We woke up in the lungs of Alaska’s Inside Passage, where the Pacific Ocean and glaciers meet to form rich nutrients waters: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Encompassing 3.3 million acres, the park is part of one of the largest protected natural areas designated by UNESCO in the world. This morning Captain Davis anchored National Geographic Sea Bird inside Fern Bay, from where we departed for the day’s activities.

Both in the morning and in the afternoon, we had the opportunity to explore land following brown bear trails—there are no human-made trails due to how pristine this area remains today, just as it was when conservationist John Muir visited in 1879. We hiked where glaciers covered the ground 200 years ago and had wild encounters with brown bears and moose!

We explored the rich-nutrient waters by expedition landing craft and kayak, sharing the waters with sea otters, Steller sea lions, and seabirds. Our very special day in Alaska wrapped up with whale watching and a beautiful sunset on our way to the next destination.