SDAN07 Alaska’s Bears, Whales & Glaciers - Driving Tour

SDAN07 Alaska’s Bears, Whales & Glaciers - Driving Tour

Print

Explore the natural wonders of Alaska during our 8-day self drive tour to the most scenic destinations central Alaska has to offer. Highlights are the Denali National Park Wilderness Tour with excellent wildlife viewing opportunities for caribou, dall sheep, moose and grizzly bears. The name ''Denali'' means ''The Great One'' in the native Athabascan language. At 20,310 feet above sea level Denali is the highest peak in North America and is surrounded by one of the world's most spectacular wildlife sanctuaries. Stopover in Talkeetna, the base for all mountaineering activities and flightseeing tours to Mt. Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley). Get a once in a lifetime view of some of the world’s largest and most incredible glaciers, glacial ice falls and sheer vertical cliffs. Travel to the coast of Alaska and visit the port town of Seward, where you’ll join a spectacular cruise deep into Kenai Fjords National Park with actively "calving" glaciers, abundant wildlife and magnificent scenery. Follow the Sterling Highway offering magnificent views of the “Ring of Fire” as you drive towards Homer. Located at the gateway to Kachemak Bay, Homer is base to many incredible activities and tours - including the bear viewing day tour to Katmai Coast and Brooks Falls, kayaking tours or Halibut  & Salmon fishing trips. The finale to this tour is Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city and brimming with activities for the outdoorsy and adventurous. Please  read  our  itinerary  to  have  more  detailed  day-to-day  experience.  On  request,  this  trip  can  be  customized.

  • Itinerary

  • Prices & Dates

  • Attractions & Add-ons

  • Accommodation

  • Rental Car

  • Map

  • Information

  • Reviews

Anchorage – Denali National Park ( Driving Distance: 240 miles | Overnight: Denali Village)

Welcome to Alaska ! Pick up your rental car at the airport or in downtown Anchorage. The grandness of the nature starts right from Anchorage itself and driving every mile on the Parks Highway gets even better. It is a treat to watch the mountain peaks crowned with snow caps in the distance. On the way you travel across the fertile Matanuska Valley. Because of the immense amount of summer sunlight, vegetables grow to incredible sizes. Feel free to stop at the designated photo stops to enjoy more panoramic views. It is possible to stopover at Talkeetna for a flightseeing tour to Mt. Denali. Arrive at Denali Village. This evening visit Jeff King’s Sled Dog Kennel - Join an intimate group for a personal tour with four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King at his Husky Homestead Kennel.

Denali National Park ( Overnight: Denali Village )

Denali National Park offers excellent wildlife viewing and spectacular sceneries. Pick up your tickets, board the bus and watch out for grizzly bears, moose, caribou, wolf and fox moving along the ridges and river beds. Your driver informs about the history of Denali National Park, its diverse wildlife and flora. Once an animal has been spotted the bus will stop that everyone can watch and take pictures. The bus turns around at Eielson Visitor Center - 66 miles one way/8 hours round trip. You can get off the bus anytime to go for a hike. Return to the Denali Park entrance anytime during the day. Optional: We can extend the transit bus tour to Wonder Lake or exchange to the Tundra Wilderness Tour, Kantishna Wilderness Trails or Backcountry Lodge Tour. Included: Denali Transit Bus to Eielson

Denali National Park –Talkeetna ( Driving Distance:150 miles | Overnight: Talkeetna)

Spend the morning at Denali Village and join a whitewater rafting tour, watch a sled dog demonstration presented by the Denali park rangers or go on a short hiking trip around the Denali Visitor Center. Leave for Talkeetna - the base for most climbing expeditions and spectacular glacier flightseeing activities within the Alaska Mountain Range. Optional Tour: Take a flightseeing trip within 6-Miles of Denali's 20.320 ft summit and get a picture perfect view of the Kahiltna and Ruth Glacier with its Great Gorge - over 9.000 ft deep - as well as onto magnificent ice-falls. You will also see the Sheldon Amphitheatre - the largest of its kind in the world. Another highlight will be an adventurous glacier landing at the 5600 foot level of the Ruth Glacier, located in the Sheldon Amphitheater.

Talkeetna – Seward ( Driving Distance: 240 miles | Overnight: Seward )

Your road trip continues past Anchorage where you will join the Seward Highway - offering incomparable vistas of fjords, glaciers and mountains as you follow the Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm. Arrive in Seward, a small fishing town at the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park. Kenai Fjords is named for the numerous fjords carved by glaciers moving down the mountains from the ice field. The field is the source of at least 38 glaciers, the largest of which is Bear Glacier. This afternoon you have time to visit Exit Glacier. Short trails lead to the edge of the glacier where you take a good photo in front of glacier ice. You may spend some time at the Alaska SeaLife Center – the world’s first cold water marine search institute. Enjoy a delicious seafood dinner overlooking Seward's boat harbor.

Seward ( Overnight: Seward )

This morning board the stable catamaran for a spectacular cruise deep into Kenai Fjords National Park with actively "calving" glaciers and magnificent scenery. Covering 110-miles, the trip is narrated by a National Park Ranger, who is highly adept at spotting wildlife and pointing out the many sights. Kenai Fjords showcase the best of Alaska’s marine world in a compact package. Sea otters float belly-up eating mussels while Harbor seals haul out on icebergs off Aialik and Northwestern Glacier. Look out for Steller sea lions on Chiswell Island as well as Humpback and killer whales. After reaching the tidewater glacier, guests witness "glacier calving" a process by which glaciers shed giant slabs of ancient ice. Included: Kenai Fjords Glacier & Wildlife Cruise

Seward – Homer ( Driving Distance: 170 miles | Overnight: Homer )

Visit the renowned Alaska SeaLife Center or spend some time at Exit Glacier. Continue your self drive journey and follow the Sterling Highway - a designated scenic highway covering miles of spectacular landscape with snowcapped mountains and many active volcanoes known as the "Ring of Fire" with Mt. Iliamna, Mt. Redoubt and Mt. Augustine, excellent salmon fishing along the Kenai & Russian River and a magnificent coastline. Homer is blessed with a view to the south that is stunning in its beauty and grandeur. The rugged Kenai Mountains are spreading across the sparkling waters of Kachemak Bay. Homer is known as the “Halibut Capital of the World”. King Salmon are caught here from May to June, while Silver Salmon run during August. Halibut - large as a barn size door are available from May - Sept.

Homer ( Overnight: Homer )

Homer offers incredible panoramic views of mountain ranges, glaciers and famous Homer Spit - a long strip of land that stretches into pristine Kachemak Bay. Use the day to explore the area - kayak to a remote cove, go hiking or fishing. Homer is just a short flight away from Katmai National Park and Lake Clark, one of the most densely populated brown bear areas in the world. A picture-perfect flightseeing trip takes you over Cook Inlet to Katmai Coast. Watch bears digging for clams, wandering the sedge grass, or nursing their young. Another option is the day trip to iconic Brooks Falls in the middle of Katmai, famous for bears swatting at Salmon making their way upstream. In the evening join a cruise to Halibut Cove, have dinner at the "Saltry". Included: Bear Viewing Tour to Katmai or Lake Clark

Homer – Anchorage ( Driving Distance: 230 miles )

Leave Homer for a scenic drive to Ninilchik - the oldest settlement on the Kenai Peninsula. The Russian-American Company established Ninilchik in the 1820s for its elderly employees, who could not endure the long journey back to Russia. Drive north through the Chugach National Forest and visit Begich Boggs Visitor Center, home to Portage Glacier - one of Alaska’s most visited attractions. Portage Glacier is in retreat, and not visible from the center’s observation deck, but the center is still an interesting stop thanks to exhibits that let visitors walk through a simulated ice cave, view live ice worms or touch an iceberg. Stopover at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a home for orphaned and injured animals. Return to Anchorage during the day and drop off your rental car.

Rates in US $ / per Person
Comfort Hotel Category Single Double Triple Quad Child
May 1 - May 31 $4091 $2891 $2509 $2318 $1719
June 1 - August 31 $4897 $3294 $2768 $2512 $1719
September 1 - September 15 $4063 $2882 $2505 $2317 $1719
First Class Hotel Category Single Double Triple Quad Child
May 1 - May 31 $4809 $3243 $2798 $2572 $1731
June 1 - August 31 $5672 $3675 $3084 $2789 $1719
September 1 - September 15 $4809 $3243 $2798 $2572 $1719

What’s included

7 Nights Comfort OR First-Class Accommodation

Hotel and State Taxes

8 Days Midsize Rental Car (For additional Upgrades and Extras Click Here)

Unlimited Free Mileage

Rental Car Licensing Fees

CFC, State & City Rental Car Sales Taxes

Denali  Transit  Bus  Ticket  to  Eielson  Visitor  Center  

6 hr Kenai Fjords Glacier & Wildlife Cruise including lunch

Seward Port Fee

Bear Viewing Tour to Katmai or Lake Clark

Tour Documentation

Sightseeing Information

Tour Departures

Daily  from  May  15th  –  September  15th

Denali: Extend Denali Transit Bus Tour to Wonder Lake

The Denali Transit Bus is the official shuttle bus service into Denali National Park. The shuttle is best suited for those visitors who are seeking flexibility in their day trip into the Park and would like to have the option of getting off the bus to hike or explore on your own. Excellent hiking and wildlife viewing opportunities all along the Park Road. Created by retreating glaciers, Wonder Lake offers visitors stunning views of Mt. Denali and the Alaska Range, as weather permits. Along the Park Road, alder and willow carpeted hills are dotted with kettle ponds often frequented by waterfowl and other wildlife. Reflection Pond, an amazing photo stop on a clear day, requires you utilize the Kantishna Transit Bus or hike 2.5 miles from the Wonder Lake turnaround stop.

More Details & Pricing

 

Denali: Exchange Transit Bus Tour to Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour

The fully narrated 62-mile Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali National Park is led by a certified naturalist driver/guide who will also provide historical and geographical background of the area. The tour will last approximately eight to nine hours and includes ample photo and rest stops. When your tour driver is able, he/she will take video footage of animals along Park Road and project these images onto drop-down video screens, featured only our specially designed tour buses. This way you can get a close-up look at the roadside action. At the end of the tour, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase a “Tundra Wilderness Tour” DVD, which will feature some of the video footage shot from your tour! Guests cannot switch buses throughout the day (only the Denali Transit Bus allows this).

More Details & Pricing

 

Denali: Exchange Transit Bus Tour to Kantishna Wilderness Trails Tour

The Kantishna Wilderness Trails tour is the premier Denali Park wilderness bus excursion. Spend the entire day in Denali National Park and discover a piece of Alaska's gold rush history and warm hospitality at the historic Kantishna Roadhouse, located just past Wonder Lake on the banks of Moose Creek. Your 12 to 13-hour fully-narrated excursion to Kantishna travels via a custom motorcoach through 95 miles of Denali National Park's prime wildlife habitat. The last 30 miles allow for full viewing of Mt. Denali, weather permitting. The wilderness backcountry of Denali Park provides diverse habitats which support big-game species such as black bear, grizzly, moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolf, and wolverine. Hot beverages and refreshments are included en route to the Kantishna Roadhouse. After a hearty deli style lunch in the dining room at the Roadhouse, relax and visit the Historical Recorder's Cabin and enjoy a dog sled demonstration or gold panning. Guests cannot switch buses throughout the day (only the Denali Transit Bus allows this).

More Details & Pricing

 

Denali: Exchange Transit Bus Tour to Denali Backcountry Adventure Bus Tour

The Denali Backcountry Adventure Tour is another premier Denali Park Wildlife bus excursion. This full-day, 13-hour tour travels 95 miles in each direction to the Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna. You'll travel by private bus with a trained naturalist driver/guide giving interpretation along the way helping you search for bear, moose, caribou and other wildlife while pointing out the biology and geology of the region. Several photo and rest stops will be made. Snacks, drinks and lunch are provided. Lunch is served at the exclusive Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna. Lunch consists of a sandwich bar, soups, fruits, snacks, fresh baked goods and non-alcoholic drinks. After lunch try your luck at gold panning near the lodge or take a guided nature walk before returning to the Park entrance.

More Details & Pricing

 

Seward: Extend Kenai Fjords Cruise to Northwestern Fjords Cruise

The premium 8 1/2 hrs Kenai Fjords Cruise covers magnificent Northwestern Fjord - the home to three amazing tidewater glacier, hanging alpine glacier, abundant wildlife such as Orca Whales, Steller Sea Lions, playful Sea Otters, Bald Eagles, Puffins and of course the magnificent scenery. On this tour we travel futher into Kenai Fjords National Park than most other daily cruise tour operators. In addition we visit the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and Chiswell Island's seabird rookeries within Resurrection Bay. Make sure you bring your camera to photograph the abundant marine and coastal wildlife, many types of sea birds and the untouched beauty of Alaska's shorelines. Tour includes a light breakfast and hot lunch. Total 150 miles round trip.

More Details & Pricing

Seward: Extend Kenai Fjords Cruise and include a dinner on Fox Island

Spend your day aboard the most popular wildlife and glacier cruise in Alaska. Explore the wildlife and glaciers of Kenai Fjords National Park. Then, dock at the magical Fox Island for an all-you-can-eat prime rib and Alaska salmon buffet. What a day!

More Details & Pricing

 
h

Stevie, Georgia: Denali National Park was amazing in every way. It’s probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. Huge snow covered mountains and giant ice glaciers are everywhere. We saw caribou, dall sheep, moose, and five huge grizzly bears. We've been back from Alaska for 3 weeks now and we all talk about the bear experience from Homer. Its really unbelievable how close you get to the bears and how they could care less that you are there. The guides were careful and safe, informative and friendly. The planes were nice, the wind wasn't so nice but the pilot did a great job.