Alaska and Canada May 26 - June 9, 2023 June 7

Today we continue through the beautiful landscape of the Inside Passage towards Alert Bay. The First Nations community of the Kwakwaka'wakw lives in the picturesque village of Alert Bay on Cormorant Island, just off the northern coast of Vancouver Island. Half of the approximately 489 residents are indigenous, most of them belonging to one of the 12 tribes of the Kwakwaka'wakw. The village is home to the tallest totem pole in the world, consisting of three sections, and is said to be 56.4 m high. Alert Bay can only be reached by boat or plane. The name of the village dates back to the British ship HMS Alert from 1856, which surveyed and mapped the region around 1860. In the afternoon, we are allowed to visit the bridge. Impressive to be so close to the 'helm'. Today we also observe orcas very close to the ship.