Grand Alaska

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.

After a brief tour of Anchorage, a docent at the Anchorage Museum takes you through the First Peoples of Alaska exhibit in its Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, featuring artifacts from the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution. After lunch in Wasilla, head to Lake Lucille for aerial sightseeing (weather permitting) en route to Talkeetna, near the base of Denali. Continue to Trapper Creek for a lodge stay featuring views of the Alaska Range.

Begin the day with a visit to the private homestead of Joanne Porterfield, nestled in the Alaska wilderness. Her family’s gardens and farm have flourished here in the shadow of Mount McKinley for more than four decades. 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.

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 to meet former Iditarod champion musher Jeff King and his family and their indomitable Husky sled dogs who live and train there. Enjoy dinner at your choice of restaurants at your lodge tonight.

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. Along the way, you may see moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves and grizzly bears and the awe-inspiring Denali itself, North America’s highest peak at 20,310 feet. Spend the rest of the afternoon and evening at leisure, and enjoy dinner on your own tonight.

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.

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. Back at the lodge, there is time to walk one of the hiking trails or perhaps go whitewater rafting before dinner.

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 seven night cruise portion of your itinerary.

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. Tonight, join the ship’s captain for a welcome reception.

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. Early evening, enjoy the company of your fellow Tauck cruisers at a private cocktail party followed by dinner.

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. This vintage rail excursion heads up steep grades, around cliff-hanging turns, and over high bridges.

Arrive in Juneau, Alaska’s capital, and embark on a private whale-watching cruise in search of humpback whales and orcas; watch for bald eagles, seals and sea lions as well. Visit impressive Mendenhall Glacier, a stone’s throw from downtown Juneau. Tonight you cruise to 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. You’ll also have time to explore this colourful town on your own. Perhaps with a walk along its historic boardwalk lined with eclectic houses and shops or take in the waterfront promenade.

Spend the final day of your memorable Alaskan adventure cruising the majestic fjords and coastal islands of Alaska’s Inside Passage – a favorite waterway of the 49th state’s resident bald eagles, sea lions, porpoises and whales, especially humpbacks. This is also a perfect time to enjoy your Princess ship’s many amenities, from swimming by day to live entertainment a night. Tonight, join a farewell cocktail party exclusively for Tauck guests, before dinner as you wish.

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.