An exciting way to see Alaska's Inside Passage is by kayak. Many tours are available, ranging from four hours to over a week long. This is a great way for individuals to explore the Inside Passage from a close perspective, but the trips are more rugged and require a level of physical fitness and stamina. The longer trips include camping on beaches or in forests, hiking on glaciers and exploring such areas as Glacier Bay and the Stikine River. Kayak tour companies for the Inside Passage in Alaska include Tongass Kayak Adventures, Spirit Walker Expeditions and InnerSea Discoveries.
Small boat tours of Alaska's Inside Passage offer more of a custom-tailored tour than other means. These smaller boats, sailboats and schooner vessels are often rented by a group or a family for a tour lasting anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. The ability to communicate directly with the captain about the areas the group wishes to see offers flexibility to travelers. Food is brought on the trip and served on-board, and cooking is encouraged. Small boat tour companies include Sikumi Custom Alaska Cruises and the Pacific Catalyst II. Day-long boat tours on smaller boats are offered out of towns along the Inside Passage.
Cruise lines such as Holland America Cruises offer tours of the Inside Passage that usually last a week or more. These types of tours are less hands-on for guests who spend their time relaxing on the boat deck, dining in the ship's large dining facilities and enjoying other cruise ship activities. Travelers on these tours have the opportunity to step off the ship in towns such as Skagway and Klondike as well as go on hiking tours in Juneau and explore glaciers. These large ships move faster than smaller boats or kayaks, and explore more of the Inside Passage in a shorter period of time.
