Expeditions
Why Start from Sitka?
If you’re planning a multi-day sea kayaking expedition, Sitka is the perfect “base camp” to start from. In addition to being an incredibly fascinating and beautiful little town it is also a great place to stock up on every manner of provision you might need. Plus, it requires the right degree of difficulty to get here – it’s easy enough for anyone traveling with a sense of purpose, but just hard enough to keep out the sissies and riffraff. Most importantly, Sitka is perched on the edge of one of the world’s most spectacular stretches of wild coast, amid a jumble of islands and narrow passages that offer the perfect terrain for adventurous souls who prefer to explore by sea kayak.
Outfitting & Guiding Options
We appreciate that no two paddlers (or paddle groups) are looking to have the same adventure. Our goal is not to get you to conform to a particular trip itinerary or adventure style. Instead, we apply our local knowledge, combined with our outfitting and/or guiding capabilities to help you design the expedition that you want to do. And we have done our best to structure our services so that you don’t have to pay for help you don’t want or need. Below is a brief description of the general levels of support we can provide, plus an overview of our rates:
Levels of Support
- Self-Guided Basic – We supply kayaks and all the paddle gear you’ll need. You bring all your own camping gear and handle your own food provisioning. You act as your own guide, with local knowledge assistance from us. (For experienced multi-day paddlers only.)
- Self-Guided Plus – Same as above, except that in addition to kayaks and paddle gear, we will also provide you with bulky camping basics: tents, tarps, sleeping bags, pads and cooking gear. (You still bring your Swiss army knife, head lamp and other little gadgets)
- Guided + Rentals – We will supply a guide(s) in addition to the kayak rental, plus whatever camping gear you need to rent. Our guide(s) will provide route & camp site advice, and serve as your expedition naturalist. You handle your own provisioning and cooking.
- Fully Guided – You bring your camping clothes and your little gadgets, and we will pretty much take care of everything else, including all the provisioning and cooking. Yup, it starts getting pretty spendy at this level.
Expedition Rates
Kayaks & Gear 2-7 Days 8-14 Days Additional Days Single Kayak $50/day $45/day $40/day Double Kayak $65/day $60/day $50/day Triple Kayak $80/day $75/day $60/day Extras If basic camping gear is desired, add: $50/day per person If provisioning/cooking is desired, add: $50/day per person Guides If you are a 2-4 Person Group, add: $350/day for 1 Guide If you are a 5-8 Person Group, add: $600/day for 2 Guides
Please Note:
- The prices listed above do not include Sitka’s 6% sales tax. It is important to keep in mind that our sales tax is “capped” at the first $1000 of purchase. So, even if the total price of your expedition exceeds $1000, you would still only pay a maximum of $60 tax.
- For Expedition purposes, a “day” is defined as a 24-hour cycle. If your expedition starts at (or after) 12:00 noon on Day 1, then Day 2 does not begin until noon of your second day. We will prorate charges for any partial days of rental and guiding services at an hourly rate.
- When planning your expedition it is a good idea to build in at least one day of “buffer time” per week, to stay safe ashore if the weather presents poor paddling conditions. And don’t plan to depart Sitka on the same day you’re planning to be back from your expedition.
- For your safety, only experienced kayakers/campers will be allowed the option of arranging a self-guided expedition. Inexperienced kayakers/campers must employ our guiding services.
Marine Transport Service
Sitka Sound Ocean Adventures operates a sturdy transport vessel that has been specially set-up to carry up to 6 paddlers and 6 kayaks, plus all the gear required for a multi-day expedition. For larger groups we can make arrangements for an additional vessel. We can transport to any remote location up to 50 miles from Sitka. The price for this service is based on the running distance and number of passengers. Please email or call to receive a price quote specific to your destination and group size. Our price for this type of service is the best you’ll find anywhere.Booking & Cancellation Policy
To ensure equipment and/or guide availability, we highly recommend securing expedition arrangements with as much advance notice as possible. All multi-day sea kayak expeditions require full payment within 7 calendar days of booking. If you do have to cancel:
- with 31+ days advance notice you’ll receive a full refund, minus a $50/person processing fee
- with 15-30 days advance notice you’ll receive a 50% refund
- with 14 days or less advance notice there will be no refund
We’ll do our best to work with you to reschedule an expedition should it become necessary, but please advise as soon as possible if a situation arises that may effect your travel plans – our ability to make equipment available, and re-assign guides, is greatly diminished on short notice.
Trip Planning
Here are a couple of links you might find helpful in your planning:
- Tongass National Forest and Recreation Cabin Information:
www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/cabins/cabin_info.shtml
- Alaska Tide Tables:
www.perlandphp.com/tides/AK.html
Are you coming to Alaska, or even just dreaming about it?
We invite you to join us this summer …
… to explore the coast less paddled.
