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3201
West 31st Ave Suite # 101 Anchorage,
Alaska 99517
907-272-9299
| 888-567-7165 | fax 907-278-6092 | info@arctictravel.net
Ring of Fire
Day 1 - ARRIVE ANCHORAGE
Your Welcome Dinner at the Anchorage Sheraton Hotel is an opportunity to
meet your fellow travelers and your Exploration Leaders.
Day 2 - ANCHORAGE TO WHITTIER
After breakfast at the Sheraton, a morning tour of Anchorage
offers an opportunity to visit the Alaska
Native heritage
Center. This afternoon
transfer to Whittier
for embarkation aboard the Spirit of Oceanus. BD
Day 3 - KODIAK
Sitting in the middle of the world's most productive fishing ground makes
Kodiak one of the largest fishing ports in the nation. It also has one of the
biggest populations of brown bears and is Alaska's oldest and most historic European
community. An afternoon call at Kodiak offers an opportunity to tour the Baranov Museum,
the Alutiiq Museum
and the Fish Tech
Center, all in Alaska's first Russian-American
settlement. BLD
Day 4 - GEOGRAPHIC HARBOR
Look for brown bears digging for clams as you explore the remote
shoreline of Geographic harbor, where migrating birds like the Arctic Tern
stop. Katmai National Park is on the top of many
"Best of Alaska" lists because of its otherworldly landscape and
the opportunity to get up-close and personal to the raw beauty of the 15
active volcanoes and abundant wildlife there. Still considered a living
laboratory, it was the spectacular eruption in 1912 of the Novarupta Volcano
that brought scientists and researchers to this area. The National Geographic
Society led a number of expeditions to Katmai, and in 1919, on its last
expedition, Geographic Harbor was discovered in the previously uncharted Amalik Bay. BLD
Day 5 - SHUMAGIN ISLANDS
The village of Unga, on the island of the same name, is now uninhabited,
abandoned in 1969. Most residents have relocated to the new community of San
Point, which is on neighboring Shumagin
Island. The name
Shumagin was given to this group of over a dozen islands by members of Vitus
Bering's expedition to honor one of their own who died there. Unga, like many
of the islands in this region, is rich in minerals. Coal and gold mining in
this region first occurred on Unga, lasting until the early 1900s. There was
renewed interest in Unga's gold in the 1980's, although no one has come
forward to actively pursue mining. Visitors of Unga Island
may see arctic fox, bald eagles, and seals. This is also a beautiful place to
view tundra wild flowers. One of the island's more unique features is the
abundance of ancient petrified wood along the shoreline. BLD
Day 6 - DUTCH HARBOR
Unalaska and Dutch Harbor are often thought of as two separate
communities, and although they are on two separate islands, Dutch Harbor
(on Amaknak Island) is within the city limits of
Unalaska. Amaknak Island and Unalaska Island
are connected by a bridge. Like Kodiak, Unalaska, although small and remote,
is a culturally diverse community due to the commercial fishing industry and
fish processing activities. While thriving as an important port for
commercial fishing, fish processing, and related services, subsistence
activities remain vital to the community. Our explorations today include a
visit to the Museum of the Aleutians, the
Russian church and the World War II Memorial Park. BLD
Day 7 - AT SEA
Enjoy the day at sea, watching for wildlife, relaxing, and listening to
presentations by your team of naturalists about the adventures to come. BLD
Day 8 - ADAK ISLAND
Few Places in the world are as unique as our port call today. Adak Island.
This modern community in Alaska's Aleutian
Islands is situated between Asia, North America and Europe.
It lies on the great circle navigation routes for both marine and air
transport...halfway between Seattle and japan,
1300 miles southwest of Anchorage, 1400 miles
from Magadan in Eastern Russia and close to the natural resources of the Kamchatka Peninsula
and Sakhalin Island. During WWII, the Japanese took
control of two of the most western Aleutian Islands.
In response, the United
States military began a campaign to unseat
the invaders. Since the nearest US
military presence was in Cold Bay, Alaska, the military began to construct bases in the
western Aleutian Islands from which to
launch operations against the Japanese. Adak Island
was chosen as the site of an airfield and flight operations began in
September 1942. Today, fewer than 300 residents call Adak
home. In 1980, the Aleutian Islands National Wildlife Refuge was created and
much of Adak Island lies within its boundaries. BLD
Day 9 - AT SEA
Enjoy the day at sea, cruising to Attu Island
and searching for wildlife. BLD
Day 10 - ATTU ISLAND
Attu is the island in the Aleutians, the most remote and rarely-visited
area of the United States.
Attu has a tragic history, as one might guess from some of the names of the
island's features: Terrible Mountain, Massacre Bay,
Murder Point. Beginning with the Russian fur-trader
slaughter of native Aleuts, and ending with the Second-bloodiest Pacific
battle of World War II, in which over 2,500 Japanese and Americans died, it
has seen more than its share of grief. But the Peaceful
River also runs on Attu,
and it is now a wildly beautiful and majestic island that is peacefully
remote. Attu is also one of the premier
bird-watching areas in the world. BLD
Day 11 - CROSS INTERNATIONAL DATELINE / AT SEA / BERING SEA
We "lose" a day (September 18) enroute across the International
Dateline. Pending permission from the Russian authorities, we land today on Bering Island, final resting place of
Commander Vitus Bering, a Danish ship captain in the service of Tsar Peter
the Great. Bering's name remains emblazoned in history. BLD
Day 12 - PETROPAVLOSK
We arrive in Petropavlosk this morning. Established in 1740, Petropavlosk
is one of the oldest settlements of the Russian Far East. Most of the 250,
000 people who live here are involved in the fishing industry. A city tour
introduces you to Lenin Square,
where one of the country's few surviving Lenin statues remains, and a
monument to the inhabitants of Petropavlosk who were killed in the Crimean
War. At the Museum
of Natural History
you'll see an impressive display of regional flora and fauna, and art of the
Native people.
An optional flightseeing tour to the Valley of Geysers provides the opportunity to
stroll along wooden walkways, where you'll pass geysers and bubbling mud
pots, and cross bridges over steam from the geysers. The geysers keep the
climate warm and the flora unique to the region. BLD
Day 13 - ATLASOVA ISLAND AND PTICHI ISLANDS
A nature walk on Atlasova
Island, with the
highest volcano in the Kurils, will take you past an
abandoned prison for Russian women, with time to explore the lakes, scrub,
and hillsides. Birdwatching is good here with Asian rosy finches and
peregrines. Around Ptichi
Islands is a sea otter
haven. Ptichi means "bird" in Russian and here is another
birdwatcher's delight. Look for slaty-backed gulls, common murres,
black-legged kittiwakes, red-faced cormorants, and tufted puffins. BLD
Day 14 - SHIASKIOTAN AND SKALY LAVUSKI ISLANDS
We spend the day exploring the islands of Shiaskotan and Skaly Lavushki.
Special permission has been secured to visit these very remote and rarely
visited nature preserves. On Shiaskotan we will encounter an ancient Aninu
village site, hot springs,
wilderness hiking opportunities, and an abundance of endemic plants and
birds. At Skaly Lavushki thousands of seabirds and hundreds of Steller's sea
lions and fur seals, which make this pristine wilderness their home, will
greet your arrival with a cacophony of sound found nowhere else. BLD
Day 15 - YANKICHA ISLAND, BROUTONA BAY, SIMUSHIR ISLAND
The island of Yankicha suggests an episode from "Lord of the
Rings." High mountain peaks surround a beautiful caldera with bubbling
vents and pools of gurgling springs. In ancient days, the Ainu practiced
Shaman initiation rites here. Harbor seals pop up along the coast and Arctic
foxes gaze from the shore. This is also the world's breeding center for
whiskered auklets. You'll cruise into Broutona
Bay at Simushir Island
and explore the abandoned submarine base in this hidden harbor. The ghost
town there still houses vehicles and equipment. BLD
Day 16 - AT SEA
Enjoy the day at sea, cruising towards Japan. BLD
Day 17 - YZNO KURILSK VILLAGE,
KUNASHIR ISLAND
/ KUSHIRO, JAPAN
Kunashir Island's ownership is a matter of dispute between Russia and Japan
as a result of World War II, when Russia
took it over following Japan's
surrender. Our visit here is a technical stop only for clearance purposes.
Arrive in Japan this
afternoon for a visit to Kushiro Shitsugen National Park,
the site of one of the world's most expansive and treasured wetlands, and
home of Japan's
sacred red-crowned cranes, brought back from near extinction. Kushiro
Shitsugen is a large peat swamp filled with reed beds and streams. Besides
the crane, this park is home to numerous animals including the brown bear,
Yezo deer, and the Sakhalin taimen, the most
ancient species of salmon on Earth. BLD
Day 18 - SHIRAOI
This morning we visit the Shiraoi
Ainu Museum
where Ainu culture and lifestyle is shown in an outdoor reproduction of a
small Ainu village and inside a conventional museum building. A cultural
performance will be held in our honor. This afternoon there is an opportunity
to visit the hot springs
resort community of Noboribetsu. Walk amidst the colorful mud pools, or take
the opportunity for a traditional hot soak, Japanese style. BLD
Day 19 - AKITA
By Japanese standards, the Northern Honshu region of Tohoku region is
sparsely populated with 10 million people in an area just under 26,000 square
miles. The area is long known for its ancient myths, natural beauty, rugged
mountains, thick dialects, innumerable hot
springs and fierce weather. The port city of Akita is an industrial
port city that provides access to the interior or "old japan,"
where traditional crafts are still made by hand, samurai houses remain
intact, and the lifestyle remains rustic and traditional. Make an excursion
to Kokunodate, known for its fine wooden crafts and its exquisite wooden
architecture. This evening celebrate our voyage with a farewell dinner. BLD
Day 20 - NIGATA / TOKYO
Disembark in Niigata,
a city of traditional industries like the the renowned Niigata Koshihikari
rice. Board one of the famous bullet trains for Tokyo, where you'll enjoy a sightseeing
tour of japan's eclectic capital city. Overnight at the celebrated Imperial
Hotel, located across the street from lovely Hibiya Park.
The balance of your day is at your leisure. BL
Day 21 - DEPART TOKYO
Enjoy your breakfast at the Imperial Hotel prior to transferring to the Narita Airport for your flight home. B
B=Breakfast L=Lunch D=Dinner
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Tour
Costs From: $6,799 pp
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21
Days, 20 Nights
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Anchorage to Tokyo
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Departures:
September
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back to tour index
3201 West 31st Ave Suite # 101 Anchorage
Alaska 99517
907-272-9299 | 888-567-7165 |
fax 907-278-6092
email at info@arctictravel.net
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