Columbia and Snake Rivers: Food, Wine and History 8-Day

Arrive in the early afternoon in Portland, located in the shadow of snow-capped Mount Hood. Embark in early evening and enjoy wine and champagne as the ship sails along the Willamette River under eight of Portland’s 12 eclectic bridges.Arrival Time: Arrive by 3:00 p.m. local time. Arrival City: Portland, Oregon

Begin your journey by navigating the Columbia to the mouth of the river at Astoria. At Cape Disappointment, take in the dramatic scenery where Meriwether Lewis saw the Pacific for the first time in 1805. Walk or enjoy a scenic hike to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center to learn more. In the afternoon, there are several options to explore Astoria—visit the maritime museum to learn about this estuary’s navigational hazards and history of shipwrecks, take a shuttle to the Astoria Column or explore the shops and restaurants on your own.

Immerse yourself in natural and man-made marvels as you explore the scenic Columbia and pass through Bonneville Lock and Dam. Take a steaming cup of coffee to the bow where your naturalists offer honest perspectives on the controversial history of dams along the river. In the afternoon, make a stop at neck-craning Multnomah Falls before an optional hike of iconic Beacon Rock, a basalt column towering 848 feet above the Columbia River. Later, enjoy a private event with Syncline Winery at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center. Savor canapes and Syncline’s distinctive wines as you take in 15,000 years of cultural history, including indigenous art and a massive working steam engine.

Spend the day cruising through some of the most scenic and geologically interesting stretches of the Columbia River and the Columbia Plateau. Your geologists provide fascinating insight on the glacial floods that sculpted the landscape 13,000 years ago, as your food and wine expert illustrates the expression of such unique terrain through its tastes and tannins. Relive the historic tales of the Corps of Discovery through the eyes of a historian as you sail by important landmarks.

Drive through some of the most fertile agricultural areas in the nation, with bright, rolling green and purple fields of sprouting wheat, asparagus and famous Walla Walla sweet onions. In the morning, discover the thriving art scene on a guided tour, or choose to visit the Whitman Mission, a standout National Historic Site where friction between Native Americans and white missionaries erupted into an event that continues to reverberate in American culture. After lunch at a local winery, explore charming downtown Walla Walla at your leisure, perusing local galleries, sampling sweets at the country’s #1 candy store or popping into cozy tasting rooms.

The still water of the Palouse River is the perfect mirror for the surrounding basalt cliffs as you set off on your Zodiac and kayak adventures. Visit Palouse Falls, where waters plunge 200 feet into a churning pool. These falls and the surrounding canyon with its towering cliffs, cavernous holes in the earth and winding water routes are part of geologically unique channeled scablands created by ancient floods. Afterwards, sail up the Snake River, enjoying a taste of local specialties.

Today, explore the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers, more than 450 miles from the sea. Travel by comfortable jet boat into spectacular, 125-mile Hells Canyon, North America’s deepest river gorge, mostly inaccessible by road. Observe remnants of the Nez Perce tribe, including ancestral horsetrails along the hillsides and petroglyphs on rock formations, while keeping an eye out for the stately and nimble Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. In the evening, you'll be joined by a Nez Perce storyteller, and a local winemaker hosts your final tasting as you toast an unforgettable journey before a special final dinner.

Disembark in Clarkston and transfer to the airport for flights home. Choose to fly from nearby Lewiston, Idaho or from Spokane, Washington, two hours away. Departure Time: After 12:00 p.m., local time (Lewiston); after 12:00 p.m., local time (Spokane) Departure City: Lewiston, Idaho, or Spokane, Washington