Later, take a bush plane to view the United States’ largest glacier, Bering Glacier. With its associated icefield, it stretches 126 miles in length and covers an area of more than 1,900 square miles. The sheer size and beauty of it is astounding.

Fly north and land at the trailhead of Skookum Volcano Trail, a 2.5-mile route that climbs 1800 feet through an extinct, deeply eroded volcanic system and provides an opportunity to examine fascinating volcanic geology. Scenery along the way is nothing short of spectacular where bears, deer and bald eagles are all common sights. On reaching the crater, behold the spectacular views across the valley below, back-dropped by the multi-coloured mountains of the Wrangell-St. Elias.

Tatatlek

Begin your day anchored in Boulder Bay. Here, your Pelorus dive master will brief you over breakfast on today’s encounter with Alaska’s most iconic shark species, the mighty salmon shark. Nowhere else in the world is it possible to get close to salmon sharks but during a very short window in the Alaskan summer from May to July. These mini great whites congregate in a couple of inlets in Prince William Sound to feast on the pink salmon that are waiting to go upriver to breed. Once kitted out in your 7mm wetsuit, dive in and observe these beautiful creatures and other iconic species, such as the Giant Pacific octopus and the wolf eel, in their natural habitat. Salmon sharks have been found to grow to lengths of 10 feet, weighing up to 900 pounds, but they don’t have a fierce reputation when it comes to humans, so you can relax and enjoy this once in a lifetime experience.

Valdez

Access some of the best saltwater fishing in Alaska at Valdez, an area with one of the strongest silver salmon runs in the state and where ling cod and rockfish have been known to tip the scales at almost 300lbs. Local fisherman will guide you in a fully equipped fishing boat to deep sea spots where these species are known to thrive.

Later, you’ll spend an afternoon on land to explore the Chugach Mountains that surround Valdez by snowmobile. This vast terrain offers open flat glaciers, incredible climbs, frozen lakes and remote wooded trails.

Chenega Island

Spend a morning kayaking around the secluded Squire Island and Mummy Bay, both of which lie within Knight Island Passage, the best spot for orca watching in Alaska. Glide past rainforest and bald eagle nesting sites as you keep your eyes peeled for an emerging killer whale or maybe even a humpback or two.

Later, you will board the tender for a twilight cruise to Nassau Fjord, a four-mile-long, glacially carved inlet that is home to the famous tidewater Chenega Glacier. Exploring the fjord by tender will allow you to manoeuvre into smaller, more intimate waterways before dining on a picnic dinner directly facing the giant calving face of the glacier.

Seward

Wake up in beautiful Seward and tender to shore to board a bush plane for a short flight to the Fourth of July Glacier. Land on the icefield where an eager team of Alaskan huskies will be waiting to speed you across the valleys on sled. After you’ve raced across the slopes, take to the skies once more and head to a remote area of Cooper Landing, the heart of the Kenai Peninsula and the confluence of the Kenai River and Kenai Lake, for some off-grid heli-rafting. Pick up the pace as you raft Class II+ rapids through narrow rocky cliffs and experience a part of Alaska that can only be accessed this way. Wind your way down to Skilak Lake leaving your raft to continue on foot up the Hidden Creek Trail.

Another day in Seward will see you board a local dive boat bound for Resurrection Bay, a deep and sheltered fjord that is home to abundant marine life and is one of the best places to wreck dive in Alaska. Watch for king, Dungeness and decorator crabs, as well as huge lingcod, wolf eels and schooling black rockfish. Once you return to your yacht, you’ll board a scenic float plane for a spectacular flight over the Kenai Fjords National Park.

HOMER

As you arrive in Homer, the westernmost point of your expedition, you’ll begin your day with a flight over Kachemak Bay. Touch down in Katmai National Park, one of the most densely populated brown bear areas in the world, where you’ll head off with your guide in search of bears fishing for wild salmon or digging for clams, you may even run into some wolves along the way.

While anchored in Homer, there is also the option to head out for an expedition style surf excursion in Kachemak Bay. Home to over 34,000 miles of tidal shoreline, Alaska offers endless surf breaks and many islands that are exposed to open ocean swells, meaning it’s possible you and your surf guide will have the bay all to yourselves.

KUSTATAN

Cruise to Kustatan where you’ll hop aboard a float plane to head into the West Forelands. Here you’ll be met by a local fisherman who will accompany you for a day’s salmon fishing on the remote Kustatan River. Weave your way along the river with your guide to find the best shores and sandbars to fish from. Return again by float plane to your yacht where your onboard chef will expertly prepare your fresh catch.

Tyonek

25 miles north of Kustatan lies Tyonek and a protected anchorage in Cook Inlet. Here, prepare for a high-octane morning of heli-biking in the Tordrillo Mountains. Hop aboard a helicopter with your fat bike and your guide to explore remote Alaskan backcountry wilderness that would otherwise be inaccessible. Follow gentle ridge lines to alpine lakes or you can cycle on a glacier for a whole new snow-biking experience.

Anchorage

The last cruise of your expedition will take you to Anchorage. You’ll begin another action-packed day ice-caving on Matanuska Glacier with your expert guide. After a short drive to the glacier, set off on foot and trace the path of glacial succession. Ice cave and climb amongst some of the most mesmerising ice caverns in the world.

Your glacial trek finishes close to the only airstrip in Alaska that allows for skydiving, so you’ll be sure to end your Alaskan adventure on a high. As you sore through the skies with your instructor take in the breath-taking views of the Chugach Mountains, the Knik Glacier, the State Game Refuge, and the braided Matanuska River. A truly epic way to end this adrenaline-filled yacht expedition.