Alaska Experience Tour:Alaska Tours, Wildlife and Sightseeing Tours, glacier tours, Flightseeing tours

The Alaska Discovery Tour

12-Day Journey

Area Map

Itinerary

<< Go Back

Day 1: Anchorage: Arrive in Anchorage and transfer to the hotel via courtesy shuttle. The rest of the day is free to wander around and explore this pleasant city and its shops. The hotel is located only ten minutes from the downtown shopping area. The hotel also offers a health club, pool and whirlpool for your convenience to help you unwind from your long flight up to Alaska.

Day 2: Free Day: Complimentary museum ticket for your use at the Alaska Museum of Natural History. (B)

Add-On: A stop at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, and listen to fascinating stories about Alaska’s native cultures and get an insightful perspective into traditional native ways of life. Cost: $75 includes transportation.

Day 3: Spencer Glacier: Depart Anchorage and ride the rail to Spencer Glacier and steal away on a gentle float tour among the icebergs at Spencer Lake and down the Placer River. Professional guides, raingear, and rubber boots are provided. Please dress in warm layers. Conditions around the icebergs are chilly. A deli-style lunch is included. You will arrive in Anchorage at 6:45 pm. (B,L)

Day 4: Anchorage to Seward: At 9 a.m. you will meet your guide and your fellow travelers in the lobby of your hotel. We will have a pre-trip meeting before heading out. After our meeting we will board our comfortable van and travel south along the edge of the Turnagain Arm on the Seward Parkway. This road is considered to be America’s most beautiful and scenic road, crossing mountain passes and majestic valleys. Along the way we will try to spot moose, caribou, eagles and other wildlife. On our way towards Portage Glacier, we will make a couple of stops for photo opportunities at Beluga Point and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. We will stop at Portage Glacier and visit the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center at the head of Portage Valley located fifty miles south of Anchorage. We will see as living glaciers continue to carve the landscape and shape the life on the Chugach National Forest. Built on the remnants of a terminal moraine left by Portage Glacier, the Visitor Center provides programs on the historical and natural wonders of the valley. The award-winning film, "Voices From the Ice" is shown hourly and provides a spectacular view of many glaciers and wildlife. The visitor center currently houses exhibits demonstrating "glaciers on the move" with insight into the retreat of Portage glacier. Although Portage Glacier is no longer visible from the Visitor Center, due to its retreat, the face of the glacier is still partially in Portage Lake.

After our visit to Portage, we will then continue south down the mountainous Kenai Peninsula towards Seward. We will arrive in Seward by mid afternoon where we will stay at the Seward Windsong Lodge and experience first-class lodging. Nestled in a secluded forest setting, this lodge offers spacious rooms and fabulous local dining. This lodge is located just 5 minutes from many activities including Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefield. Exit Glacier is the only glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park that it is accessible by foot. During the afternoon we will have the opportunity to look at this beautiful glacier. (B,L)

Day 5: Kenai Fjords National Park: At 9 a.m. we will board a sightseeing vessel to explore the wonders of Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park. Enjoy a continental style breakfast onboard while you experience this glacially carved region known for its tidewater glaciers, spectacular scenery, steep cliffs, and rich waters abundant with wildlife. This nine and one half hour tour will explore the heart of Kenai Fjords National Park.

The tour includes a visit to a tidewater glacier where we will search for marine wildlife including sea otters, puffins and many other bird species, steller sea lions, harbor seals and whales. During the second part of the tour, a deli style lunch will be served while the exploration continues! The evening will be spent in Seward with another night at the Windsong Lodge. (B, L)

Day 6: Seward: After breakfast we will visit the Alaska Sea Life Center, a world class marine science facility. The center serves as a regional stranding center and it is equipped to rehabilitate sick, stranded and injured marine mammals and birds. Go nose-to-glass with many of the creatures you will only see from a distance on a cruise. This one of a kind research, rehabilitation and education facility lets you observe marine research as it’s being conducted. Watch seabirds, sea lions and harbor seals in their naturalistic habitats. After the tour, you will have a free day to enjoy local activities and shopping around Seward. Later this afternoon we travel back to Anchorage. We will arrive in Anchorage at around 6 pm.

Day 7: Anchorage to Talkeetna: After breakfast we depart Anchorage and along the way, we will we visit Vern Halter’s Dream a Dream Premier Iditarod Kennel. Vern Halter is an accomplished musher who presents his story of Alaska and the Iditarod in a provocative fashion that captures the essence of the Iditarod. Vern weaves in the history of sleddogs from early native use, gold rush use, the famous Serum run to Nome during the 1925 diphtheria epidemic-the focus is on the husky. The uniqueness of the Iditarod from the standpoint of length, diversity of competition and the “no help” rule are highlights. Training and care of Iditarod dogs is demonstrated. The logistics of the race and fooddrops, checkpoints, veterinarian care, the Iditarod Air Force and trail conditions inspire questions. Race strategy and the changes to the Iditarod Race Vern has seen in his twenty five years of racing elicit more dialogue. Clothing and survival gear along with sleds and equipment are topics that are backed up with demonstrations. You will have an excellent opportunity to learn about the Iditarod Race and Mushing Basics combined with the exhilaration of a sleddog ride. The Iditarod presentation is inspiring and educational. The mushing 101 course focuses on the equipment, sleds harnessing, commands and what to expect from our sleddogs.

Later, we continue north through the Chugach State Park to Talkeetna, a classic Alaskan small town with lots of history and tales about mountaineers and bush pilots. We will arrive this afternoon at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge. Head into town to visit this historical town and its local shops or sit back and relax the rest of the afternoon. Enjoy the outside hot tub of this beautiful lodge taking in the views of the Alaska Range, including the highest mountain in North America, Mount McKinley. The sunsets from this Lodge are always spectacular. (B, L)

Day 8: Talkeetna: This morning you will have breakfast overlooking the great Alaska Range. After breakfast we will go aboard the "Talkeetna Queen" for a Jetboat Safari Tour. This is the most technologically advanced river jetboat in Alaska designed to safely navigate rivers that were previously inaccessible. It is glass-domed, environmentally controlled, and has an onboard restroom for your comfort.

Upon arriving at our Safari site you will enjoy a selection of hot beverages and pastries around an open campfire followed by a 1/4 mile leisure nature walk. You will visit an authentic trapper’s cabin with its original furnishings and view how trappers lived in "Bush" Alaska at the turn of the century. An experienced guide will display raw furs from the local area and demonstrate trapping methods. Naturalists will acquaint you with the wildflowers and plants that grow in abundance along the river system and you will learn about the edible plants that were used by the Native Indians for cooking and medicines.

On the jet boat you will travel fifty miles of river and you will have opportunities to view nesting bald eagles, beaver activity, and moose. You just might see black bears and grizzly bears roaming the shore. Stand in the splendor of Denali and the Alaska Range from a spectacular vantage point on the Susitna River! Wildlife, folklore, artifacts and a panoramic view of Denali in the Alaska Range combine to make this an unforgettable and unique Alaskan river adventure.

Later this afternoon you will take a scenic flight over Mt. McKinley. This is considered to be the greatest flight on Earth! You’ll talk about this flight forever! This magnificent flight takes you around Mt. McKinley, the Shelton Amphitheater, the Great Gorge and finally land on the Ruth Glacier. Experience the excitement of standing among great peaks where the immense scale will astound you. Enjoy the sun, snow and the unique sounds of the glacier. Listen as your pilot describes the natural wonders of Denali National Park. This is an unsurpassed photo opportunity, so make sure you bring plenty of film for your camera. At the end of our very exiting day, we will nestle back into our cozy lodge. (L)

Day 9: Talkeetna to Denali National Park: After breakfast, we will begin our journey north as we continue traveling through the Chugach State Park to Denali National Park. Weather permitting, we will enjoy views of the Alaska Range, including the highest mountain in North America, Mount McKinley. Overnight in Denali. (B,L)

Day 10: Denali: This morning you will have breakfast overlooking the great Alaska Range. After breakfast we will board the National Park bus for a 95-mile trip through Denali National Park's prime wildlife habitat. Most park visitors limit their visit and stay near the developed and crowded Denali park entrance. The more adventurous take one of the grandest drives on earth and stay inside the park. Winding through the Alaska Range, deep into the heart of the Denali park, the "Park Road" offers opportunities to see Denali's famed wildlife: Grizzlies, Caribou, Moose, Dall Sheep, Wolves, and Eagles. And, should the weather smile upon you, above all of it towers Mt. McKinley (Denali) itself, the highest point in North America (20,320 feet). At the very end of the Denali Park road, past Wonder Lake, you'll find a unique enclave in the park known as Kantishna. We will stay in Kantishna tonight. (D)

Day 11: Denali: Today you have a day of leisure. After lunch, try your luck at gold panning, or take a guided walk through the tundra. There will also be optional flightseeing trips back to the park's entrance. Overnight in Kantishna. (B,L,D)

Day 12: Denali to Anchorage: We will enjoy breakfast together this morning and later board the bus back to the Denali Park entrance. At 12:40 you will board the Alaska Railroad for a scenic ride back to Anchorage. You will arrive in Anchorage by 8pm. Overnight in Anchorage. (B)

Day 13: We will enjoy breakfast together this morning and bid farewell to our trip leader and fellow travelers as we head our separate ways for the journey back home. (B)

Travel Information

Note: Adventure travel is exactly is as its name implies, an adventure! Although every attempt is made to adhere to these itineraries, participants need to acknowledge and willingly accept the unexpected route and itinerary changes due to factors beyond our control. Please keep in mind that due to Alaska’s extreme and fast climate changes, we cannot guarantee a glacier landing on our Talkeetna portion of this trip.

Tour includes: Transportation, lodging, transfers and baggage handling and meals as indicated on the itinerary. All rates are per person in U.S. dollars based on shared occupancy. Single supplement is $975 for this tour. Tour does not include Alaska Sales tax, air transportation to and from Anchorage or any optional tours, liquor, items of personal nature or purchases made onboard the vessels.

Travel Insurance: We strongly suggest purchasing trip cancellation/interruption insurance to protect your travel investment at the time you sign up for one of our trips. This coverage will offset cancellation charges in the event of illness before or during your trip. Trip cancellation/interruption and baggage insurance is available at a supplemental cost. Click on banner below to purchase travel protection.