North American Travel Service Grand Alaska

• Round trip scheduled flights
• Accommodation for 15 nights as specified
• 14 breakfasts, 13 lunches and 13 dinners
• Air-conditioned motorcoach transportation
• Services of a Tauck Tour Director
• 7 night Alaska cruise
• Classic tour

Day 1: Anchorage

Depart the UK on your chosen scheduled flight to Anchorage. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel for the evening, located in Anchorage and meet your travelling companions for a welcome reception and dinner.

Day 2: Talkeetna & Denali

Learn about the lifestyles, traditions, and crafts of Alaska’s indigenous tribes on a visit to the Anchorage Museum. Then take a scenic flight to Talkeetna, near the base of Denali (North America’s highest peak, formerly known as Mount McKinley), followed by a drive to your wilderness lodge in Trapper Creek for a two-night stay.

Day 3: Trapper Creek

Begin the day with a visit to the private homestead of Joanne Porterfield, nestled in the Alaska wilderness. Set off on a wilderness jet boat adventure this afternoon. Return to your lodge in the late afternoon to enjoy dinner and an evening at leisure.

Day 4: Denali National Park

Drive today to Denali National Park, one of the world’s last unspoiled frontiers and arrive at your lodge near the entrance to the park, Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, in time for lunch. This afternoon, visit Husky Homestead.

Day 5: Denali National Park

Rise early for a “Tundra Wilderness Tour” that takes you deep into the wilds of Denali National Park, a six-million-acre UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, through the forest and alpine tundra and over high mountain passes.

Day 6: Copper Centre

Traverse the Alaskan wilderness today from Denali along the Alaska Range to your lodge situated on the Copper River in the small town of Copper Center, a gateway to the massive Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, known as “North America’s Mountain Kingdom.” Dinner this evening features a regional favourite, Alaskan salmon.

Day 7: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

On a private tour, you’ll discover Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, which is home to more glaciers and mountains above 16,000 feet than any spot in North America, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today you’ll also view the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which transports crude oil from wells at Prudhoe Bay in the north to the port city of Valdez.

Day 8: Valdez & Whittier

This morning it’s a drive through the Chugach Mountains where the plants and wildlife are amazing, followed by a stop at Worthing Glacier, before arriving at Valdez. Sea conditions permitting, you’ll cross Prince William Sound by private boat to Whittier. Keep watch for whales, seals and soaring eagles as you enjoy the mountain views. Next, you board your Princess ship in Whittier to start the 7-night cruise portion of your itinerary.

Day 9: At Sea – Hubbard Glacier

It’s a day of scenic cruising as you journey toward Alaska’s Hubbard Glacier, arriving mid-afternoon. Known as the Galloping Glacier this is North America’s largest tidewater glacier. Soaring 40 storeys high, it’s blue color is created by the denseness of the ice, which absorbs all colors of the spectrum except blue.

Day 10: At Sea – Glacier Bay Cruising

Your inspirational journey continues as you cruise the waters of Glacier Bay, west of Juneau. Your ship cruises along shorelines and islands completely covered by ice some 200 years ago. By the time naturalist, John Muir visited the area in 1879, the ice had retreated some 30 miles to form the bay you’ll be exploring. Rugged mountains, spruce and hemlock forests, deep fjords, emerald waters and crisp fresh air are the day’s companions, possibly along with sea otters, porpoises, seals and bald eagles.

Day 11: Skagway & Haines

On arrival in historic Skagway, the gateway to the Klondike region, you’ll disembark for a tour of the town and a ferry ride to Haines on the Lynn Canal, the deepest and longest fjord in North America. Here you’ll begin a quiet rafting trip through the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, home to world’s largest congregation of bald eagles. Next, you’ll travel back in time on the exciting White Pass & Yukon Route narrow-gauge railway, which was built in 1898 during the gold rush.

Day 12: Juneau

Arrive in Alaska’s capital city of Juneau, set on a narrow strip of land between the Coast Mountains and the Gastineau Channel, for sightseeing that includes a stop at the Mendenhall Glacier. Gather insights on the traditions of the indigenous Tlingit people of the Pacific Northwest during a private cultural presentation before enjoying your afternoon at leisure. Spend most of the afternoon aboard a private whale-watching cruise off Juneau.

Day 13: Ketchikan

Today you’ll dock in Ketchikan, the ancestral home of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian tribes, for an inside look at the role that Tlingit heritage plays in the local culture. See some of the city’s numerous totem poles, and watch local totem carvers at work at Saxman Native Village; catch a performance of traditional Tlingit and Haida dances.

Day 14: At Sea – Inside Passage

Enjoy spectacular views of the fabled Inside Passage from your stateroom, or a variety of decks and lounges, on a full day of cruising amongst the densely forested islands and coastal communities of this renowned waterway.

Day 15: Journey Home

Your cruise itinerary ends in Vancouver, where you disembark the ship and transfer to the airport for your flight back to the UK. Alternatively, you may choose to extend your holiday with a stay in Canada.

Please note, prices listed are guide prices only and are based on 2 people sharing and don’t include any additional supplements. Holiday prices are fluid and dynamic and may be changed at a moment’s notice, prior to booking, at which point they are confirmed. Please call the team free on 0800 707 6229 for more departure dates available and a quote.

• Hotel Captain Cook
• Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge
• Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
• Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge
• Princess Ship