The Expedition Experience
Discover the warm charm and stunning wilderness of a Pacific Northwest vacation with Lindblad Expeditions. Go aboard a genuine expedition ship with a team of top experts to illuminate all you experience. Delve deep into the region’s geology and the stunning landscapes they navigate through. Experience Pacific Northwest travel and visit storied sites of American and First Nation history. And sample the region’s bounty with the help of cheesemakers, award-winning vintners, and craft brewers. Hike island forest trails in search of wildlife, kayak verdant shorelines, and bike the waterfronts of scenic cities—or take Zodiac cruises and enjoy guided tours of quaint museums.
Options abound for being as active as you want to be in the Pacific Northwest. Learn the stories and traditions of Native Americans and First Nations in the verdant Pacific Northwest. If you choose to sail the Columbia & Snake Rivers you’ll see the sites where the Corps of Discovery met with the Nez Perce, and where Meriwether Lewis first set eyes on the Pacific. Your historian will weave the tales of the Corps’ journey throughout your expedition. If you choose to venture to British Columbia & the San Juan Islands you’ll experience the histories of First Nations people through their art and powerful dance performances, walk among charming art galleries of small towns, visit the Robert Bateman center to see the natural history artist’s impressive work, and so much more.
Through the Past to the Present
Fall under the spell of Pacific Northwest culture in visits to small towns, art galleries, and First Nations events. Enjoy a guided tour of the Whale Museum on San Juan Island, with its fascinating collection of artifacts, artwork, and whale skeletons. Stop in the quaint galleries of Victoria and tour its lovely gardens, bike along the waterfront, sample the local wine, or take a guided culinary tour—options abound for exploring.
Be welcomed to First Nations events after sailing into Alert Bay and making your way to the U'Mista Cultural Centre, with its stunning potlatch masks created by the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples. Then enter their traditional Big House, for a moving, storytelling performance from the Tsasala Cultural Group. The story of the Corps of Discovery and the expedition that changed America’s sense of itself is integral to this expedition. Your experience with Lewis & Clark begins as Lindblad navigates the Columbia, retracing the route traveled by the Corps of Discovery and benefiting from the knowledge and insight of their voyage historian. You will also learn about their relationship with the Nez Perce people.
Explore History in the Pacific Northwest
Throughout the Columbia & Snake River journey, you’ll experience the region’s natural history—a story of a restless land of uplifted mountain ranges and catastrophic volcanoes. Pass through the aftermath of eruptions that blanketed the landscape in ash 20-40 million years ago, to the landslides 500 years ago that were so powerful they altered the river’s course by a full mile. Your expedition’s geologist will share the tale of natural history layered in the river’s banks, and you’ll get even closer on riverside strolls and a hike to a waterfall.
