Alaska & Vancouver – Escorted by Bucket List Travel

Spend the morning on a half day sightseeing tour of Vancouver, then enjoy the afternoon exploring at your leisure.

In the evening join us for a welcome dinner at the Top of Vancouver revolving restaurant.

Today is a free day to explore at your leisure, then tonight transfer to the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel.

This morning we fly to Whitehorse on Yukon’s own Air North and meet our Journey Host.
We will explore Whitehorse, Northern Canada’s largest city, which sprang from frontier roots. Visiting attractions like the Yukon Wildlife Preserve and the natural and cultural insights at the MacBride Museum.

This morning we fly to Dawson to spend time in the footsteps of the Klondike gold stampeders. Dawson City today is a cluster of wooden sidewalks and charming frontier-era shops on the banks of the Yukon river.
We will stay here for 2 nights.

Spend today exploring at your leisure or join an optional excursion.

This morning we continue our journey as we take a short flight to Fairbanks, Alaska. Bearing the nickname the Golden Heart, Alaska’s second-largest city was born of gold rush fever.
We will stay here for 2 nights.

Today we will take a step back in time aboard the sternwheeler Riverboat Discovery (lunch included) and pan for gold at the historic Gold Dredge 8.

Today you’ll head to Denali for a three-night stay at this magnificent national treasure. At an impressive 20,310 feet above sea level, Denali isn’t just any mountain; it’s the centerpiece of Alaska’s interior, a shining jewel rising above pristine Alaska wilderness. You’ll enjoy full immersion in Denali.
We will stay 3 nights at the McKinley Chalet Resort.

Today features the unforgettable Tundra Wilderness Tour. This 5-6 hour fully narrated sightseeing excursion takes you into the heart of the Denali National Park (snack included).

Today is a free day to explore Denali at your leisure or take an optional excursion. Don’t miss a chance to visit Denali Square and immerse yourself in the Denali experience.

This morning we board the luxurious domed rail cars of the McKinley Explorer bound for Anchorage.
Nestled between mountains and the Cook Inlet terminus, Anchorage is one of the best places to see Alaska wildlife. A city moose roaming the streets (there are about 1,500) is a regular sight and views of whales, puffins, otters, and Dall porpoises going about their days is just a short excursion away.
We will spend 3 nights in Anchorage.

Today you have a free day to explore Anchorage at your leisure or take an optional excursion. Don’t miss the chance to ride the Anchorage Trolley or immerse yourself in Alaskan tribal culture at the Native Heritage Center. Summer brings the Midnight Sun where days can stretch to 19 hours.

We bid farewell to our Journey Host then enjoy a scenic rail journey along Turnagain Arm aboard the cruisetrain to Whittier.  This remote village is nestled along breathtaking Prince William Sound, home to a stunning array of wildlife, including bald eagles, sea otters and killer whales, so have your camera ready.

Here we will embark our cruiseship Nordham to start our Alaskan Cruise Experience.

Enjoy a leisurely day highlighted by afternoon scenic cruising to Hubbard Glacier – North America’s longest tidewater glacier.
An Alaska cruise toward Hubbard Glacier feels like you’re approaching another planet in a tiny space craft. It is that big and that otherworldly. Among all the vanishing Alaska glaciers, Hubbard has a rapidly advancing ice margin— up to seven feet in one day—earning it the nickname, “the Galloping Glacier.”

Cruise the ice-studded fjords of this national treasure for a full eight hours as a Park Service Ranger narrates.
On your cruise to Glacier Bay, close your eyes and take in the sounds—the creaks and groans of “living” ice, the shrill cries of gulls and soaring eagles, the splash of a breaching humpback whale. Frosted peaks towering over mossy forests, wide tidewater glaciers (there are seven in the park), and marine wildlife are givens on Glacier Bay cruises, but every experience in this changing biosphere is unique. There are glaciers, fjords, inlets, rivers, streams and wildlife galore on Glacier Bay cruises, so bring those binoculars.

Step back to the days of the last great goldrush – at the height of the Klondike Gold Rush, the port town of Skagway served as the primary gateway to the legendary gold fields, and quickly grew into Alaska’s largest settlement. It was then a raucous frontier hub packed with trading posts, saloons and guesthouses. As the gold rush faded into the 1900s, so did Skagway—but today it has been reinvigorated as a gateway for a new kind of visitor: those looking to explore Alaska’s colorful history, pristine wildlife and unrivaled natural beauty.
Choose from exciting shore excursions.

Cruise to Juneau, Alaska and visit the most remote, most beautiful and strangest state capital in the United States. Surrounded by water, forest and mountain sights, visitors seeking things to do in Juneau indoors and outdoors can hike a glacier, eat fresh-caught fish on a seaside patio and tour a grand capitol building all in one day. Juneau is known for its outdoor recreation, fresh seafood and fine dining. The city itself is pleasant, but the real highlight of a visit to Juneau is tracking down some wildlife.
Enjoy a full day of exploring Alaska’s capital or choose from exciting shore excursions.

Explore this uniquely Alaskan port, famous for its rich culture, salmon fishing and scenic Misty Fjords. Ketchikan is also one of the best spots along the Inside Passage to explore the rich cultural sights of Native Alaskan nations like the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian. You can see intricately carved totem poles at the Totem Heritage Center and Totem Bight State Park, while the attractions of Saxman Village just outside of Ketchikan offers the chance to see Tlingit culture in action, with working carvers and a dance show in the clan house.
Optional excursions include a wildlife viewing and nature walks, a pub crawl, and fishing in the Alaskan wilderness.

Relax and enjoy a full day of cruising Alaska’s scenic Inside Passage, a protected network of waterways that wind through glacier-cut fjords and lush temperate rain forests along the rugged coast of Southeast Alaska. Arguably one of the greatest cruising routes in the world, the Inside Passage stretches through stunning landscapes, from Misty Fjords National Monument to famed Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve.  Sailing the Inside Passage offers opportunities to spot some of Alaska’s most iconic wildlife, with humpback whales and orca plying the bountiful waters alongside the ships, bald eagles soaring overhead and brown bears lumbering on the shoreline.

Our cruisetour comes to an end this morning in Vancouver. After disembarking the Nordham, transfer to the hotel and enjoy free time to explore Vancouver.

You’ll have time today to enjoy your final hours in Vancouver for shopping or sightseeing before we transfer to Vancouver International Airport. Departing at 9pm to fly from Vancouver to Auckland on Air New Zealand.

We arrive into Auckland at 6am, where our tour ends.