Alaska cruise & wilderness lodge with Vancouver

Join a guided small group bicycle tour of Vancouver's highlights. An expert guide leads this easy-paced tour, which encompasses the totem poles and old-growth rainforest of Stanley Park, Granville Island, Chinatown and Gastown.

Board a seaplane for a delightful bird's-eye view of Vancouver's beaches, buildings, monuments, and mountains. The afternoon is free to explore at your own pace and sample some of the city's superb restaurants, shopping, and nightlife.

There is time this morning for more sightseeing before taking a private transfer from your hotel to Vancouver's cruise terminal. Board your Silversea ship, bound for Alaska. All meals, drinks, gratuities and some shore excursions are included.

Your route takes you north today, through British Columbia's beautiful Inside Passage. You will travel through narrow waterways and past towering mountains. There are plenty of facilities and activities to enjoy on board including a spa, gym, library, casino, pool, and a variety of excellent bars and restaurants.

Arrive in your first port of call — Ketchikan. This colourful small town grew up around salmon canneries and sawmills. There is an excellent collection of totem poles; you may also choose to take a guided walking trip, explore the Tongass Rainforest, see bears in Herring Cove or take a light aircraft flight.

Today you arrive in Alaska's small capital, Juneau. There is the Mendenhall Glacier to explore, or you may prefer to go sea kayaking, whale watching, try glacier dog-sledding, or take a helicopter flight.

Wake to find yourself in Skagway. After a delicious breakfast, disembark in this Klondike gold rush-era town. Options today include a chance to go gold-panning, take a historic train trip through spectacular mountain scenery, see glaciers by helicopter or hike part of the Chilkoot Trail.

Arrive in Sitka, once the capital of Russian Alaska. This pretty port is known for the onion domes of St. Michael's Cathedral and a wide variety of activities are available. These include rainforest hiking, sea kayaking, salmon fishing, taking a wildlife cruise or a Sitka town guided walking tour.

A highlight of your cruise today is a visit to the Hubbard Glacier. This tidewater glacier is set among magnificent mountains. It is a sight to behold, especially if you are lucky enough to witness the glacier 'calving' huge chunks of ice into the water below.

Disembark in Seward at the end of your cruise. You will be met on arrival and transferred by boat through the spectacular Kenai Fjords National Park to Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge for a two-night stay. This simple ecolodge is set amidst the national park's mountainous scenery and overlooks a protected lagoon in full view of the Pedersen Glacier.

Wake in your rustic but cosy log cabin. All meals during your stay are included, as is a variety of guided activities including sea kayaking, hiking and canoeing on the lagoon. Do look out for wildlife — black bears are often seen here.

There is time this morning for a guided activity, with lunch included, before you board the boat for the scenic tour through Kenai Fjords National Park back to Seward. At Seward's railway station board the Alaska Railroad train to Anchorage. Travel in the GoldStar carriage with a glass roof, open-air platform, dinner and drinks. On arrival in Anchorage, make your own way to your downtown hotel for a three-night stay.

Take a thrilling light aircraft flight over spectacular mountain scenery to Lake Clark or Katmai National Park. The highlight of this full-day trip is a chance to see grizzly bears in their natural habitat. Your knowledgeable pilot/guide knows where the bears are likely to be found and, with luck, you will spend time observing these magnificent mammals.

Today you will be driven 100 miles north of Anchorage to the Matanuska Glacier, resplendent among lofty mountain peaks. You will be fitted with ice cleats and walking sticks before embarking on a fully guided glacier walking experience. You will traverse the surface of this ancient glacier, exploring its ice spires and caves.

There is time to relax or go sightseeing in Anchorage this morning. Later, make your own way to Anchorage Airport to board your onward flight.

Arrive home today to complete your journey.