Alaska Summer Family Holiday

Welcome to the north! We begin in Anchorage, which is Alaska’s largest city. Situated on Cook Inlet, this fascinating town acts as the starting point of your Alaskan family adventure. There aren’t any activities planned on Day 1 until a group welcome meeting at 5 pm. You are welcome to arrive at any time today before 5pm. At this very important briefing you’ll meet your group leader and fellow guests, then we’ll review the itinerary we’ll be following for the next 7 days. After this all-important briefing, keep the introductions going as you head out together for an optional dinner.

• Included Activities: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
• Included Meals: Breakfast
• Optional Activities: Seward – Kayak rental; Seward – Alaska SeaLife Center; Seward – Wildlife marine tour

Today’s destination is the town of Seward – the gateway of the original Iditarod Trail to interior Alaska – with plenty of scenic stops along the way. Visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center which takes in injured and orphaned animals year-round, providing spacious enclosures and quality animal care. Learn about the important work the center does and see some of Alaska’s iconic animals up close. On arrival in Seward, check into your hotel and have the afternoon and evening at your leisure. Your leader will be able to provide recommendations on what to do and where you could eat, so be sure to ask them.

• Included Activities: Kenai Fjords Tour
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

All aboard for a 6-hour scenic cruise from Seward scaling the edge of the Kenai Fjords National Park. The Kenai Peninsula is perfect to see on the water, and your comfortable catamaran will get you as close as possible to the glaciers and wildlife. The cruise captain will give a full narration today, providing insight into the area’s main sights as well as its ecology, history and geology. Highlights of the day include watching the mighty Holgat Glacier calve as chunks of ice crash into the water, as well as spotting sea otters, Steller sea lions, puffins, eagles, harbor seals and seabirds. Fingers crossed you might even spot a whale or two breaching in the water around you. After disembarking the ship back in Seward, you and the crew are free to relax in and around town tonight.

• Included Activities: Seward – Exit Glacier, Seward – Lake Kayaking
• Included Meals: Breakfast

After a hearty breakfast, lace up your walking shoes for a leisurely walk like no other. Join your leader and head to Exit Glacier, where you’ll enjoy an easy 3-kilometre (2-mile) round-trip hike to the glacier lookout. It’s a spectacular sight to see, especially in the summer months with the sun glistening on the surface. Then you’ll travel to Moose Pass for a kayaking trip on Trail Lake with a local guide who will share tales about local characters like Alaska Nellie, Gold Miner Joe and Mad Sally, the region’s most cantankerous cat. Afterwards, transfer back to your accommodation for a free evening.

• Included Meals: Breakfast
• Optional Activities: Girdwood – Mt Alyeska Aerial tram

It’s an early start for the drive to Talkeetna, stopping off at Girdwood along the way for lunch and a walk along the boardwalk where you might get to see moose tracks alongside the trail. You may like to ride the gondola up Mount Alyeska (own expense) before you hop back in the van for the journey to Talkeetna where you’ll arrive in the late afternoon.

• Included Activities: Denali National Park – Visitor Centre
• Included Meals: Breakfast

Keep an eye out for caribou and other wildlife as you head north along the Parks Highway to Denali National Park. On arrival at the park, head to the visitor center to plan your next day’s activities and chat to the rangers about the area’s incredible wildlife, then your evening is free to relax. You might like to have dinner with the group and prepare for your days of exploration ahead.

• Included Activities: Denali National Park – Leader-led hike
• Included Meals: Breakfast

Get ready for a day of adventure as your expert leader takes you on a family friendly hike in Denali National Park. You might see the tallest mountain on the continent reaching high into the sky, hike along tundra trails that weave through wildflowers and maybe even spot some wildlife living among the landscape. Whichever trail your leader chooses, it’s sure to be a day to remember.

• Included Activities: Anchorage- Alaska Native Heritage Center
• Included Meals: Breakfast

Leaving after breakfast, you’ll farewell the mountains and make your way to Anchorage. Upon arrival in Anchorage, stop at the Alaska Native Heritage Center – an interactive range of exhibitions, educating travellers about the traditional owners and First Nations peoples of this territory and beyond. Walk through six life-sized village sites dotted around the grounds – representing Alaskan territories such as the Athabascan, Inupiaq and Yup’ik/Cup’ik communities – and perhaps head into the Hall of Cultures, which displays works from Alaska Native artists.

Your tour finishes at 4pm at the same hotel the trip started at. No accommodation is booked for this evening. If you would like to spend more time in Anchorage, we’ll be happy to organize additional accommodation (subject to availability).