34-Daagse cruise met de Seabourn Encore van [cruiseline] vanuit Tokyo

Ishinomaki is a city on Japan’s Honshu mainland. Housed in a striking spaceship-shaped building, the Mangattan Museum is dedicated to the work of manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. Along the coast, San Juan Bautista is a replica of a 17th-century Japanese galleon. Offshore, Kinkasan Island is home to wild deer and the 8th-century Koganeyama-jinja Shrine. Trails lead to the island’s summit for panoramic city views.

“Miyako is een Noord-Japanse stad die is gelegen in de regio Iwate Prefecture, de regio Tohoku. De stad is te vinden in de centrale regio van de prefectuur Iwate. Op deze locatie wordt het in het oosten begrensd door de Stille Oceaan, waar de monding van de Hei-rivier de Miyako-baai voedt. Sommige delen van de kust van de stad vallen onder de jurisdictie van het Sanriku Fukko National Park. De stad heeft een rijke geschiedenis die teruggaat tot de Jomon-periode toen het deel uitmaakte van de oude Mutsu-provincie. Het werd aanvankelijk bewoond door de Emishi-mensen voordat het onder de controle kwam van de Yamato-dynastie in de Heian-periode.

*Natuur- en natuurliefhebbers mogen de kans niet missen om het Sanriku Fukko National Park te bezoeken, dat zich over een behoorlijk stuk van de Japanse kustlijn uitstrekt. Het park is in 2013 aangelegd in het midden van de Tohoku-aardbeving in 2011 en de nasleep van de tsunami.

*Bezoekers mogen ook de kans niet missen om het prachtige Jodogahama-strand te bezoeken, dat niet ver van het stadscentrum ligt en wordt beschouwd als een beroemde toeristische trekpleister.

*De stad herbergt een zeer levendige visserij-industrie die zijn vis haalt uit de kust van Sanriku. Bezoekers moeten een bezoek brengen aan de Miyako-vismarkt om een ​​glimp op te vangen van hoe de lokale vismarkten in de regio werken.

*Bezoekers moeten een kleine boottocht maken door de Hachinoheana, die ook bekend staat als de Blauwe Grot. De tour kan alleen worden gedaan als het water kalm is.”

This important port on Japan’s northern Hokkaido Island was the first to be opened to European and American trade. The result of this is a trove of Western-style buildings in the suburb of Motomachi that gives the impression of a movie set. The bell of the distinctive Haristo Greek Orthodox church is designated one of Japan’s official treasured “100 soundscapes.” Hokkaido is famous for its hot springs, much beloved by the Japanese. Yunokawa Hot Spring enjoys a commanding view of the sea, and its botanical garden is home to the Japanese macaques called “snow monkeys” because of their habit of soaking in the hot springs during the northern winter. Goryokaku is a 150-year old star fortress that holds the Magistrate’s Office, an excellent example of traditional Japanese architecture. Get a panoramic view from the observation platform atop the Goryokaku Tower.

Blessed by a protective range of mountains and a relatively warm ocean current, Kushiro gets less than a third of the winter snow of its Hokkaido neighbor Sapporo, and twice as much sunshine as the nearby Kuril Islands. Thus it is an important reliably ice-free port during the winter. Like all of Japan, it is riddled with semi-active geothermal features and occasionally rattled by tremors. Scenic Lake Akan is ringed by hot springs. It also has an Ainu Koten museum with a replica village and folklore performances of the indigenous Hokkaido people. The Japanese Crane Reserve is a good place to see breeding populations of these large and graceful birds, so respected by the Japanese. The city encompasses Japan’s largest wetland, and the Kushiro City Marsh Observatory has a boardwalk to see it, as well as the Fureai Horse Park which offers equestrian tours into the forest.

The largest of the Aleutian Islands, Kodiak is also Alaska’s largest island the second largest in the United States. Although occupied by native people for some 7,000 years, it languished in relative obscurity until the Second World War, when it housed as many as 25,000 troops. Fort Abercrombie, once the major center of North Pacific operations, today is a State Historic Park and a good place to learn the history. At the other end of the road system is the United States Coast Guard’s largest base, with a fleet of orange and white watercraft and aircraft that serves the Alaskan fishing fleet and other shipping and maritime activities in the Pacific area. Kodiak harbor is seasonally home to a fleet of some 650 fishing vessels, including huge trawlers, long-line and crab boats. Fishing is also a popular draw for visitors, but they also are attracted by opportunities to view and photograph local birds and wildlife, including the island’s massive brown bears, the males of which weigh as much as 1,500 pounds and stand ten feet tall. In the town, the fur warehouse originally built by the Russian American Company in 1808 is now the Baranov Museum, the oldest standing building in Alaska.
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“Bevroren steile rotsen lopen uit in mossige bossen en een 457 meter diep (1.500 voet diep) fjord van dit Werelderfgoed. Dit is tevens een van de grootste biosfeer reservaten ter wereld. Gesteente, ijs en water blijven op elkaar botsen en vormen een spectaculair landschap dat het kroonjuweel is van de natuurlijke wonderen van zuidoost Alaska.

De eerste Europese ontdekkingsreiziger in dit gebied zag niets van al dit fraais, maar met een goede reden. Toen kapitein George Vancouver hier in 1794 heen vaarde, bestond het gebied voornamelijk uit een enorm schild van ijs, meer dan 1.200 meter (3.937 voet) dik. In een van de snelste afnames ooit vastgelegd, slonken de gletsjers 105 kilometers (65 mijl) rond 1916. Het door de gletsjer geplette landschap herstelt zich nog steeds en stijgt 30millimeter (1.18 duim) per jaar. U kunt deze wedergeboorte met eigen ogen zien: Een regenwoud met verschillende soorten sparren en dennenbomen ontspruit aan de monding van Glacier Bay. Verder naar het noorden vertoont het recent blootgelegde landschap scherpere rotswanden en minder vegetatie. Het is echter voldoende voor de terugkeer van wilde dieren, van adelaars tot beren, elanden en bultruggen.

Het nationaal park is het hele jaar geopend, maar de meeste bezoekers geven de voorkeur aan de warmere periode van eind mei tot begin september. Zelfs in de zomer moet u voorbereid zijn op elk weertype, —vooral regen! Neem een muts, wol of fleece kledinglagen, een warme jas en waterproof uitrusting mee als u het landschap vanaf het open dek van uw schip wilt bewonderen.”

A stroll through the streets and National Historic Park of Sitka is a glimpse into its unique and colorful past. A blend of Tlingit and Russian cultures defines this first capital of Alaska. Although fish canning and gold mining were the initial catalysts for growth in Sitka, the construction of an air base during World War II truly paved the way for Sitka to come into its own. One of Sitka’s most intriguing structures is the Cathedral of Saint Michael, built in 1848 to honor a Russian Orthodox bishop.

Sitka’s history begins thousands of years ago with the Tlingit people and their use of the land for sustenance and spirituality. Old Sitka, located just north of the present-day settlement, was founded by Russian-American Company trader Alexander Baranov in 1799. Originally named Novo-Arkhangelsk (New Archangel) under Russian rule, its name was changed to Sitka after Alaska was purchased by the United States in 1867. Sitka is a Tlingit word meaning ‘by the sea.’

Prince Rupert, set amongst the coastal mountains, is the jumping-off point for travelers joining the coastal ferries to Haida Gwaii, Vancouver or north to Alaska. Highlights include the quaint Cow Bay with its shops and restaurants, the Museum of Northern British Columbia, the totem carving house or the stunning sunken gardens.

Prince Rupert certainly has abundant wildlife. Whether you join a local boat for whale-watching, hike along the Butze Rapids or take a scenic flight, you are sure to be pleased. The region is home to the highest concentration of grizzly bears in North America. The Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, established in 1994, was the first area in Canada to be protected specifically for grizzlies and their habitat.

Founded in 1910, the town was named for Prince Rupert, who was a governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1670. Prince Rupert is the northern terminus of the Canadian National Railway and an important port for goods moving towards Alaska.

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The upper latitudes of North America’s Pacific Coast are blessed with a long strand of islands scattered just offshore of the mainland. These islands provide shelter from the swells generated across the expanse of the world’s largest ocean, and offer one of the most scenic passages for ships to be found anywhere on the globe. Stretching from Washington State’s Puget Sound northward through British Columbia, Canada onward to the Panhandle of Southeast Alaska, it threads between forested islands and coastal mountain ranges, encompassing a total of over 45,000 miles of coastline, thousands of islands and innumerable coves. It is comprised of the Strait of Georgia, Johnstone Strait, the more open Hecate Strait near the Haida Gwai (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands), Fitz Hugh Sound, and the Princess Royal and Grenville Channels. These waterways are subject to tidal currents with variable velocity resulting from their restricted channels. At the northern end, diurnal tides can change the sea level by as much as 30 feet (9 meters), underlining the importance of using knowledgeable pilots during any passage. A wide variety of vessels pass through the Inside Passage in both directions. People on board enjoy the scenic land- and seascapes, as well as frequent sightings of wildlife including whales, seals, birds and occasionally bears. VIEW CRUISES

The humble beginnings of the City of Vancouver, in the settlement of Gastown on Burrard Inlet, rose out of the old growth forests and the sawdust of the old Hastings Mill. Its location between the Pacific Ocean and the snow-capped coastal mountains creates one of the most idyllic settings of any city in the world. As a world-class city it has the best of both worlds, intermingling urban sophistication with a sense of wilderness and outdoor adventure. Whether you are exploring Vancouver’s diverse downtown core, strolling through the giant trees of Stanley Park or taking in the 20 miles (30 km) of uninterrupted waterfront trails along the seawall, you are bound to fall in love with Canada’s third largest metropolitan center, which is consistently ranked as one of most livable cities on earth.

In 1886, the Canadian Pacific Railway reached Vancouver, completing Canada’s ‘National Dream’ of a connection between east and west, and opening up new trade routes between Asia and Europe. The city was named for British captain and explorer George Vancouver.

The Seymour Narrows is a 3-mile/5 km stretch of the Discovery Channel north of Vancouver Island, British Columbia that is notorious for the strength of the tidal currents flowing through it. The average width of the narrows is just 750 meters. During extreme tides, the current through the narrows is subject to severe Venturi effect, resulting in an increased velocity that can reach 15 knots. For much of its modern history, there was an additional hazard in the narrows called Ripple Rock, a shallow obstruction that claimed no fewer than 119 ships and 114 lives. In 1958, after months of tunneling and preparation, Ripple Rock was blown up in the largest commercial, non-nuclear explosion ever recorded in North America. Still, the navigation of Seymour Narrows is dependent on tidal and other conditions, and requires skill and technical accomplishment.

The Queen Charlotte Sound lies between the Queen Charlotte Strait, which winds between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland in the south, and Hecate Strait, which is northward, adjacent to the Haida Gwaii Islands off the Pacific coast of British Columbia. It is a broad reach in the long shipping route called the Inside Passage threading the myriad islands stretching from Washington’s Puget Sound to Alaska.

Ketchikan is a picturesque coastal town with a colorful frontier history, standing at the southern entrance to Alaska’s famed Inside Passage. It began as a salmon cannery in 1885, built by company employee Mike Martin at the mouth of Ketchikan Creek. Once dubbed the ‘Canned Salmon Capital of the World,’ today government, commercial fishing, and tourism are its main industries. The renowned Creek Street, perched on stilts along the mouth of the creek, would bring lasting infamy to the area for the red-light district that burgeoned there during the Gold Rush.

The town’s site first served as a camp for Tlingit people, and for thousands of years this has been their home. Their rich culture is being preserved to this day. A visit to Ketchikan is not complete without visiting one or all of Native American sites such as Totem Bight State Park, Potlatch Park, Saxman Native Village and the Totem Heritage Center. Together, these locations comprise the world’s largest collection of standing Native American totem poles.

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In the passage between Sumner Strait and Clarence Strait in Southeast Alaska’s Alexander Archipelago, midway between Price of Wales Island on the west and Zarembo Island on the east, is a small cluster of islands with a picturesque passageway between them called Snow Pass. It makes a scenic up-close route for your Seabourn ship during the transit.

Decision Passage is the western end of the Sumner Strait, which runs through the Alexander Archipelago into the Pacific Ocean in Southeastern Alaska, bounded on the north by Kuiu Island and Cape Decision, the location of a 1932 lighthouse. This is the route your ship takes when coming from or going to the colorful historic community of Sitka on the west coast of Baranof Island, which was originally the Russian fortress town of New Archangel.

A stroll through the streets and National Historic Park of Sitka is a glimpse into its unique and colorful past. A blend of Tlingit and Russian cultures defines this first capital of Alaska. Although fish canning and gold mining were the initial catalysts for growth in Sitka, the construction of an air base during World War II truly paved the way for Sitka to come into its own. One of Sitka’s most intriguing structures is the Cathedral of Saint Michael, built in 1848 to honor a Russian Orthodox bishop.

Sitka’s history begins thousands of years ago with the Tlingit people and their use of the land for sustenance and spirituality. Old Sitka, located just north of the present-day settlement, was founded by Russian-American Company trader Alexander Baranov in 1799. Originally named Novo-Arkhangelsk (New Archangel) under Russian rule, its name was changed to Sitka after Alaska was purchased by the United States in 1867. Sitka is a Tlingit word meaning ‘by the sea.’

“Bevroren steile rotsen lopen uit in mossige bossen en een 457 meter diep (1.500 voet diep) fjord van dit Werelderfgoed. Dit is tevens een van de grootste biosfeer reservaten ter wereld. Gesteente, ijs en water blijven op elkaar botsen en vormen een spectaculair landschap dat het kroonjuweel is van de natuurlijke wonderen van zuidoost Alaska.

De eerste Europese ontdekkingsreiziger in dit gebied zag niets van al dit fraais, maar met een goede reden. Toen kapitein George Vancouver hier in 1794 heen vaarde, bestond het gebied voornamelijk uit een enorm schild van ijs, meer dan 1.200 meter (3.937 voet) dik. In een van de snelste afnames ooit vastgelegd, slonken de gletsjers 105 kilometers (65 mijl) rond 1916. Het door de gletsjer geplette landschap herstelt zich nog steeds en stijgt 30millimeter (1.18 duim) per jaar. U kunt deze wedergeboorte met eigen ogen zien: Een regenwoud met verschillende soorten sparren en dennenbomen ontspruit aan de monding van Glacier Bay. Verder naar het noorden vertoont het recent blootgelegde landschap scherpere rotswanden en minder vegetatie. Het is echter voldoende voor de terugkeer van wilde dieren, van adelaars tot beren, elanden en bultruggen.

Het nationaal park is het hele jaar geopend, maar de meeste bezoekers geven de voorkeur aan de warmere periode van eind mei tot begin september. Zelfs in de zomer moet u voorbereid zijn op elk weertype, —vooral regen! Neem een muts, wol of fleece kledinglagen, een warme jas en waterproof uitrusting mee als u het landschap vanaf het open dek van uw schip wilt bewonderen.”

As the gatekeepers to the northern entrance of the fabled Inside Passage, the remote Inian Islands stand between Cross Sound and Icy Strait, exposed to the high energy seas of the Pacific Ocean. Tidal currents surging through the narrow channels separating the islands can be severe. Nicknames like ‘The Laundry Chute’ justify their notorious reputations.

For millennia, Tlingit people came here to hunt and fish in the rich bounty that these waters provided. Today, the Inian Islands Institute, located within the islands, provides access to the abundant and protected waters for scientific research. Sitka black-tailed deer and brown bears frequent their rugged and rocky shores, while sea lions fill their stomachs with salmon before hauling out to rest on the many rocky outcrops making up this island group. Sea otters, bald eagles, and humpback whales frequent the area in great numbers during the summer months.

The Inian Islands were named by William Healey Dall, one of Alaska’s earliest scientific explorers, in 1879.

Tucked in along the shores of the longest fjord in North America and surrounded by breathtaking scenery, Haines is an authentic Alaskan experience. It is an eclectic community and a truly hidden gem. Its rich culture shines brightly during the annual state fair that draws people from all over Alaska.

Haines is home to the largest concentration of bald eagles on earth, and grizzly bears gorge themselves on spawning salmon in its rivers. It was originally named Dteshuh, which means ‘end of the trail’ in the language of the Chilkat natives, who used to portage across the peninsula to Chilkat Inlet as a shortcut to their trade route to the interior.

The first Europeans arrived in 1879 to build a school and a Presbyterian mission. In time, the mission was renamed Haines in honor of Francina E. Haines, the chairwoman of the committee that raised funds for its construction. Haines grew dramatically during the 1899 Klondike gold rush in the Yukon, supplying prospectors with food and equipment.

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Lynn Canal is a 90-mile long inlet into Alaska’s coast running from the Chilkat River in the north to the Chatham Strait and Stephens Passage in the south. Because it connects the towns of Skagway and Haines to Juneau and the rest of the Inside Passage, it is an important shipping lane for ferries, cargo and cruise ships, and was a crucial passageway to the Klondike gold fields during the Gold Rush. It was discovered by Joseph Whidbey in 1794 and named by George Vancouver after his birthplace, King’s Lynn in Norfolk, England. More than 2,000 feet in depth, it is one of the deepest and longest fjords in the world, and the deepest in North America outside Greenland.

Juneau, Alaska’s capital, is accessible only by air and sea, due to the rugged mountain terrain that surrounds the city. It has been a world-class travel destination since the early 1900’s. The city has plenty to offer the outdoor adventurer. You may choose to explore on foot along the Perseverance Trail or around Mendenhall Glacier, or board one of the many local whale-watching boats, or view the mountains and extensive glaciers of the Juneau Icefield from a helicopter.

Although founded by Alaskan pioneers, this area was in use for thousands of years by the Tlingit people and was originally settled by the Auke tribe, taking advantage of the abundant food and natural resources provided by the land and sea. Their descendants continue to gather clams, gumboot chitons, grass and sea urchins to this day.

Originally named Harrisburg in 1880, after the gold prospector Richard Harris, the name was later changed to honor his partner Joe Juneau.

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“Bevroren steile rotsen lopen uit in mossige bossen en een 457 meter diep (1.500 voet diep) fjord van dit Werelderfgoed. Dit is tevens een van de grootste biosfeer reservaten ter wereld. Gesteente, ijs en water blijven op elkaar botsen en vormen een spectaculair landschap dat het kroonjuweel is van de natuurlijke wonderen van zuidoost Alaska.

De eerste Europese ontdekkingsreiziger in dit gebied zag niets van al dit fraais, maar met een goede reden. Toen kapitein George Vancouver hier in 1794 heen vaarde, bestond het gebied voornamelijk uit een enorm schild van ijs, meer dan 1.200 meter (3.937 voet) dik. In een van de snelste afnames ooit vastgelegd, slonken de gletsjers 105 kilometers (65 mijl) rond 1916. Het door de gletsjer geplette landschap herstelt zich nog steeds en stijgt 30millimeter (1.18 duim) per jaar. U kunt deze wedergeboorte met eigen ogen zien: Een regenwoud met verschillende soorten sparren en dennenbomen ontspruit aan de monding van Glacier Bay. Verder naar het noorden vertoont het recent blootgelegde landschap scherpere rotswanden en minder vegetatie. Het is echter voldoende voor de terugkeer van wilde dieren, van adelaars tot beren, elanden en bultruggen.

Het nationaal park is het hele jaar geopend, maar de meeste bezoekers geven de voorkeur aan de warmere periode van eind mei tot begin september. Zelfs in de zomer moet u voorbereid zijn op elk weertype, —vooral regen! Neem een muts, wol of fleece kledinglagen, een warme jas en waterproof uitrusting mee als u het landschap vanaf het open dek van uw schip wilt bewonderen.”

One of the straightest stretches of the Inside Passage is the Stephens Passage just south of Juneau, a 105-mile channel between 5,000-foot peaks that cuts through the Alexander Archipelago between Admiralty Island on the west and the mainland and Douglas Island on the east. It is a good place to be on deck, because Admiralty boasts more bears than people, and the spruce and hemlock forests come right down to the water. The Passage is generally considered some of the best whale-watching water in Alaska, and also holds plentiful populations of huge Steller sea lions, as well as flocks of gulls and guillemots that clatter aloft as the ship passes. The passage was named by George Vancouver in 1794 after being charted by Joseph Whidbey.

Decision Passage is the western end of the Sumner Strait, which runs through the Alexander Archipelago into the Pacific Ocean in Southeastern Alaska, bounded on the north by Kuiu Island and Cape Decision, the location of a 1932 lighthouse. This is the route your ship takes when coming from or going to the colorful historic community of Sitka on the west coast of Baranof Island, which was originally the Russian fortress town of New Archangel.

One of the thousands of islands of the Alexander Archipelago, Wrangell Island sits at the heart of the Tongass National Rain Forest and receives approximately 80” (203 cm) of rain per year. The city of Wrangell, a true Alaskan frontier town, sits at the northern end of the island, a short distance from the mouth of the mighty Stikine River. The history of Wrangell is deeply rooted in the Tlingit people, the fur trade and the gold rush. The Stikine River trade route brought the Tlingit people here thousands of years ago, evidenced by some forty petroglyphs at Petroglyph Beach State Historic Site and Totem Park.

The Stikine River, Shakes Glacier and Anan Creek Bear Observatory are highlights in the region. Anan Creek boasts the largest pink salmon run of the Inside Passage, attracting brown and black bears in great numbers. Wrangell was named for Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel, a Russian explorer and administrator of the Russian-America Company during the mid-1800’s.

Stikine Strait is a picturesque channel in the Alexander Archipelago of Alaska between Zarembo Island and Woronkofski and Etolin Islands near the mouth of the Stikine River south of Wrangell. It first appears on an 1848 Russian chart as Stakhin Strait and has been spelled variously on many charts since that time.

The 108-mile Behm Canal runs from the Clarence Strait through the Alexander Archipelago of Southeast Alaska, and into the channel separating Revillagigedo Island from the mainland. It forms part Inside Passage on the route between Ketchikan and the Misty Fjords National Monument. The canal was named by George Vancouver during his surveying expedition in 1793, in honor of Magnus von Behm, who had been governor of Kamchatka in the Russian Far East when Vancouver called at Petropavlovsk with Captain Cook’s expedition following the Cook’s murder in Hawaii.

Scottish-American naturalist John Muir compared the 2,294,343-acre (930,000 hectare) Misty Fjords National Monument to his favorite place in America, Yosemite National Park. Often shrouded in mist, Misty Fjords is a true wilderness.

Its vertical granite cliffs, which reach 3,000’ (900 m) above sea level, descend another 1,000’ (300 m) below the water’s surface. Carved by glaciers and covered in a green carpet of mosses and lichens, Misty Fjords receives more than 150” (381 cm) of rain per year. Western hemlock, Sitka spruce, and western red cedar dominate the prolific vegetation along its shore. Mountain goats, brown and black bears, coastal wolves, sea lions, bald eagles, ravens, Dall’s porpoises, orca and humpback whales can be spotted along its shorelines and throughout its waters.

Long before the arrival of John Muir, the Tlingit people lived and moved throughout this region, surviving on what the land provided. Evidence of their historic and ongoing presence is recorded in the many pictographs found along the shores of Misty Fjords.

Fysiek afgelegen, Misty Fjords National Monument, of “de Mistys”, is de natuur op zijn best. In 1978 uitgeroepen tot monument door de VS. President Jimmy Carter, dit land van majestueuze wildernis werd een belangrijke springplank na het passeren van de Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act van 1980. Het is ook een ongerepte plek om naar toe te varen op de Alaska-panhandle met torenhoge bomen en kliffen, evenals diepe blauwe meren en ijzige watervallen. De vele gletsjers rondom het monument werden meer dan 11.000 jaar geleden gevormd in de laatste ijstijd, maar blijven tot op de dag van vandaag afkalven, afbreken en hervormen. Enkele van de natuurlijke wonderen zijn onder meer een vulkanische plug genaamd New Eddystone Rock, bestaande uit verhard, opgebouwd magma dat honderden meters de zee in reikt, evenals een muur van afgekoelde lava in Punchbowl Cove, bekend als zuilvormig basalt. Als u door Misty Fjord vaart, kunt u ook wilde dieren zien, zoals zeehonden, geiten en herten.

Prince Rupert, set amongst the coastal mountains, is the jumping-off point for travelers joining the coastal ferries to Haida Gwaii, Vancouver or north to Alaska. Highlights include the quaint Cow Bay with its shops and restaurants, the Museum of Northern British Columbia, the totem carving house or the stunning sunken gardens.

Prince Rupert certainly has abundant wildlife. Whether you join a local boat for whale-watching, hike along the Butze Rapids or take a scenic flight, you are sure to be pleased. The region is home to the highest concentration of grizzly bears in North America. The Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, established in 1994, was the first area in Canada to be protected specifically for grizzlies and their habitat.

Founded in 1910, the town was named for Prince Rupert, who was a governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1670. Prince Rupert is the northern terminus of the Canadian National Railway and an important port for goods moving towards Alaska.

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Grenville Channel is a long, well-protected channel along the northern British Columbia coast between the large Pitt Island and the mainland. It is an important shipping lane, and you are likely to see ships of many different types and sizes as you pass through. The shores are mountainous on both sides, with two notable peaks about halfway through, Mt. Batchellor on the east side and Mt. Saunders on Pitt Island to the west. There are a number of Indian Reserves and Marine Parks in the mountains and narrow waterways off the channel.

Whale Channel is a picturesque waterway separating Gil Island from Princess Royal Island in British Columbia’s Inside Passage. Surrounded by snow-capped mountain ranges and teeming with marine life, It is a diversion from the main shipping lane, located roughly halfway between Prince Rupert and the First Nations village of Klemtu. VIEW CRUISES Skip Footer Content About Us

The Princess Royal Channel separates the largest island along British Columbia’s coast from the mainland. It is located roughly halfway between Bella Bella in the south and Prince Rupert in the north, in one of the province’s most remote areas. Princess Royal island was named in 1788 by Captain Charles Duncan, in honor of his ship, the Princess Royal. The island is uninhabited, although there are two small villages in the channel, the First Nations community of Klemtu on Swindle Island and Hartley Bay on the mainland. Wildlife, by contrast, is plentiful, including Kermode, black and grizzly bears, deer, wolves and foxes. Golden and bald eagles nest in the region, as well as the endangered marbled murrelet. In the waters, there are abundant salmon, elephant seals, whales, orcas and dolphins.

Located on the now-dormant Alert Bay volcanic belt, Cormorant Island is host to Vancouver Island’s oldest northern community, the small town of Alert Bay. It is located in the traditional territory of the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation and today is a blend of both aboriginal and pioneer culture.

A walk along the shores of this tiny 0.69-square mile (1.8 sq. km) island will amaze you with its history, spectacular views and abundant wildlife. Remnants of its former fish-salting plant from the 1800’s remain along the harbor. The U’mista Cultural Centre is Canada’s longest-running First Nations museum and home to the famed Potlach Collection. This collection of ceremonial regalia was confiscated for preservation by Canadian authorities in 1922, and finally returned to the community during the 1980’s. Seabirds, humpback, orca, and gray whales, sea lions and white-sided dolphins are all present in the surrounding waters. Alert Bay was named in 1860 for the Royal Navy ship HMS Alert which conducted survey operations in and around the region.

Johnstone Strait is a well-protected shipping route passing 68 miles/110 km along the northeast shore of Vancouver Island between the island and the mainland of British Columbia. The strait is between 1 ½ miles and 3 miles wide, and leads from the broad Georgia Strait through a narrow channel called Discovery Passage. The strait was named by Vancouver in 1792 for James Johnstone, the master of one of his tenders during the survey expedition that revealed Vancouver Island to be an island. There are no cities or towns on the strait. The Johnstone Strait is the summer range of a large pod of seasonally resident orcas which are frequently seen in the area. VIEW CRUISES Skip Footer Content About Us Our Company News Careers Contact Us Video Gallery Accessibility Seabourn Club Seabourn Referral Program Travel Resources

The Seymour Narrows is a 3-mile/5 km stretch of the Discovery Channel north of Vancouver Island, British Columbia that is notorious for the strength of the tidal currents flowing through it. The average width of the narrows is just 750 meters. During extreme tides, the current through the narrows is subject to severe Venturi effect, resulting in an increased velocity that can reach 15 knots. For much of its modern history, there was an additional hazard in the narrows called Ripple Rock, a shallow obstruction that claimed no fewer than 119 ships and 114 lives. In 1958, after months of tunneling and preparation, Ripple Rock was blown up in the largest commercial, non-nuclear explosion ever recorded in North America. Still, the navigation of Seymour Narrows is dependent on tidal and other conditions, and requires skill and technical accomplishment.

The humble beginnings of the City of Vancouver, in the settlement of Gastown on Burrard Inlet, rose out of the old growth forests and the sawdust of the old Hastings Mill. Its location between the Pacific Ocean and the snow-capped coastal mountains creates one of the most idyllic settings of any city in the world. As a world-class city it has the best of both worlds, intermingling urban sophistication with a sense of wilderness and outdoor adventure. Whether you are exploring Vancouver’s diverse downtown core, strolling through the giant trees of Stanley Park or taking in the 20 miles (30 km) of uninterrupted waterfront trails along the seawall, you are bound to fall in love with Canada’s third largest metropolitan center, which is consistently ranked as one of most livable cities on earth.

In 1886, the Canadian Pacific Railway reached Vancouver, completing Canada’s ‘National Dream’ of a connection between east and west, and opening up new trade routes between Asia and Europe. The city was named for British captain and explorer George Vancouver.