Whale watching

Whale-watching is one of those things that has a broad-based appeal, luring visitors of every age and stripe to a wide variety of locations worldwide. Something to do with the visceral impact of seeing and hearing these majestic creatures at close quarters and, perhaps, the added fun – usually – of having to board a boat to do so.

ALASKA

California’s 20,000 grey whales will travel along the coast of south-east Alaska on the way to their summer feeding grounds. Whales return year after year, and especially to Point Adolphus, part of Glacier Bay National Park, Chatham Strait and Alaska’s famed Inside Passage to the south, the last a major migration area.

You will see whales in spring, but summer is the best time to visit. Cruises to the area often have many whale sightings.

Two excellent whale-viewing lodges in the state are The Lodge at Whale Pass, in Ketchikan, and Favourite Bay Lodge in Angoon. As the name Whale Pass suggests, this is a prime whale-viewing lodge, with several types of whale visible, often from the lodge itself (or take a sea excursion or explore by kayak). At Favourite Bay, humpbacks, orcas and porpoises feed locally.

Original Travel (020 7978 7333; originaltravel.co.uk) can tailor-make trips to Alaska: a typical 14-night itinerary to the state, incorporating a week’s full board at both lodges, with flights, would cost from about £6,000 per person