Alaska holiday
| country: | USA, Alaska |
| location: | Alaska |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2010: 19 Jun, 17 Jul, 31 Jul 2011: 18 Jun |
| price: | From £2375 - £2460 (16 days) including flights from the UK, from £1478 - £1538 exluding flights . Single room supplement £145 |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
read 2 travellers reviews
the amazing things you'll be doing
Sparkling rivers of ice crack and groan, turquoise-green glacial lakes reflect silent mountains ablaze with purple fireweed. Grizzly bears fish for salmon while moose amble slowly by, munching on willow twigs. Caribou migrate here, and birds come from as far as Australia to spend their summers in Alaska.
Denali National Park & Fairbanks
Leaving Anchorage we head north to Alaska's famous Denali National Park, at the foot of Mount McKinley (6188m). The 'Call of the Wild' echoes through the spectacular scenery as we spend our time hiking park trails or whitewater rafting.
Here we have highest chances of grizzly sightings. In summer an explosion of colourful plant life is splashed across the tundra. Further north lies Fairbanks, surrounded by thousands of miles of Arctic bush. The prospect of gold lured settlers to this frontier town, which still retains a pioneer flavour.
Glaciers, Canyons & Volcanoes
Approached through forested hills laced with countless surging creeks and waterfalls, the copper town of McCarthy lies within the enormous Wrangell-St Elias National Park. Shaped by volcanoes and ice, the land is a confusion of glaciers, canyons and tundra meadows, with nine of North America's highest peaks. Dall sheep are found on the higher slopes and bison range along the Copper River, full of every variety of wild salmon. Passing the incredible Keystone canyon we reach Valdez, the end of the Alaskan pipeline.
Kenai Peninsula
We see the Columbia Glacier from our ferry across Prince William Sound, and after a short journey reach the Kenai Peninsula. Here, we head towards picturesque Seward, close to the Kenai fjordland. A cruise round the frozen fingers of the Harding icefield offers Alaska's best marine life viewing: humpback or orca whales, sealions, seaotters and countless puffins.
Denali National Park & Fairbanks
Leaving Anchorage we head north to Alaska's famous Denali National Park, at the foot of Mount McKinley (6188m). The 'Call of the Wild' echoes through the spectacular scenery as we spend our time hiking park trails or whitewater rafting.
Here we have highest chances of grizzly sightings. In summer an explosion of colourful plant life is splashed across the tundra. Further north lies Fairbanks, surrounded by thousands of miles of Arctic bush. The prospect of gold lured settlers to this frontier town, which still retains a pioneer flavour.
Glaciers, Canyons & Volcanoes
Approached through forested hills laced with countless surging creeks and waterfalls, the copper town of McCarthy lies within the enormous Wrangell-St Elias National Park. Shaped by volcanoes and ice, the land is a confusion of glaciers, canyons and tundra meadows, with nine of North America's highest peaks. Dall sheep are found on the higher slopes and bison range along the Copper River, full of every variety of wild salmon. Passing the incredible Keystone canyon we reach Valdez, the end of the Alaskan pipeline.
Kenai Peninsula
We see the Columbia Glacier from our ferry across Prince William Sound, and after a short journey reach the Kenai Peninsula. Here, we head towards picturesque Seward, close to the Kenai fjordland. A cruise round the frozen fingers of the Harding icefield offers Alaska's best marine life viewing: humpback or orca whales, sealions, seaotters and countless puffins.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Anchorage. |
| Day 2-3: | Seward. |
| Day 4-5: | Valdez. |
| Day 6-8: | McCarthy |
| Day 9: | Mclaren Summit. |
| Day 10-11: | Denali NP. |
| Day 12-13: | Trapper Creek. |
| Day 14: | Drive Anchorage. |
| Day 15: | Fly London. |
| Day 16: | Arrive London. |
travellers' tales
Alaska truly is mainly wilderness with relatively little sign of human impact - vast mountains, glaciers and forests are spectacular even in the rain! (more)
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
|
We use low-impact 12-seater minibuses for our tours in the US, greatly reducing the emissions that would be caused if 12 people took a fly/drive holiday, still a common option in this sprawling country. This mode of transport also enables us to reach more remote spots not accessible to larger vehicles. On most nights we camp – a lower impact option than staying in hotels – and make a point of adhering to the strict guidelines laid down by the environmental authorities here. We recommend that travellers bring biodegradable soap to minimise their own impact too. We are also careful to avoid disrupting the wildlife we come into contact with, and for this reason limit our group size to just 12 persons. In the National Parks we will see at first hand how responsible tourism can be a force for good as it provides a valuable contribution to wildlife and environmental conservation and education. It also supports many local businesses, and as we purchase camp provisions locally and stay in locally run hotels we are supporting many a small community.
As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |