Kayak Tours in Alaska: Prince William Sound Whales & Glaciers Adventure

Many people requested that we design an Alaska kayak tour that begins from Anchorage as it is the easiest city in Alaska to get to. So we came up with a new kayaking adventure that we think exceeds all our Alaska favorites. The Prince William Sound kayak tour showcases the absolute best attractions of sea kayaking in Alaska in a superlative fashion.

Prince William Sound is a vast glacially-carved bowl of fjords that radiates from the deeper water center. Each fjord terminates at the snout of a glacier that spits icebergs into the fertile waters. The glaciers lead upslope into the ice fields and snow-capped peaks of the Chugach Mountains. The dynamic scenery and abundant wildlife are magnets to those who seek a kayaking adventure.

This kayak trip is similar in many ways to the Frederick Sound kayak tour in that it combines humpback whale watching with glacier kayaking. But the Prince William Sound adventure features the extra bonus of visiting the best location in Alaska for sea kayaking with orca whales. Additionally, this kayak tour enables us to approach even closer to glaciers and the locations where icebergs are created. Like all of our other Alaska tours, the humpback whale watching is excellent.

Prince William Sound Alaska Kayak Tour Itinerary

• • Day 1: Fly into Anchorage, Alaska to spend the night at a hotel to get rested for your kayak adventure. Meet the group and kayak guides at 6:30pm for a briefing and final check of everyone’s personal equipment.

• • Day 2: After breakfast we will board a van bound for Whittier where we transfer to a charter boat. The water taxi will drop us off on Knight Island and return to Whittier. We will camp on nearby Squire Island after a short afternoon paddle that will incorporate a lesson on sea kayaking skills and safety. Later we’ll get to know each other around a beach campfire.

• • Day 3: Knight Passage is the best place for orca whale watching from sea kayaks in Alaska. We will keep on an eye out for killer whales as we explore Squire Island and Mummy Bay. This will be a good day to get settled into a smooth stroke in preparation for our big crossing of Knight Passage the next day. Daylight hours are quite long and there is time for photography, fishing, beachcombing, or just lounging around. Your expedition staff is available at all times to lead walks, identify flora and fauna, and discuss the natural history of the area.

• • Day 4: The crossing of Knight Passage to Point Countless presents a nice challenge of 4 miles. To make it even more interesting, we will pass through a constellation of small islets called the Pleiades, a great haul-out area for harbor seals and Steller’s sea lions. Humpback whales and orca whales are commonly seen in the passage, too. Our campsite at Dual Head faces the main whale feeding area so we may even see them from shore.

• • Day 5: Today we head towards the glaciers pouring into the aptly named Icy Bay. We will watch the procession of icebergs move in and out of the bay as they ride the tidal currents. Calving glaciers and crevasses in the glaciers will create a background rumble and roar at times. We will decide on where to camp based on our kayaking speed; Tiger Glacier for fast groups or Nassua Fjord for average groups.

• • Day 6: Nassua Fjords invites us to explore the face of Chenega Glacier. Many harbor seals give birth to pups on the floating ice where they are safe from bears. Orca whales frequently hunt the seals when they aren’t safely up on the ice floes. We will need to be careful here as the glacier often calves huge bergs, creating waves in the process.

• • Day 7: More exploration in the kayaks and interesting hikes to view the glacier from a higher perspective. The upland habitats support black bear, deer, moose, and even timber wolves so we will keep our eyes open for tracks and scat.

• • Day 8: Last chance to explore in the kayaks. We will visit a black-legged kittiwake colony on the way to our rendezvous with the charter boat. The voyage back will be our last chance for some quality whale watching. After showering in our Anchorage hotel, it is traditional to meet for a farewell no-host dinner to share stories of our vacation and bid each other farewell.

• • Day 9: Off to your next adventure!

Alaska Kayak Tour Quick Facts

Meeting Location: Anchorage, Alaska.

Kayak Trip Fee: 7 days. $2999 per person for groups of 10. Small group surcharges apply.

Kayak Tour Dates: Available on a custom trip basis only, please provide us with your requested dates and group size.