Compare Alaska: The Great Exploration by Discover Corps vs Alaska: Call of the Wild 2022 by Tauck

Day 1: Arrive in Anchorage

Meals: Dinner

Our Alaskan adventure begins in its charming city of Anchorage. Arrive into Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC) and meet your local Alaskan guide. We’ll get a brief introduction to the area before settling into our accommodations at a boutique inn in downtown Anchorage. Dine alongside locals at a brewhouse and get to know one another as we gear up for the week ahead.

Day 2: Learn about Alaska's History and Meet a Member of the Beluga Whale Alliance

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today's adventure takes us to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. As Alaska’s largest living cultural center, we’ll get the unique opportunity to explore a village of authentic and traditional structures from Alaska’s many native cultures. We’ll also be treated to a range of performances including native dancing led by a community dance group, or athletes demonstrating World Eskimo-Indian Olympic Games skills. In the afternoon, enjoy a picnic lunch and guided hike into the snow capped mountains of the Chugach State Park. Stop along the way to discuss the stunning geography of the area while learning about Alaska history as you gaze over aerial views of Anchorage.

Before dinner, we’ll get a visit from a member of the Beluga Whale Alliance to discuss the declining Beluga Whale population of nearby Cook Inlet and their effort to sustain the species by volunteer driven data collection. Enjoy dinner with a view overlooking the Cook Inlet, named after Captain James Cook during his search for the Northwest Passage.

This hike is all abilities level and will be based on group pace with 3 different routes to choose between.

Day 3: Ride a Glass-Top Train to Seward & Explore Kenai Fjords National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Rise early for an adventure down the Alaskan coast. Hop aboard the Coastal Classic train and venture from Anchorage to Seward in style. Often ranked as the top ten train rides in North America, you’ll wind along Turnagain Arm, where the steep mountains of the Chugach Range plunge directly to the sea before entering into the backcountry wilderness. Take in the panoramic vistas of Alaska’s beauty under the glass dome ceiling railcars. This 4.5 hour scenic ride will offer plenty of photo opportunities of wildflowers, rivers, and possible wildlife sightings so be sure to keep your camera handy! Arrive into the quaint, fishing town of Seward where you’ll go from train to boat for an afternoon of wildlife and glacier viewing in the remarkable Kenai Fjords National Park. Keep an eye out for whales, porpoises, puffins, sea otters, the stellar sea lion, and more as we cruise through Aialik Bay towards the mighty Holgate Glacier, an actively calving tidewater glacier. We will spend time in front of the glacier to watch for calving, where giant chunks of glacial ice break off and crash into the water. The tour is fully narrated by a National Park Ranger

Day 4: Join the Alaska Sealife Center for a Puffin Experience before a Dog Sled Tour Through the Wilderness

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Wake to the sounds of fishing boats departing for the day and views of towering Mt. Marathon and Mt. Alice outside your window. Today we will head to Alaska’s only marine rescue and research facility, The Alaska Sealife Center. You’ll have the opportunity to learn about how the center is protecting marine wildlife through rescue and rehabilitation. Go behind the scenes with researchers and learn about a range of animals from stellar sea lions, ringed & spotted seals as well as the giant pacific octopus. Join staff in a privately led deep dive into the characteristics and traits of a puffin. Learn first hand why their bright orange beaks change colors during the year and how they’ve earned their nickname, clowns of the sea!

In the afternoon, visit a local homestead kennel for a look into Alaska’s Iditarod dog sledding family, The Seaveys. Get to know their beloved team of huskies, a tether-free environment, and how mushing runs deep within the family line and their way of life. Your adventure begins with a 2-mile dog sled ride. Feel the power, excitement, and energy of these amazing sled dogs as they are harnessed to comfortable wheeled sleds on this hour and a half dog sled tour. Mush through the Seward Alaska wilderness to the base of Resurrection Mountain and along Box Canyon Creek.

Day 5: Head to Homer & Meet with the Alaska Center for Coastal Studies for "Belly Biology"

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

After breakfast, we will hit the road and head to the other side of the Kenai Peninsula stopping along the way in the old gold mining town of Cooper Landing. We’ll arrive in Homer and visit the Wynn Nature Center at the Alaska Center for Coastal Studies, whose mission is to protect the unique marine and coastal ecosystems of Kachemak Bay through science-based environmental education and stewardship. Get to know the 150 acre wildlife corridor with a habitat that includes spruce, black cottonwood, and alder trees and is the epicenter for a range of birds from the Black-capped Chickadee to the Orange-crowned warbler. The preserve is located on top of a bluff 1200 feet above Kachemak Bay. After touring the grounds, head down to the Homer Marina with a trained naturalist guide as you explore marine invertebrate life living on & around the Homer Harbor Docks in an activity called, belly biology.

Day 6: Visit a Local Oyster Farm

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Rise for a delicious breakfast followed by some free time to explore the small shops & cafes on the boardwalk along the Homer Spit. In the afternoon, we will board a boat for yet another engaging ocean experience. This time we will explore Kachemak Bay stopping at a local oyster farm to enjoy a tasting! Learn about ocean research by participating in a plankton tow, viewing them under a microscope and using an underwater remote operating vehicle to explore the ocean bed and all the creatures that call this place home! We’ll stop at the secluded Peterson Bay Field Station & visit Intertidal Creature Touch Tanks. Later in the evening, we’ll come together for a memorable Farewell Dinner to cap off our great Alaskan adventure!

Day 7: Explore the Homer Spit before Returning Home or Continuing to Denali

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Enjoy a relaxing final morning in Homer. Head into town for souvenir shopping or beach combing along the oceanfront. In the afternoon, we’ll drive back to Anchorage for evening flights out. Those who opt for the Denali Extension will bid the rest of the group farewell and take a domestic flight from Homer to Anchorage then onwards to Denali National Park.

Day 1 Arrive Anchorage, Gateway to Alaska

Tour begins: 6:00 PM, The Hotel Captain Cook.  A transfer is included from Anchorage International Airport to The Hotel Captain Cook. Join us for a welcome dinner tonight.

MEALS : D

LODGING : The Hotel Captain Cook

PORTOFCALL : Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Day 2 Jet Boat Adventures & Treasure Hunting

In Alaska, dog sledding is both a very popular sport and an important mode of transportation to remote places where roads still don't go. Drive from Anchorage this morning to Big Lake for a visit to a facility where Alaskan huskies train to become sled dogs. Continue on to Talkeetna for a jet boat* ride with a naturalist guide to look for bald eagles, beavers, moose and even bears that live along the river, and a nature walk in the Alaskan bush to see a turn-of-the-century trapper's cabin. If the weather is good, you'll have an incredible view of Alaska's famous Denali en route to your wilderness lodge for a two-night stay. Once there, you and your family can compete in a high-tech treasure-hunting game – known as geocaching – where you'll use a GPS system to find hidden treasures.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

PORTOFCALL : Talkeetna, Alaska, USA

Day 3 Lake Hike & Family Homestead

Nature is everywhere on a morning hike* at Talkeetna Lake, with loons and kingfishers above you, and a forest brimming with wildflowers and wildlife surrounding you. As you walk, your local guide shares stories about how the first native peoples survived in this beautiful but wild land, and about life in Talkeetna today – and, of course, about amazing encounters with wildlife.  After lunch at your lodge, travel to Trapper Creek to visit the private homestead of Joanne Porterfield, nestled in the Alaska wilderness; her family's gardens and farm have flourished here in the shadow of Denali for more than four decades. Later, back at your lodge in Talkeetna, enjoy an interpretive experience with storytelling, s'mores and more around an old-fashioned campfire tonight.

MEALS : B, L

LODGING : Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

PORTOFCALL : Talkeetna, Alaska, USA

Day 4 Flightseeing Near Denali

Depart your lodge in Talkeetna and soar over the Denali foothills in a small plane (weather permitting) for a breathtaking bird's-eye view of towering Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. After your flight, you'll travel to Anchorage for a visit to the Alaska Native Heritage Center, a renowned cultural center and museum where you'll come away with a greater understanding of Alaska's indigenous people. Following a tour and lunch, continue on to the wildlife-rich Kenai Peninsula and a two-night wilderness lodge stay in Cooper Landing, nestled within Chugach National Forest.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge

Day 5 Wilderness Fun on Kenai Peninsula

Today, you can choose how you and your family will experience the wonders of the Kenai Peninsula, as your Alaska family vacation continues at your lodge in this wilderness wonderland between Cook Inlet and the Gulf of Alaska. You can choose to go kayaking*, take a scenic river-rafting trip*, or embark on a hike into the wilderness with a local guide – they're included with Tauck Bridges! You might also want to take advantage of optional opportunities for fishing or horseback riding that may be available at an additional cost. (Note: Tours of June 5, 19, 23; July 3, 5, 17, 19, 31; August 2, 14 and 18, which stay at the Seward Windsong Lodge nights 4 & 5, will visit the Alaska Sealife Center.)

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge

Day 6 Protecting Wildlife & Wilderness

Get a close-up glimpse of Alaskan wildlife on a visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center on Turnagain Arm, meeting moose, bison, elk and other orphaned or injured animals being rehabilitated by this non-profit organization. Next, head to the Crow Creek Mine in Alaska's historic gold rush country, where you'll meet a "prospector," pan for gold and dig into a barbecue lunch. Then it's on to your resort in Girdwood, where a fun evening is in store.

MEALS : B, L

LODGING : The Hotel Alyeska

PORTOFCALL : Girdwood, Alaska, USA

Day 7 Wonders by Rail & Cruising

Hop aboard an Alaska Railroad self-propelled rail car for a trip along Turnagain Arm to Whittier; there you'll board a boat that takes your family on a glacier adventure cruise on Blackstone Bay in Prince William Sound! With an expert wildlife guide aboard, you'll sail past thundering waterfalls and tidewater glaciers (your cruise includes lunch). Keep your ears ready for sounds the glaciers make as they groan and crack – and keep an eye out for eagles, otters and harbor seals along the way. En route back to your hotel, you'll travel through the Whittier Tunnel, the second longest highway tunnel in North America. Tonight, join us back at the hotel in Girdwood for our farewell dinner, where your family shares memories of your Alaska family vacation with your newfound friends.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : The Hotel Alyeska

PORTOFCALL : Girdwood, Alaska, USA

Day 8 Journey home

Tour ends: Girdwood, Alaska. Fly home anytime. A transfer from the Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood to Anchorage International Airport (approximately 75 minutes) is included for your flight home. Allow a minimum of two hours at the airport for check-in.

MEALS : B

PORTOFCALL : Anchorage, Alaska, USA