by André Koester, Luxury Travel Advisor

My kids love animals and active adventure, so I thought Alaska was a good choice for our summer vacation. I did not regret that decision; in fact, I may have been the one who loved it most.

The easiest way to see Alaska is by boat, so we selected a small ship (UnCruise — 80 passengers) in order to have an up-close experience with unspoiled nature. The emphasis was truly on getting off the boat as often as possible, either on the water (kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, river rafting, looking for wildlife by skiff or taking a polar plunge) or on land (hiking or bushwhacking). We all loved this approach!

The highlights of the trip were the wildlife and glaciers. We saw about 20 humpback whales in all their glory, both feeding and breaching (leaping out of the water) right next to the boat. We also saw numerous orcas (killer whales), sea otters, sea lions, seals, bald eagles, and bears. We hadn’t expected to see bears since we were on a boat, but we saw eight of them, and the highlight was seeing a mother with her two cubs. After about 30 bald eagle sightings, the kids stopped pointing them out. They were everywhere, majestic.

Our cruise ended in Juneau and the night we spent there was one of my favorites. Juneau’s ice field is made up of 1,500 square miles of glaciers. We opted for a helicopter tour over the glaciers and landed on a few of them. My kids were fascinated with how deep the fissures in the ice were; we would drop a rock and not hear it hit the bottom for seconds. It seemed very other-worldly to be there with no one else around.

The time to visit Alaska is June to August. Even in the summer months, it can be chilly and sometimes rainy but I promise, the amazing scenery and wildlife viewing make it all worth it!