Kamchatka & Chukotka ex Anchorage
18 Days - Sylvia Earle
Enter a world of mystery and wonder, where 29 of more than 300 volcanoes are active, creating a dynamic landscape of immense beauty. Soak in coastal hot springs serenaded by thundering waterfalls. Zodiac cruise along black-sand beaches, where Kamchatka brown bears and cubs forage, and share swift rivers with Steller’s sea eagles diving on salmon. Visit the Commander Islands (‘South Georgia of the North Pacific’) where seabirds populate a breathtaking maze of arches and sea stacks. Red-legged kittiwakes, red-faced cormorants, parakeet and whiskered auklets and perhaps even laysan albatross are on show. Visit the grave of explorer Vitus Bering near waters bustling with sea lions, fur seals and busy sea otters, while orcas and humpback whales patrol the bays. In Chukotka enjoy tundra wildflowers, cliff-climbing bears and a warm welcome by reindeer herders and more.
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Home » 17 Day Sylvia Earle: Kamchatka & Chukotka ex Anchorage
Itinerary Highlights:
- Encounter Kamchatka’s abundant brown bears and their snuffling cubs feasting on spawning salmon against a backdrop of World Heritage-listed volcanoes.
- Enjoy meeting Koryaks of Tymlat village to nomadic Chukchi reindeer herders of the north as they welcome you with song, dance and stories of their life.
- Zodiac cruise up swift-flowing rivers in search of nesting Steller’s sea eagles, beneath cliffs aflutter with thousands of puffins, guillemots, auklets and kittiwakes, or amidst sea lions, orcas, humpback whales and sea otters.
- Delight in walks through stone birch forests and grassy meadows to wildflower and berry-laden tundra.
Itinerary Overview:
- Day 1: Anchorage
- Day 2: Fly to Nome, embark the Sylvia Earle
- Day 3: King Island, At sea
- Day 4: Provideniya, Yttygran Island
- Day 5: Expedition Day: Arakamchechen Archipelago
- Day 6: Gabriela Bay
- Day 7: Anastasia Bay, Dezhneva Bay
- Day 8: Glybokaya Bay, Natalia Bay, Bogaslov Island
- Day 9: Lavrova Bay, Yuzhnaya Glubokaya, Govena Peninsula
- Day 10: Tymlat Village, Soldatskaya Bay
- Day 11: At sea, Commander Islands
- Days 12-13: Commander Islands
- Day 14: Kamenistaya Bay, Kronotskiy Biosphere Reserve
- Day 15: Zhupanova River, Morzhovaya Bay
- Day 16: Disembark in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy and fly to Tokyo
- Day 17: Depart Tokyo
**Please note: This trip crosses the international date line, therefore you loose a day during the trip
![map](../../images/image_local/90301/web_standard_Kamchatka_ex_Anchorage.jpg)
Day 1: Anchorage
Arrive in Anchorage and transfer to our group hotel. Upon check-in at Hilton Anchorage Hotel, reception staff will provide you with your expeditions cabin tags. Please fill out the luggage tags clearly, showing your name and cabin number to allow us to deliver your luggage to your cabin. At tonight’s voyage briefing, enjoy a welcome drink and meet fellow expeditioners.
Accommodation: Hilton Anchorage Hotel (or similar)
Day 2: Nome
Transfer to Anchorage airport, board our charter flight to Nome and embark the Sylvia Earle. After boarding, there’s time to settle into your cabin before our important safety briefings. This evening meet your expedition team and crew at the Captain’s Welcome Dinner. In the evening, meet the expedition team and crew at the Captain’s Welcome Dinner.
Day 3: Bering Sea, King Island
As we pass through Bering Strait, separating Russia and North America by only 100km, we hope to see beluga and grey whales. Conditions permitting, we land at King Island and explore the eerie, ancient village Ukivok, now abandoned after a tragic run of events. Murres and kittiwakes frequent the surrounding sea cliffs.
Day 4: Providenyia
Provideniya, ‘Gateway to the Arctic’, is Chukotka’s administrative centre where we visit an excellent museum, enjoy a traditional Yupik dance performance and say goodbye to Russia.
Day 5: Expedition Day
Weather dictates our plans today. We may visit Arakamchechen Island, home to guillemots, tufted puffins and crested auklets, where walrus haul out and gray whales stir the waters. Yttygran Island is home to the ancient Chukchi whaling camp where the remains of bowhead and gray whales stretch along the beach for nearly half a kilometre, earning the name Whale Bone Alley.
Day 6: Gabriela Bay
Explore Gabriel Bay’s wide river mouth and lagoon, classic stone tundra country dotted with cheery pale-blue blossoms of forget-me-not. We may encounter local Chukchi fisherman still living a traditional lifestyle, and inspect an abandoned polar weather station. Listen for the alarm whistle of ground squirrels, watch for brown bears, and offshore, beluga whales.
Day 7: Dezhneva Bay, Anastasia Bay
Dezhneva Bay offers a coastal lagoon that’s heaven for birders. Keep your binoculars ready to spot white-fronted bean geese and nesting whooper swans. Other wildlife that you may encounter here include gray whales, walrus, reindeer, and brown bears. Encounter a walrus haulout in Anastasia Bay, also a great spot for birdlife, including bluethroat and Siberian rubythroat.
Day 8: Glybokaya Bay, Natalia Bay, Bogaslov Island
Hike to hidden alpine lakes and gaze upon the dramatic glacier-carved valleys of Peter and Glybokaya bays. Golden rhododendron and dwarf azaleas carpet the tundra and if you listen carefully, you might hear the song of bluethroat. Zodiac cruise beneath Bogoslov Island’s cliffs where puffins, kittiwakes, guillemots and cormorants breed and climbing bears raid their nests, while walrus haul out nearby. Zodiac cruise below spectacular mountains rising above Natalia Bay.
Day 9: Lavrova Bay, Yuzhnaya Glubokaya, Govena Peninsula
A Zodiac cruise along Govena Peninsula reveals the broad fjord of Lavrova Bay and the narrower Yuzhnaya Glubokaya where bears often visit the abandoned herring factory. Orcas and Bryde’s whales frequent surrounding waters and an afternoon walk reveals succulent roseroot, magenta-coloured pixie eyes, and cheery purple-blue of Jacob’s ladder and chance sightings of Arctic hare. Continue past waterfalls to a glacial moraine and a spectacular vista of the rugged Pylginsky Range.
Day 10: Tymlat Village, Soldatskaya Bay
At Tymlat village, Koryak reindeer herders and marine mammal hunters warmly greet us with an amazing cultural performance of dance and game that ultimately includes those of us who wish to take part. Time permitting, we get a glimpse of life in one of Kamchatka’s more remote coastal villages. We land on the terraced, uplifted coastline of Soldatskaya Bay, and search out endangered seabirds like the long-billed murrelet.
Day 11-13: Commander Islands
Spectacular bird cliffs, arches and stacks signal our arrival to the Commander Islands. Pay tribute to explorer Vitus Bering at his grave and memorial. On both land and sea, the wildlife abundance is staggering. At Peregegrebnaya Bay we visit red-legged and black-legged kittiwake rookeries; spot albatross and whales at Cape Monati, and at Ariy Kamen be surrounded by thousands of guillemots. Tufted Puffin Rock speaks for itself. At Nikolskoye village, the Aleut community entertains us with lively performances and a fascinating museum. As we return to the Kamchatka coast, our team of experts share enthusiastic, informative talks on the on the adventures that await us.
Day 14: Kronotskiy Biosphere Reserve, Kamenistaya Bay
Soak in soothing hot springs of Kamenistaya Bay and trek lowlands covered in cottongrass, aspens and birch. Kronotskiy Biosphere Reserve offers stunning (active) volcanoes, Eurasia’s greatest concentration of brown bears, Steller sea lions, fur seals and a range of whales. Keep your binocular focussed for geese, loons and perhaps the spoon-billed sandpiper.
Day 15: Zhupanova River, Morzhovaya Bay
Wake to the wild beauty of Kamchatka’s east coast. We Zodiac cruise the salmon-rich Zhupanova River, dodging rippling shallows to look for brown bears and magnificent Steller’s sea eagles. Remnant snow fields dot surrounding mountains as we watch for harbor seals in Morzhovaya Bay.
Day 16: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy & Tokyo
Disembark in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, farewell your expedition team and crew, and transfer to the airport and board our charter flight to Tokyo, where we spend the night.
Accommodation: Hotel Nikko Narita Airport
Day 17: Depart Tokyo
Enjoy free time until check-out before continuing your journey.
Cabin Details
Aurora Triple Stateroom
22.67m2 (244ft2) located on deck 3, 2 single beds, private en-suite bathroom, porthole window, desk area, closet space, room-controlled thermostat, safe & 42" flat-screen TV.
Aurora Superior Stateroom
20.1-22.3sqm, located on deck 7, french balcony, double bed, private en-suite bathroom, desk area, 42" flat screen TV, room-controlled thermostat, safe, closet space.
Balcony Stateroom (C)
21 - 24.8sqm (cabin + balcony), located on deck 4 & 6, twin or double bedding, private en-suite bathroom, floor to ceiling window, desk space, closet space, private balcony, room-controlled thermostat, safe & 42" flat screen TV.
Balcony Stateroom (B)
21 - 24.8sqm (cabin + balcony), located on deck 4 & 6 (fore and aft), twin or double bedding, private en-suite bathroom, floor to ceiling window, desk area, closet space, private balcony, room-controlled thermostat, safe & 42" flat screen TV.
Balcony Stateroom (A)
21 - 24.8sqm (cabin + balcony), located on deck 4 & 6 (close to internal stairs/elevator), twin or double bedding, private en-suite bathroom, floor to ceiling window, desk area, closet space, private balcony, room-controlled thermostat, safe & 42" flat screen TV.
Superior Balcony Stateroom
30.5 - 40.2sqm (cabin + balcony), located on deck 4, twin or double bedding, private en-suite bathroom, full size window, desk area, closet space, private balcony, room-controlled thermostat, safe & 42" flat screen TV.
Junior Suite
38.9sqm (cabin + balcony), located on deck 7, twin or double bedding, private en-suite bathroom, full size window, desk area, closet space, private balcony, room-controlled thermostat, safe, 42" flat screen TV & separate lounge area.
Captain's Suite
44.5sqm (cabin + balcony), located on deck 4, twin or double bedding, private en-suite bathroom, full size window, desk area, closet space, private balcony, room-controlled thermostat, safe, 42" flat screen TV & separate lounge area.
Sylvia Earle Deckplan
![deck plan](../../images/image_local/75187/web_standard_210817-SE-A3-Deck-Plan3.jpg)
Specifications
- Cabins: 71
- Number of passengers: 132
- Decks: 8
- Length: 104m
- Year Built: Launching in 2021
- Speed: 10-12 knots
Whats included?
- Transfer from airport to hotel on day 1
- One night’s hotel accommodation at Hilton Anchorage Hotel including breakfast on day 1
- Transfer from hotel to airport on day 2
- Charter flights: Anchorage-Nome // Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy-Tokyo
- One night’s hotel accommodation at Hotel Nikko Narita Airport including breakfast on day 16
- Onboard accommodation during voyage including daily cabin service
- All meals, snacks, tea and coffee during voyage
- Beer, house wine and soft drinks with dinner
- Captain’s Welcome and Farewell reception including four-course dinner, house cocktails, house beer and wine, non-alcoholic beverages
- All shore excursions and Zodiac cruises
- Educational lectures and guiding services from expedition team
- Complimentary access to onboard expedition doctor and medical clinic
- A 3-in-1 waterproof polar expedition jacket
- Complimentary use of muck boots during the voyage
- Comprehensive pre-departure information
- Port surcharges, permits and landing fees
- Gratuities for ship crew
What’s not included?
- International or domestic flights.
- Transfers not mentioned in the itinerary
- Airport arrival or departure taxes
- Passport, visa, and vaccination charges
- Travel insurance or emergency evacuation charges
- Hotels and meals not included in itinerary
- Optional excursions not included in the itinerary
- Optional activity surcharges
- All items of a personal nature including but not limited to: alcoholic beverages and soft drinks (outside of dinner service), laundry services, personal clothing, medical expenses, gratuities, Wi-Fi, email or phone charges
Notes
Optional Activities:
- Sea Kayaking: AU$1300/US$940 per person