All-inclusive journey to Alaska

Day 1: Arrival in Vancouver
Welcome to Canada! Arrive in Vancouver where you’ll be welcomed by a representative from our team, who will accompany you to your 2/3 star hotel or B&B.

Day 2: Guided Tour of Vancouver
The second day is devoted to visiting Vancouver, a beautiful city on the West Coast. You will spend the day viewing major attractions such as Stanley Park, and then head over the Lions Bridge to reach the North Shore. From here, go towards Grouse Mountain where you will visit the famous Capilano Suspension Bridge, located at the canyon of the Capilano River. The same road will bring you to the salmon hatchery, and in the afternoon, you will embark on your cruise ship. During your first day of cruising, you will enter the scenic Inside Passage waterway which is full of natural wonders. Vancouver and its outskirts will appear in all their beauty.

Day 3: Inside Passage | Second Day of Cruising
Relax and enjoy the day at sea along the scenic Inside Passage and immerse yourself in the elegance of Holland America Line. The mythical Inside Passage is one of the most spectacular waterways in the world, and one of the few where large cruise ships can sail near steep mountain walls. The scenery is amazing, with forests in a hundred shades of green, turquoise glaciers and cities full of history, culture and adventure. With most of southeastern Alaska accessible only by boat or plane, the Inside Passage is an anchor of salvation, allowing the remote region to communicate with the outside world.

Day 4: Ketchikan / Misty Fjords (on request) | Third Day of Cruising
Ketchikan is a port city is famous for its rich native culture, salmon fishing and the spectacular Misty Fjords National Monument, located on the banks of the Tongass Narrows. In addition to the main attractions – including Creek Street, Tongass History Museum, Totem Bight State Park and Saxman Village – a breathtaking hike to the Misty Fjords is not to be missed. These deep-water fjords, formed by the retreat of glaciers, are bordered by granite rocks towering hundreds of metres above sea – and the countless waterfalls from these rocks offer unforgettable shows.

Day 5: Juneau (other excursions upon request) | Fourth Day of Cruising
Enjoy a full day exploring the capital of Alaska. Located at the foot of a mountain on the Gastineau channel, Juneau is walking distance from the massive Mendenhall glacier and the impressive Juneau Ice Fields. You can choose from exciting excursions on the ground, or reserve time for shopping. Hike the Mendenhall Glacier, explore the lush Tongass National Forest or visit the rustic shops in town. You may also choose to go kayaking, dogsledding, whale-watching, rafting along the pristine rivers, trekking through the forests surrounding them or even enjoy a gorgeous panoramic flight.

Day 6: Skagway | Fifth Day of Cruising
Go back in time with an exciting excursion to the glory days of the gold rush, and then devote the rest of your day to some shopping. You can travel on the same narrow gauge railroad used by miners, which winds through high rock walls and gives you an idea of how life was during the time of the gold rush. You can visit small local shops, appropriately named ‘Trail Bench’ or ‘Lynch & Kennedy’s Dry Goods’. The ‘Red Onion Saloon’, with its honky tonk pianist and waitresses dressed in costumes, is an authentic museum of memorabilia, with portraits on the walls of the period’s characters. To complete the picture of those roaring days, visit the nostalgic ‘Trail of ’98’; while the restored buildings and wooden walkways of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park invite you to take a walk into the past.

Day 7: Glacier Bay | Sixth Day of Cruising
Enjoy the gorgeous eight-hour cruise between the icy fjords of this national treasure. As a biosphere reserve and heritage site, the Glacier Bay National Park protects a unique ecosystem of plants and animals living in an environment of ever-changing glacial landscape. What do you feel when a monumental piece of ice comes off a glacier and crashes into the sea? The noise is like thunder. The impact projects water at hundreds and hundreds of feet in the air that we will breathe in while capturing the moment on the film. In Glacier Bay, there are more glaciers active in calving (breaking off into the water) than in any other part of the world.

Day 8: College Fjord | Seventh Day of Cruising
Icy rivers surround the College Fjord on three sides. Here, you’ll pass by one glacier after another: a magnificent assembly of glacial wonders truly showcasing the forces of nature. Ivy League College funded the Harriman expedition, which discovered the College Fjord in 1899 – resulting in all glaciers of the fjord named in honour of various schools. The glaciers on the left are titled after the female college, with those on the right are after the male college.

Day 9: Landing in Seward – Anchorage – Denali
Arrive in Seward at 7am, where you’ll have the morning to visit the town. A coach bus will then take you to Anchorage. The city, beautifully located in Cook Bay and surrounded by the Chugach Mountains, is a business centre complete with restaurants, frontier saloons, museums and art galleries. From here, you will continue by bus to Denali National Park, admiring the lovely landscapes along the way. You will then spend the night at a lodge in the park.

Day 10: Denali National Park
Today you will embark on a guided tour of Denali, a park of international importance. Here, you’ll see the highest mountain in North America: Mount McKinley (also known as Denali, ‘the tallest’ in the area’s native language). The area was established as Mount McKinley National Park on February 26, 1917, and is the largest protected natural ecosystem in the world. You can spot many forms of wildlife in the park, including moose, bighorns, caribou and bears. You will surely see ptarmigan in the open valleys (the symbol of Alaska) as well as eagles patrolling the skies alongside crows, magpies and gray jays. With a bit of luck, you will find a grizzly crossing the stream, sheep jumping between the steep rocks and moose grazing in the meadows. You’ll also be amazed by the massive glaciers, and admire the many moraines, waterfalls and ice bridges. Upon return, you will have time to walk in the park until dinner back at your lodge in the evening.

Day 11: Return
Enjoy a scenic train ride from Denali to Anchorage, and transfer to the airport for your return flight.