Day 1 - Arrive Anchorage, Alaska

Upon arrival in Anchorage, you are privately transferred 15 minutes to your accommodation. Additional touring as time permits.

Anchorage is a delightful blend of urban parks and museums, while the nearby Chugach Mountains foreshadow Alaska’s potential for adventure. Despite Alaska’s reputation for wilderness and wildlife, modern Anchorage has much to offer. Cultural experiences in the city include the Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage Museum, art galleries, and restaurants featuring fresh local seafood.

The Hotel Captain Cook, inducted into the Historic Hotels of America, provides fine lodging in the heart of Anchorage. Upper floors have expansive views of the Cook Inlet and Chugach Mountains. The Captain Cook is the perfect base for your Anchorage experience, offering the best cultural, retail and natural highlights just steps from your door. Featuring four restaurants, twelve shops and top-notch guest services, the Captain Cook has something for everyone.

Overnight: Hotel Captain Cook

Meal Plan:

Day 2 - Shared Chinitna Bay Bear Viewing Flight

Today, enjoy a scenic 90-minute flight to Chinitna Bay in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. This area is home to a high concentration of bears that can be observed in a unique "beachside" setting. Travel via a modified 4WD bus to where the brown bears are most active. You'll witness these iconic animals digging for clams, sunning on the beach, or feeding on meadow grass. You'll be amazed at the size of the males and fall in love with the playful cubs. After your adventure, relax on your return flight to Anchorage as you enjoy views of the Aleutian Range.

After your excursion, you are privately transferred one hour to your accommodations in Girdwood. The Kenai Peninsula is located in south central Alaska, just an hour south of Anchorage. Classic Kenai landscapes include snow-capped mountains, turquoise rivers, and glacier-filled fjords with orca and eagles. You can fish for salmon, take a wildlife cruise or hike through an alpine meadow. There’s a reason why locals call the Kenai Peninsula Alaska’s Playground.

Nestled in a lush valley in the Chugach Mountains, the chateau-style Hotel Alyeska is the luxury accommodation at the center of Alyeska Resort. Only an hour from Anchorage but a world away from the city, the resort is surrounded by towering peaks, hanging glaciers, and the Alaskan wilderness. Onsite amenities include restaurants, shops, a saltwater pool, hot tub and The Spa at Alyeska.

Overnight: Alyeska Resort

Meal Plan: B

Day 3 - Private Glacier and Wildlife Cruise

You are privately transferred to the tiny port town of Whittier, where you’ll meet your captain for a day of cruising Prince William Sound in a small vessel. You will explore shorelines, bird rookeries, marine wildlife and calving glaciers. Today could include the thrilling experience of cruising among the numerous glaciers in Harriman Fjord and cruising to the face of towering tidewater glaciers. Or cruise into the heart of Prince William Sound looking for humpback and killer whales. During the trip your captain will find a remote beach to go ashore for some tide pooling or a short hike into this northernmost rainforest. Other wildlife you can expect on this full day excursion includes sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions, Dall's porpoise and plenty of sea birds (including puffins).

Overnight: Alyeska Resort

Meal Plan: B,L

Day 4 - Private Spencer Glacier Kayak and Raft Adventure

Hop on the Alaska Railroad’s Coastal Classic train this morning for an hour-long scenic ride to the Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop. As the train rumbles away, you’ll enjoy the peace of this remote glacial lake, as you paddle with your guide among the icebergs. This is the only place in Alaska that you weave through glacial ice on a calm lake. After kayaking, enjoy a picnic lunch on the lakeside. After lunch, your adventure continues with a seven-mile float down the Placer River. Watch for wildlife along the banks as you relax, and your guide steers the raft. Back in Portage, you are transferred back to Girdwood.

Overnight: Alyeska Resort

Meal Plan: B,L

Day 5 - Girdwood-Talkeetna

This morning you are privately transferred three hours to the charming village of Talkeetna, at the foot of the Alaska Range. On a clear day, you can enjoy views of Denali and the Talkeetna Mountains as you stroll past cafés and galleries. Talkeetna is the classic Alaskan town: blessed with natural beauty and home to sled dog mushers, bush pilots, artists and moose.

After lunch, your two-hour shared flightseeing adventure takes you from Talkeetna to within 6 miles of Denali's summit, which rises to 20,320 feet above sea level. Denali is the highest peak on the North American continent. Enter a world of snow-capped mountains and glacier-filled valleys as you explore the south and east faces of Denali. You'll see the Ruth Glacier and the mile-high granite walls of the Great Gorge. Your highlight will be landing on a glacier, where you have the chance to step outside and enjoy the solitude of the Alaska Range.

Overnight: Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

Meal Plan: B

Day 6 - Private Talkeetna Lakes Hike / Fishing Charter

Explore Talkeetna’s best trail with your guide. This is a moderate, 3-mile hike suitable for anyone interested in getting away from town and out into nature. Your guide will talk about Alaskan flora, fauna, and local history. Watch for wildlife along the way, as moose, bears, and birds are often seen. Denali looms above a lush, old-growth forest alive with songbirds and wildflowers.

Later this afternoon, set out with a local guide for a half day of fishing on the rivers around Talkeetna. You'll travel in a jet boat with a covered, heated cabin on one of the braided glacial rivers common to Alaska. Depending on the season, you may be fishing for king salmon, silver salmon, rainbow trout or other native species. Your guide knows the area and will share their enthusiasm for outdoor adventure as you enjoy incredible views and the chance to catch a trophy fish.

Overnight: Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

Meal Plan: B

Day 7 - Private Dog Mushing / Private Jet Boat Excursion

Visit the Talkeetna kennels of Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey for a dryland mushing tour. On this 2-hour visit, you will meet the dogs (including this year's puppies) at the kennels and learn about how these endurance athletes are raised and trained. You'll also hear about the life of a musher and what it takes to win the world's most iconic dogsled race. Then, climb aboard a wheeled racing rig used to train dog teams without snow. Finish with an exhilarating ride through the Talkeetna woods.

Set out on a 2 hour jet boat tour to explore 20 miles of the Susitna River. Watch for bald eagles and other wildlife as you explore the wilderness around this glacial river flowing out of the mighty Alaska Range. With your captain and naturalist guide, visit a former Dena’ina Native Alaskan settlement to learn about the area’s original inhabitants, as well as trappers who arrived later. Along the way, enjoy breathtaking views of the Alaska Range.

Overnight: Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

Meal Plan: B

Day 8 - Depart Anchorage

 Today you are privately transferred to Anchorage for your departing flight.

Overnight:

Meal Plan: B