Russian Far East & Alaska in Luxury

Embark Silver Explorer in the early afternoon and familiarise yourself with your luxury surroundings.

You may wish to arrive a day earlier to explore this small harbor city west of Sapporo. Famous for its many hills and a nearby ski resort, the town has been an important trade and herring fishing center. A wide canal that led from the port to the old town’s warehouses has been maintained for touristic purposes and the old stone or brick-built warehouses have been beautifully converted to restaurants and boutiques.

Korsakov is used as a technical stop for ships clearing in and out of Russia. In addition to being a port of call for these formalities, the city was once home to an Ainu fishing village frequented by regional traders and early Russian expeditions.  

Tyuleniy means “seal” in Russian and during the summer months, tens of thousands of seals and Steller's sea lions haul ashore here during the breeding season and many thousands of young black pups all jostle for space on the crowded beaches that flank the small rocky island. Alongside the marine mammals, black-legged kittiwakes, slaty-backed gulls, tufted puffins, common murres and pelagic cormorants summer on the busy shores in the thousands. Cruise around this island in the Sea of Okhotsk by Zodiac.

Enjoy the numerous on-board facilities, attend lectures & presentations and watch for wildlife from deck.

Yankicha Island is the southernmost islet that makes up Ushishir Island. A caldera formed at its center is accessible by Zodiac at high tide. Here, it is possible to hike to the highest point of the island and take in impressive views of the sea and caldera below. Near the landing site there are fumaroles and hot springs that bubble up from the tectonic plates moving beneath the island. Lucky and observant visitors to the island might even spot an Arctic fox.

The near-perfect cone of Alaid volcano dominates Atlasova Island with its 2000m peak. It is the highest volcano in the Kuril Islands and over time generated the black lava beaches and the eroding Taketomi tufa limestone cone near the landing site. At one time a women’s prison, or gulag, was located on Atlasova. The women, many of them political prisoners during the Soviet rule, were sent here to raise foxes for fur. Peregrine falcons can sometimes be spotted flying above the beach, while buzzards, Eurasian wigeons, and tufted ducks have all been observed on the island.

Our entry into Russian territory. This is a frontier town with a backdrop of volcanoes and a very Russian feel.

On Day 8 we gain a day by crossing the Date Line.

On a world map Attu Island marks the westernmost point of the United States. It is also the site of the only WWII battle fought on North American soil. Today the island is an ornithologist’s paradise visited by an array of birds migrating through as they come or go to Asia with the seasons - Peregrine falcons, Lapland longspur and Aleutian Canada geese can be seen.

Russian traders led by Vitus Bering in the mid-1700s would have been some of the first non-native explorers to visit Kiska Harbor on Kiska Island in the Aleutian chain. The Japanese occupied the island during WWII and relics of war have been left behind in the harbor including a Japanese two-man submarine. The occupying force of 6,000 soldiers also left a Shinto shrine behind whose remains can still be visited today. Ashore there are ptarmigans, Lapland Longspurs and Bald Eagles. At a distance, the cliffs of Sirius Point can only be described as “magical” and are home to Least and Crested Auklets, Peregrine Falcons and Laysan and Black-footed Albatrosses.

Enjoy the numerous on-board facilities, attend lectures & presentations and watch for wildlife from deck.

Seguam Island is made up of several stratovolcanoes in the Andreanof Islands group in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The island contains two calderas, one of them having erupted as recently as 1993. The mountainous oval-shaped island covers an area of just over 200 square kilometers or 80 square miles. The stark beauty of this remote island is offset by the chilly surrounding waters known for occasional whale sightings.

The crumpled peaks, and tranquil scenery, of Dutch Harbor belies its history as one of the few places on American soil to have been directly attacked by the Japanese - who bombed the significant US military base here during the Second World War. Located on a string of islands, which loops down into the Pacific from Alaska, a visit to this Aleutian Island destination offers comprehensive military history, and extraordinary ocean scenery. Hike the volcanic, gloriously green landscapes, and look out for wonderful wildlife, like bald eagles, as they survey the surroundings. Bald eagles are plentiful in Dutch Harbor. This area is frequented by eagles for the abundant fish present in the harbour and for the salmon running in local streams. The island was originally inhabited by Aleut people, and the town’s culture is also influenced by the Russian traders who frequented the area in search of sea otter and seal pelts. Dutch Harbor is an important fishing port made famous in the Discovery Channel television series, “The Deadliest Catch.” In addition, the effects of WW2 can still be felt in this dynamic and remote port town.

The Baby Islands are a group of small volcanic islands that are part of the Fox Islands grouping of the Aleutian Islands, located 1.2 miles northeast of Unalga Island. While surrounding waters can be challenging to navigate, the Baby Islands are worth the visit, especially for birders as the small islands (ranging from 980 to 3,280 feet long) are important nesting grounds for some species that are rarely seen elsewhere. Birders may be most excited to see the small black and white Whiskered Auklets. On the island, one can also find puffins, petrels, guillemots, murrelets, as well as many other bird species.

The Aleutian island of Unga holds an ancient petrified wood forest and a more recent ghost town that was the site of a small gold rush in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The village was eventually abandoned in the 1960’s and now has a somewhat somber appearance. Many of the houses have collapsed and are overgrown with brilliant fuchsia fireweed wildflowers. From a distance the church looks intact, but up closer it is apparent that the roof is standing on the ground, and the walls have completely collapsed. Great Horned Owls nest near the church and in the bay kittiwakes, Double Crested and Pelagic Cormorants, Common Murres and Tufted Puffins can be seen.

Chignik is a fishing village on the Alaskan Peninsula and home for just under 100 year-round inhabitants. Most of the houses in the community are connected by a boardwalk that fringes a local stream and neighborhood kids can be seen riding their bicycles back and forth on its length. In the summer months the population doubles, as the fishing gets better and the town supports a couple of fish-processing plants. Chignik is a remote outpost at the doorstep of the Aleutian Island chain and offers up a true taste of Alaskan outback life.

The dramatic rock formations of Aghiyuk Island jut out of the water as one of the dramatic Semedi Islands. The Semedi Islands are part of Kodiak Island Borough and are located southwest of Kodiak Island, about half way between the Alaska Peninsula mainland and Chirikof Island. Along with Choiet Island, Aghiyuk is one of the largest islands of the group, all of which are uninhabited. Part of the Alaska Peninsula unit of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Aghiyuk is a great destination for spotting the beautiful black and white Horned Puffins.

Uyak Bay embodies the quintessential Alaskan experience, with tree-lined mountains coming directly to the waterline in picturesque perfection. Uyak Bay is located on Kodiak Island’s western side, where beautiful waterfront lodges host visitors interested in accessing some of the best fishing in the Kodiak archipelago. In addition to fishing, the diverse wildlife nearby attracts visitors wanting to see the Kodiak brown bear, as well as sea lions, eagles, puffins, seals and fox in their natural habitat. Visitors take in the wilderness to fully experience the beauty of this region.

Geographic Harbor is at the head of Amalik Bay in the Katmai National Park, and the brown bears here are ubiquitous. Bears can be spotted digging for clams on the low tide, munching on berries, roots and grasses ashore or, most famously, fishing for salmon in the rapids of clear mountain streams. Not only the bears enjoy fishing in Geographic Harbor – keen anglers journey great distances to catch halibut, ling cod and rockfish in the bay. The waters around the harbor are also known to be fishing grounds for seals, otters, countless seabirds, and whales.

Katmai National Park is on the top of many “Best of Alaska” lists because of its otherworldly landscape, including 15 active volcanoes. In Kukak Bay it is possible to view the abundant wildlife and raw beauty of this magnificent scenery. Kukak Bay is well known for its concentration of bears and the salmon on which they feed, and this is one of the prime areas in this region for bear viewing.

Today, commercial fishing is king in Kodiak. Despite its small population—about 6,475 people scattered among the several islands in the Kodiak group—the city is among the busiest fishing ports in the United States. The harbor is also an important supply point for small communities on the Aleutian Islands and the Alaska Peninsula.Visitors to the island tend to follow one of two agendas: either immediately fly out to a remote lodge for fishing, kayaking, or bear viewing; or stay in town and access whatever pursuits they can reach from the limited road system.

Arrive and disembark in the morning.

It is hard to believe that a place as beautiful as Seward exists. Surrounded on all sides by Kenai Fjords National Park, Chugach National Forest, and Resurrection Bay, Seward offers all the quaint realities of a small railroad town with the bonus of jaw-dropping scenery. This little town of about 2,750 citizens was founded in 1903, when survey crews arrived at the ice-free port and began planning a railroad to the Interior. Since its inception, Seward has relied heavily on tourism and commercial fishing.