RAWH02 Alaska Discovery by Rail ( Pre / Post Cruise Tour )

Denali National Park and Mt. Denali are a must see for visitors to Alaska. This 5 day Alaska Railroad vacation allows time for you to explore and experience the pristine and untouched wilderness of Denali National Park. Arrive into Whittier by cruise ship or the Alaska Ferry. The tiny town of Whittier is located 58 miles southeast of Anchorage at the head of Passage Canal on the west side of Prince William Sound. Popular with photographers, hikers and hunters thanks to its natural beauty and wildlife, Whittier is most visited as the embarkation/debarkation point for one-way cruises between Anchorage to Vancouver by Princess and other cruise lines. Whittier is also a port for the ferries on the Alaska Marine Highway. Board the comfortable motorcoach in Whittier and enjoy the scenic transfer along Turnagain Arm to Anchorage. You can view Alaska’s most famous animals - grizzly bears, moose, muskox, caribou, bison - up close in a natural setting during the stopover at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Your next destination is Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city and filled with lot of adventures along with metropolitan amenities. Enjoy the comfortable ride as the train takes you via the Matanuska Valley towards the Alaska Range and Mt. Denali. Overnight in the charming town of Talkeetna and join the flightseeing tour 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. Next stop will be Denali National Park, one of Alaska’s most popular attraction and natural habitat for many types of wildlife including caribou, moose, wolves, dall sheep, bald eagles, and the mighty grizzly bears. It is most likely you will spot some of them while taking the full day Denali Transit Bus to Eielson Center, Wonder Lake or Kantishna Roadhouse. You may exchange this tour and join the guided Tundra wilderness bus tour. Your final destination will be Anchorage where you have the option to extend the tour. On request, this trip can be customized and organized in reverse order.

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Itinerary

Whittier - Anchorage ( Overnight: Anchorage )

Board the motorcoach in Whittier and enjoy the scenic transfer to Anchorage. Your professional guide will amaze you with fascinating and amusing narration as you travel along Turnagain Arm. Photo stops at Beluga Point and Portage Glacier offer multiple opportunities to view the Alaskan wilderness in all its pristine glory. Included is a 1 hour visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to view Alaska's most famous animals up close in a natural setting. During this visit you'll get great pictures of real live Bears, Moose, Muskox, Caribou, Bison, and more. The motorcoach travels past Bird Creek, a popular fishing spot and then the rocky outcrop of Beluga Point. You will be dropped off at your Anchorage downtown hotel. Included: Sightseeing Motorcoach Tour

Anchorage – Talkeetna ( Overnight: Denali Village )

Morning transfer to the railroad station where you'll board the train to Talkeetna. Choose between the standard rail car or the glass-dome compartments with large panorama windows ensuring unobstructed views of snowcapped mountain ranges and pristine scenery. Enjoy the comfortable ride as the train takes you via the Matanuska Valley towards the Alaska Range. Arrive in Talkeetna and transfer to your downtown hotel or to a beautiful mountain lodge with breathtaking views of Mt. Denali. Join the 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. Add an adventurous glacier landing on Ruth Glacier. Included: Mt. Denali Flightseeing Tour

Talkeetna - Denali National Park ( Overnight: Denali Village )

This morning you have the option to join a jet boat safari on the Susitna, Talkeetna and Chulitna Rivers. Transfer to the Talkeetna Train Station where you will board the train to Denali. North of Talkeetna, the tracks veer away from the road system and into the backcountry Hurricane area; this region offers views of the snaking Indian River and the occasional remote cabin. Have your camera ready as the train crosses Hurricane Gulch Bridge, 300 feet above the creek. Arrive at Denali Village late afternoon. Transfer to your hotel and check into your room. Once you settled take a stroll through Denali Village, join a wildwater rafting/float trip on Nenana River or visit Jeff King’s Husky Homestead Kennel for a personal tour with four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King and his sled dogs.

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 Center

Denali National Park – Anchorage

Board the Alaska Railroad and relax in your comfortable reclining seats, have a delicious lunch onboard or listen to the commentaries from an onboard interpreter. Just south of Denali National Park you will be passing the small community of Cantwell and then enter Broad Pass, offering majestic views of the Alaska Range in all directions. Your rail tour continues via Wasilla - home of the Alaska Iditarod Sled Dog Race - and crosses the Knik River with the Chugach Mountains as a backdrop before arriving in Anchorage. The tour ends with the arrival at the Anchorage Train Station. Please contact us for an additional overnight in Anchorage or extending the tour.

Prices & Dates

Rates in US $ / per Person

Comfort Hotel Category	Single	Double	Triple	Quad	Child
May 18 - May 31	$1983	$1386	$1200	$1107	$613
June 1 - August 31	$2108	$1485	$1291	$1194	$625
September 1 - September 13	$2030	$1407	$1213	$1116	$613

First Class Hotel Category	Single	Double	Triple	Quad	Child
May 18 - May 31	$2396	$1785	$1625	$1546	$848
June 1 - August 31	$3129	$2208	$1941	$1808	$881
September 1 - September 13	$2918	$2046	$1795	$1669	$849

What’s included

4 Nights Comfort OR First-Class Accommodation

Hotel and State Taxes

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Entrance Fee

Mt. Denali Flightseeing Tour (1 hour)

Denali Transit Bus Ticket to Eielson Visitor Center

Railroad Station Transfers in Talkeetna and Denali

Airport and Railroad Station Transfers in Anchorage (Comfort Category Only)

Tour Documentation

Sightseeing Information

Motorcoach Transfer Whittier - Anchorage

Railroad Transportation Anchorage – Talkeetna

Railroad Transportation Talkeetna – Denali National Park

Railroad Transportation Denali National Park – Anchorage

Comfort Hotel Category includes Reserved Seats in Standard Adventure Class Train
( upgrade to Dome Car Train is available upon request )

First Class Hotel Category includes Reserved Seats in Upper Level Panorama Dome Car Train,
Meals on Board, Priority Check-in & Boarding, Use of Private Outdoor Viewing Platform,
Priority Dining Room Seating, Enhanced Reclining Seats

Tour Departures

Daily from May 18th – September 13th

Attractions & Optional

Talkeetna: Denali Flightseeing Tour - Add Glacier Landing

The 1 hr Denali flightseeing tour (included) takes you within six miles of Mt. Denali's summit. As your flight departs Talkeetna, you begin to notice how the last ice age has shaped the land. Moments later you enter a world of rugged high mountain peaks and wide glacier filled valleys. See the Sheldon Amphitheater, beautiful Ruth Glacier, and the Great Gorge (the world's deepest - almost 2 miles from top to bottom). Add a glacier landing to your flightseeing tour for a one-of-a-kind expedition. Passengers land usually at the 5600 foot level of the Ruth Glacier, located in the Sheldon Amphitheater. Other popular landing spots are the Kahiltna, the Pika, or the Eldridge glaciers. A glacier landing takes an additional 30 minutes (15 minutes of time exploring on foot and 15 minutes for landing and takeoff).

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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.

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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).

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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).

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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.

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Anchorage: Bear Viewing Tour Day Trip to Brooks Falls / Katmai National Park

Take off from Anchorage to an all day bear viewing expedition past glaciers and volcanoes - within the land of the giant animals: the brown bear country of southwest Alaska. You'll fly to Katmai's - worlds famous Brooks River Falls where brown bears feed on salmon. Each year millions of sockeye salmons burst from the Bering Sea into lakes and streams of the Katmai National Park. These fish provide the primary food source for the worlds largest population of brown bears. As many as 50 bears may be viewed up-close-and-personal from elevated boardwalks and viewing platforms fishing along the 1 1/2 mile Brooks River during peak season (July). Local National Park Rangers are answering all of your questions about this incredible park during the self guided full day tour. Lunch is included at Brooks Lodge.

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Accommodation

First Class Hotel Category (**** Hotels & Lodges)

First Class Hotels tend to provide additional amenities such as on-site restaurant, Lounge, Bar, Fireplace Seating, Fitness Facility, Swimming Pool / Hot Tub etc. All First Class Hotel Rooms are of higher category and are always equipped with a private bathroom. Most of these Category Hotels are normally located in prime downtown locations or within national parks. These include larger hotel chains are for example: Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Westmark Hotels, Princess Hotels and Lodges, Clarion Suites, Comfort Inn & Suite. The larger hotel chains are only available in Anchorage and Fairbanks. In case of non-availability of a larger hotel chain, we prefer to book locally owned Premium Hotels / Deluxe Cabins or Cottage for our clients. Please note that First class accommodation may not be available in small locations and in such cases we will then book the best available accommodation.

Comfort Hotel Category (*** Hotels, Motels & Lodges) Title

Comfort Hotels offer a good amount of essential guest services and are located in downtown locations and/or in/near national park areas. All Comfort Hotel Rooms are provided with private bathroom facilities. Example larger hotel chains for Comfort Hotel Category are: Holiday Inn, Howard Johnson, Guesthouse Inn, Ramada Inn, High Country Inn. As you might be aware, that these hotel chains are not available throughout Alaska. In such cases or/and when we feel that Alaskan owned hotels & lodges offer a better experience, we go with that choice. Cabins and Cottages also considered in this category to make your experience even more ‘Alaskan’. We ensure that all the Cabins & Cottages have a private bath to make your stay comfortable.

Information

Customizing Tours

All of our tours are flexible and you can add, modify or exchange nights in destinations to suit your timetable and preferred routing. Thus, sometimes it will be necessary to observe ferry schedules, national park opening/closing dates etc. to match certain dates and/or departures. Please check also each itinerary online.

Included Services

Please refer to the appropriate tour page for a listing of included services. Our service generally includes the rental car, accommodation, applicable local taxes, ferry trips as scheduled, sightseeing as per itinerary, a detailed tour description, highway or road logs. Not included are: Meals, tunnel tolls, gasoline, entrance fees, additional sightseeing tours. The rental of a compact car (automatic) is always included in our flexible self drive tour packages. Additional rental days or upgrade to a Mid and Full Size Car, Mini Van or Sport Utility Vehicles (4x4) are available. The displayed upgrade rental rates are always per car (not per person) - and of course for the total length of the tour package. Our advertised rates include all local taxes, licensing fee, airport fee, road tax and unlimited mileage. Rental Car insurance is not included as most US guests can use their own private insurance. A valid driver license and a valid major credit card are mandatory for all individual vehicle rentals and/or tour packages including vehicle rentals. Driving on gravel roads/highways is at own risk. The rental car insurance is void on the following highways Denali Highway, Dalton Highway, Top of the World Highway, Taylor Highway, McCarthy Road, Dempster Highway and all other gravel roads. You will be responsible for any damages. Drivers have to be more than 25 years of age. Contact us if you are below 25 years of age.

Advance Reservation

If you travel during the high season from the middle/end of June until the end of August we recommend booking as early as possible to avoid disappointments with sold out situations in highly frequented national parks and gateways - because the northern tour season is very short. The same applies in/around national holidays. Any hotel accommodation, rentals cars and ferry space must be definitely booked well in advance. Thus, tour operator such as our company may still have space on a short notice. Accordingly it is well worth to contact us.

Travel Month

The last two weeks of May, June and September are perfect months for a vacation in the Land of the Midnight Sun. The weather is usually stable and sunny with almost 24 hours of daylight. July and August are prime travel months and are obviously very busy.

Emergency Assistance

You can contact us in case of an emergency. We have a dedicated 24/7 helpline available for our guests.

Available Room Occupancy / Bed Configuration

Single: A room assigned to one person. Room with one bed (double, queen, king size)

Double: A room assigned to two people. Room with two double/queen beds or a king size bed.

Triple:A room assigned to three people. Room with two double/queen beds

Quad: A room assigned to four people. Room with two double/queen beds The maximum occupancy per room is four. Please request if you require a roll-a-way bed.

We can arrange our self drive tours including 2 rooms and 1 rental car if your group is larger than 4.

Bed and Breakfast (B&B) Option

We can substitute the overnight in a hotel with the overnight in a Bed and Breakfast. In this case breakfast is included. The rate of the first class / comfort hotel class will remain the same. We can only exchange some of the hotels since B&B’s are not available in all locations.

Northern Lights Observation

Because of the long daylight hours it is uncommon to see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) displays from mid May until mid August. The Aurora occurs mainly during the fall / winter months from September – April. Please refer also to our winter touring program.

VISA / Identification

The Visa/entry requirements do change frequently. Please check requirements on the appropriate government pages. We are unable to take any responsibility for such information however you will definitely need your passport to cross the US/Canadian Border. Please ask us if your self drive tour enters Canada.

Travel Insurance

We strongly encourage you to purchase travel insurance to cover: cancellation fees associated with an outing as well as airfare or other nonrefundable expense in the event you need to cancel a trip; medical expenses incurred on a trip; and the cost of a possible medical evacuation from a trip, canceled flights due to weather. We have made arrangements with our trusted travel insurance provider for you to purchase a comprehensive travel insurance plan. Please contact us for details

Reviews

Delia, Romania: We got back yesterday from our trip and are very pleased. It was wonderful. We had rain in Anchorage and Talkeetna but as the train started its way to Denali, the rain stopped. The next day we took the bus all the way to Wonder Lake and saw so much wildlife: grizzlies with cubs, a red fox, a moose, many caribou , many, many eagles, mountain sheep. But the trip to Mt. Denali found the mountain in its full glory. We got to see it for hours and then on the way back on the train. Absolutely majestic. Our favorite hotel was in Talkeetna - charming, warm after a long day in the cold rain. Our favorite food we found in Talkeetna at the Wildflower and at the Salmon Bake in Denali. Thank you for everything and we hope to return to Alaska again.