Hidden Alaska summer

Tour Information

This tour will take you far a field from the heavily touristy routes to get you up close to the real Alaska, to the inner heart of Denali. Alongside the face of a calving glacier. At river’s edge, watching giant brown bears fish for salmon. This is Alaska “less discovered”, bigger, wilder, more amazing than you’ve imagined. You’ve got to see it for yourself

The activities on this Alaska tour are diverse. Although the longest walk required is one mile (to the falls in Katmai), longer walks and hikes are available for those who choose to enjoy them. We stress that travellers are not required to participate in every activity.

Day 1

UK - Fairbanks
Meet in Fairbanks, a modern city that retains its frontier flavour with pioneer saloons, paddle wheelers and outlying mining camps.

Day 2-4

Denali – Kantishna
Denali National Park – larger than the state of Massachusetts -- is one of the world’s great wilderness preserves. Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America, towers over tundra and taiga below, habitat for wolves, grizzlies, moose and caribou. From our base at historic Kantishna Roadhouse, 92 miles inside the park, we have time and space to encounter the wilderness. Hiking, nature walks, biking, fishing and optional flightseeing are available. Early morning and evening offer excellent opportunities to see wildlife in the lodge environs
Kantishna Roadhouse
The Kantishna Roadhouse is one of only 3 lodges located within Denali National Park, allowing guests to exclusively experience this remarkable area away from tourist crowds. Its private cabins provide wonderful amenities (including private facilities) and its location allows us to explore, view wildlife, walk and hike in the shadows of North America’s largest peak

Day 5

Denali / Talkeetna
Depart Denali by train on a journey through Alaska’s rugged Interior, over Broad Pass and along the Susitna River to Talkeetna. There’s time on arrival to explore this rustic village of log cabins, bush pilots and Far North hospitality.

Day 6

Girdwood / Alyeska
We drive south to Alyeska Resort, Alaska’s premier ski area that is replete with summer activities, too. Set in a lush glacial valley in the Chugach Range near the coast, Alyeska offers nature and luxury in tandem. Streamside trails lined with wildflowers beckon at the base, or board the tram to the summit where you may choose to dine at Seven Glaciers, a five-star restaurant with vistas of the ice-bound peaks and Turnagain Arm far below.

Day 7

Fox Island
Fox Island, a private island bordering the Kenai Fjords, reveals the pristine side of Alaska most visitors miss, providing accommodations for just 18 guests in comfortable beachfront cabins. The region is famed for sea kayaking, and an optional easy paddling trip may unveil some of the area’s prolific marine life.
Kenai Wilderness Lodge
This remote lodge set on the private Fox Island within Kenai Fjords National Park, accommodates just 18 visitors amidst some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable. The lodge accommodates its guests in cozy and comfortable private cabins, each with ensuite facilities but no electricity (solar lighting

Day 8

Kenai Fjords – Private Yacht
Today we cruise through a land where the ice age still lingers. Our small yacht allows us to approach wildlife more intimately, and Kenai Fjords National Park provides unparalleled opportunities for viewing humpback and orca whales, porpoises, sea otters, and a large colony of puffins. Here, glaciers pour into the sea, and we may observe icebergs calving with a crash. Overnight in Seward, on Resurrection Bay.

Day 9

Kenai Peninsula / Anchorage
The mountain ranges of the Kenai Peninsula rise one after another on our drive to Anchorage. Time permitting; we’ll stop at Exit Glacier for a close-up look at this active river of ice. We spend the night in Anchorage.

Day 10-11

Brooks Falls – Katmai National Park
Katmai National Park is home to the world’s largest population of brown bears. We fly by small plane to King Salmon, then by floatplane to world-renowned Brooks Lodge, one of the best places to view these coastal grizzlies in their natural habitat. From the safety of platforms built over Brooks Falls, we observe this classic spectacle up close, as the bears fish vigorously for salmon swimming upstream to spawn
Brooks Lodge
World famous Brooks lodge provides one of the best places on earth to easily view grizzly bears at close range! From the rustic cabins, it is a mile walk to the falls where bears fish for salmon in preparation for winter’s freeze

Day 12

Katmai / Anchorage
After morning activities in Katmai, we return to Anchorage.

Day 13

Anchorage / Home
We transfer to the airport for our flights home.

What's Included

• Transatlantic flights from/to the UK
• 12 night’s accommodation at cabins and lodges as per itinerary above
• All meals from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 13 except in Alyeska and Anchorage a total of 12 Breakfasts and 10 Lunches and 11 Dinners
• Professional Expedition Leaders
• R/T air Anchorage to Brooks Lodge
• Small-boat cruise on Kenai Fjords
• Land transportation by coach and train as per itinerary
• All airport transfers
• All taxes and service charges