Ultimate Alaska Wildlife Safari

Day 1: Fairbanks

Your safari begins in Fairbanks, Alaska's second largest city and gateway to the Arctic north. The city retains its frontier flavour with pioneer saloons, paddle wheelers and outlying mining camps.

Day 2: Denali National Park

This morning you'll drive south through boreal forest and along the Nenana River to Denali National Park. At 6 million acres—larger than the state of Massachusetts—Denali is one of the world’s great wilderness preserves. The park's namesake is the highest peak in North America, towering 20,320 feet over the tundra and taiga below that provides habitat for wolves, grizzlies, moose and caribou. Formerly known as Mt. McKinley, its Athabascan Native name—Denali—means "The Great One." The remainder of your day is at leisure, perhaps enjoy a nature walk or some time to relax and soak up your surrounds.

Day 3: Denali National Park

From your remote base 90 miles inside the park, you'll have time and space to encounter genuine wilderness. Hiking, mountain biking, fishing and optional flightseeing over the glaciers of Denali are available. The climate and environment of Alaska's interior at this latitude is harsh much of the year, and it takes a vast amount of habitat to sustain animals. Wildlife encounters thus tend to be fleeting, though always thrilling.

Day 4: Denali National Park - Talkeetna

Depart for the park entrance by road this morning, keeping a close eye out for moose, caribou, grizzly bears and other resident wildlife. At midday board the Alaska Railroad for a classic train journey through Alaska's rugged interior. Your route through the Alaska Range climbs above tree line over Broad Pass, then descends to follow the Susitna River to historic village of Talkeetna, where you will disembark for the night. The rustic town, founded a century ago as the district headquarters for the new railroad, sits at the confluence of three rivers and enjoys a striking panorama of Mt. Denali and adjacent peaks. An outdoor recreation mecca, the town's economy today thrives on rafting, flightseeing, mountain biking, hiking, camping, fishing and hunting, and it is also the main base for climbing expeditions to Denali. After dinner there's time to stroll the compact downtown, whose buildings dating to the early 1900s have been designated a National Historic Site.

Day 5: Talkeetna - Girdwood

Continue south, eventually reaching the coast and following Turnagain Arm to Girdwood and Alyeska Resort, Alaska's premier ski area, where a host of exciting summer activities is also available. Set in a lush glacial valley in the Chugach Range southeast of Anchorage, Alyeska offers nature and luxury in tandem. Explore the northernmost temperate rain forest in North America, or choose an optional tram ride to the alpine summit with vistas of the ice-bound peaks and inlet far below.

Day 6: Girdwood

Today you'll explore the scenic drama of iceberg-choked Spencer Lake, then take a gentle float trip down the Placer River before returning to Girdwood. Dinner is not included this evening, in order to give you a chance to sample your choice of restaurants in the Alyeska/Girdwood area. You might wish to take the tram to the alpine summit and dine at Seven Glaciers, a 5-star restaurant with vistas of the ice-bound peaks and inlet far below.

Day 7: Girdwood - Fox Island, Kenai Fjords

This morning travel to the fishing town and port of Seward on the Kenai Peninsula. From here you will cruise to Fox Island, a private island on the edge of Kenai Fjords National Park. This secluded location reveals Alaska at its most pristine. The region is famed for sea kayaking, and an easy paddling excursion this afternoon is likely to reveal some of the area's prolific marine life.

Day 8 Kenai Fjords National Park

Board a private charter boat this morning for a cruise through a realm where the Ice Age still lingers. Your small yacht offers the opportunity for closer encounters with wildlife, which may include humpback and orca whales, porpoises, sea otters and a large colony of puffins. Glaciers pour from the jagged mountain heights into the sea, and you may observe icebergs calving with a crash as you head back to your exclusive island accommodation.

Day 9: Fox Island - Seward - Anchorage

After a final morning to enjoy the wild environs of Fox Island, weave your way back through the fjords to Seward. From here, retrace your route northward, with the mountain ranges of the Kenai Peninsula rising one after another as you traverse Moose Pass and cross some of Alaska's richest salmon rivers. You'll return to Anchorage by late afternoon where you'll have the rest of your evening at leisure.

Day 10: Anchorage - Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park

Today you'll fly west to King Salmon, then by floatplane to Katmai National Park and world-renowned Brooks Falls, one of the best places to view giant Alaskan brown bears in their natural habitat. Katmai is home to the world’s largest population of these enormous coastal grizzlies, with some 2,200 individuals inside the park. As many bear populations around the world decline, Katmai's 4 million acres of wilderness provides some of the last pristine habitat for these magnificent animals. From the safety of platforms built over Brooks Falls, you'll able to get a close look at this iconic wildlife spectacle, which very few visitors to Alaska have the privilege of seeing.

Day 11: Katmai National Park

At close range, watch bears stand in the rushing whitewater, jaws gaping, trying to catch the salmon that leap up the falls once spawning season starts. Our June and July departures will have a good chance to see fishing bears, since this is when the salmon are running, but bear viewing is excellent in August and September, too, with even more bears in the vicinity. You'll take a break to relax over lunch at world-famous Brooks Lodge, an easy walk from the falls.

Day 12: Katmai National Park - Anchorage

After a last round of bear viewing in Katmai, you'll fly back to King Salmon, then on to Anchorage. Tonight your Expedition Leader hosts a farewell dinner to celebrate our Alaskan adventures.

Day 13: Anchorage

Your Alaska wildlife safari comes to a close today as you transfer to the airport for homeward flights, or ongoing travel arrangements.