Fire & Ice: Kamchatka to Alaska

On this remarkable voyage, we’ll explore some of the most remote places on Earth—Kamchatka, the Commander Islands, and the Chukotskiy Peninsula across the Arctic Circle—ending in a wild Alaska few travelers get to see. Impressive landscapes dominate as we trace the wild coastline, in the company of thousands of seabirds, in search of bears, walrus, and arctic foxes, stopping in charming traditional villages along the way.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Home / Anchorage, Alaska
Independent arrival in Anchorage. The rest of the day is at leisure, with introductions and a briefing before dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 2 & 3 - Anchorage / Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia / Cross International Date Line
After breakfast we board motorcoaches and transfer to the airport for our morning flight to Petropavlovsk. Weather permitting our flight unveils spectacular views of the four active volcanoes that ring picturesque Petropavlovsk. On our way to Russia we cross the International Date Line, losing a day, and arrive in Petropavlovsk on 21 June.

Upon arrival, we set out for an exploration of the only major city on the peninsula and one of the oldest towns in the Russian Far East. Vitus Bering arrived in Kamchatka and laid the first foundation stone for Petropavlovsk in 1740 in this huge and well-sheltered harbor. Hospitable local guides bring us to the museum of ethnography and natural history, the art school, the gold-domed Orthodox
cathedral, and the marketplace. We embark the Clipper Odyssey this evening and set sail northward along the magnificent Kamchatka Peninsula.

Day 4 - Zhupanova River
We board Zodiacs to negotiate the shallow and meandering Zhupanova River, with superb opportunities for both birding and nature walks. Heading upstream, we are likely to spot up to 40 species of birds, as we have in the past, including such special species as the yellow-billed loon, yellowbreasted bunting, common greenshank, and Far Eastern curlew. Heading downriver, scan the skies for the magnificent Steller’s sea eagle. Or, choose to take the optional helicopter excursion to the Valley of the Geysers (see description at the end of the Japan to Kamchatka itinerary).

Day 5 & 6 - Bering Island, Commander Islands / Ariy Kamen Islands
The Commander Islands are named after famed Commander Vitus Bering, a Danish ship captain in the service of Tsar Peter the Great. Bering’s name remains emblazoned in history—the Bering Sea and the Bering Strait being only a few reminders of his remarkable 18th-century exploration.

In the morning we visit Cape Severo-Zapadnyy where northern fur seals and Steller’s sea lions haul out on the shores. As we explore we may also spot Arctic foxes roaming the beaches amid carpets of blooming geraniums and spotted orchids. We return to the ship and sail for the village of Nikolskoye where we visit the museum and meet our island hosts who introduce us to the local culture. In the late afternoon, by Zodiac, we view the spectacular wildlife on tiny Ariy Kamen Island, whose mossy-green landscape provides a habitat for vast numbers of birds, including horned and tufted puffins, crested and parakeet auklets, thick-billed murres, red-legged kittiwakes, and red-faced cormorants.

The following day we make a morning pilgrimage to Captain Vitus Bering’s grave in Commander Bay to commemorate his historic voyages. As we leave the bay and sail for the Kamchatka Coast, photographers will want to have cameras at the ready for humpback and bowhead whales often seen
cruising these rich waters.

Day 7 - Expedition stop / Karaginskiy Island, Kamchatka Peninsula
Today we hope to meet local villagers who make their home along this coastline. Dressed in handsome traditional Koryak garb, made of reindeer skin, trimmed in embroidery, fur, and elaborate beadwork, we may enjoy a dance performance or have an opportunity to view traditional Koryak wares. Meanwhile birders seek out such Asian specialties as oriental cuckoos, yellow-breasted and rustic buntings, Arctic warblers, and Siberian rubythroats.

In the late afternoon we explore the tundra and flower-covered Karaginskiy Island, where it is possible to meet migrant reindeer herders living in temporary huts.

Day 8 - Yuzhnaya Glybokaya Bay / Lavrova Bay
We make two stops today, at Yuzhnaya Glybokaya Bay and Lavrova Bay, as one of the very few expedition ships to visit this remote Koryak preserve. We go ashore by Zodiac for nature walks amid a landscape surrounded by conical peaks and jagged cliffs separated by valleys with waterfalls
and tumbling freshwater streams. High cliffs offer birders fine chances to watch for soaring Steller’s sea eagles. We may also spot brown bears and mountain sheep with massive curled horns, deftly negotiating this steep and stunning landscape.

Day 9-10 - Northern Kamchatka & Koryakskiy Region
We explore this fascinating region with naturalists and Russian experts at our side. Following in the wake of Bering, we call into small coves and bays, such as St. Peter, named after one of his two ships. Some of the small bays and islets are haul-outs for walrus. Others are home to small seasonal
fishing camps used by the local inhabitants, who in this region are mainly Koryak and Chukchi. On nature hikes, we watch for wily Arctic foxes and brown bears.

These coastlines offer a rare experience in summer as the inland reindeer herders often bring their antler-clad herds here during this season. For thousands of years, reindeer have provided a dependable source of food, hides for clothing and tent coverings, and even sled-driven transport. Most reindeer herders have never met Westerners, offering us a refreshing and authentic perspective into the traditional culture of an indigenous nomadic people.

Day 11-12 - Anadyr Bay, Chukotka Region
The mighty Anadyr River flows to the Bering Sea in this land of tundra and permafrost. One of the first outside visitors was the Siberian Cossack and seafaring explorer Semen Dezhnev, who in 1648
sailed through the Bering Strait, unknowingly proving that the continents of Asia and America were separate. The area is rich in natural resources, with an economy based on gold and mineral mining, the fur trade, and reindeer herding. Chukotka and its native inhabitants, the Chukchi, take their name from a Russian word meaning“reindeer people” or “rich with reindeer.”

By Zodiac and on tundra walks, we explore the wetlands along the coast of Anadyr Bay, where wildflowers such as Arctic poppies are blooming. Birders embark on a hopeful search for the rare spoon-billed sandpiper—it is believed only about 1,000 individuals remain.

Pending ice and local conditions, we also visit Anadyr, the capital city of this remote region. Anadyr remains a small town of about 13,000 inhabitants, and is a regular trade seaport used by supply vessels. In our walking tour of town, we may see whale bone carvings and umiak—traditional
walrus-skin boats.

Day 13 - Itygran & Arakamchechen Archipelago
The Chukotskiy Peninsula stretches eastward nearly to the North American continent, its nearest point only a scant 50 nautical miles from the once-unknown territory that the Chukchis called “the Big Land”—Alaska. Walrus frequent the area, and we may be lucky to view a haul-out in the Arakamchechen Archipelago. We take Zodiacs ashore with our historian and naturalist to visit Itygran
Island where, only decades ago, in 1976, a team of Russian anthropologists discovered an astonishing ancient memorial site nicknamed “whale bone alley,” where whale bones stretch along the beach for nearly a quarter mile. These ceremonial sites include immense jawbones and ribs of bowhead whales, some placed together to create stunning arch formations.

Day 14 - The Arctic Circle, Cape Dezhnev / Lorino
This morning a unique experience awaits us as we cross the Arctic Circle at 66° 33’N, right on the International Date Line (pending ice conditions). From our vantage point, we straddle two time zones, two continents, two major oceans, and two seas—the Chukchi and Bering. Our ship may navigate through ice floes as we watch for seabirds and the elusive polar bear.

We return through the Bering Strait for afternoon sailing, keeping an eye out for gray and humpback whales as our ship sails southward along the International Date Line. Nearby is Cape Dezhnev, the easternmost point of the Asian continent. Thousands of murres, along with black-legged kittiwakes,
cormorants, and puffins, line the cliffs. On a clear day, the North American coast is visible across the strait.

In the afternoon we go ashore to visit Lorino Village where dancers, clad in traditional fur-trimmed garments, welcome us with authentic Chukchi dances to the beat of hand-crafted drums. Other festivities on the beach may include a sled dog demonstration, umiak racing, or handicraft displays.
Lorino is a very traditional Chukchi village and home to about 1,000 residents. We learn about their marine subsistence, hunting, and reindeer herding which provides a livelihood—the village maintains a herd of about 4,000 animals that circulates among tundra feeding grounds.

Day 15 - Provideniya / At Sea
This morning we stop in Provideniya to complete formalities for clearing out of Russia. We have a brief tour of the local region before setting sail toward Alaska.

Day 16 - Cross International Date Line / Nome, Alaska, USA / Anchorage / Home
We arrive in Nome on the morning of 03 July after crossing the Date Line. Disembark after breakfast for a brief tour of Nome with its rough-and-rowdy history of the exciting Gold Rush years of 1899 –
1900. Nome is also the finish point of the annual 1,049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage. Transfer to the airport for our flight to Anchorage and connect with independent homeward flights.

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