Alaska: America’s Last Frontier
Overview
Itinerary
Your Alaskan adventure begins with a 3-night stay in Fairbanks, the “golden heart city.” Discover this gold rush boomtown's unique mix of contemporary culture and rich history. As travelers' arrival times will vary, we have not included any sightseeing today. Spend the day as you wish, exploring the city independently. Dinner tonight is on your own.
Tap into Alaska's “golden heart” with a visit to a locally owned gold-panning experience, where you'll learn about the region's gold mining past and try your hand at panning for some pay dirt yourself. Get to know Fairbanks on a city tour, including a stop at the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, an engineering marvel that delivers oil across the state to the port city of Valdez.
After some free time this afternoon, you'll visit legendary Trail Breaker Kennel where you'll meet mushers and their happy pups. Witness the dogs in their element on a training run before enjoying dinner on the kennel's scenic property.
This morning is at leisure, or take a cruise on the Riverboat Discovery to get a glimpse into everyday life along Alaska's rivers. This afternoon, visit the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska, where light-filled spaces and expansive windows highlight the spectacular views of the Alaskan range. Inside, the museum tells the state's rich history through art, artifacts, and film.
Behold beautiful scenery as you relax and have breakfast in a deluxe domed railcar on your way to Denali National Park. Upon arrival in Denali, enjoy an included lunch and some free time.
After, it's your choice! Join your Tour Manager on an easy hike and discover wildflowers and gorgeous views in every direction -OR- take a bus into the park where a ranger will introduce you to the park's sled dogs, the traditional mode of Alaskan wilderness transportation. The evening is yours to discover Denali as you please.
Bring your binoculars and camera as you head into Denali National Park on a full-day Tundra Wilderness Tour. Travel over 40 miles into the park and enjoy a wide range of incredible scenery, narrated history, and some of the best opportunities to view the park's abundant wildlife.
Leave Denali National Park behind and step into small-town life in Talkeetna. Check into the iconic Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, perched on a ridge offering unforgettable views of Denali. Perhaps you will take an optional flightseeing tour and witness the park's breathtaking beauty from the air before landing on a glacier for incomparable views of the Alaskan Range. Later, meet up with a local for a discussion on the down-to-earth Alaskan lifestyle.
On your way to Anchorage, discover the pastoral charm of Matanuska Valley. Enjoy free time in Palmer for lunch before you take a step into the past with a visit to Musk Ox Farm. Learn about the Musk Ox project – a sustainable domestication effort that has worked to preserve, protect, and increase awareness for these wooly creatures since 1954. Get acquainted with Anchorage on a panoramic city tour before enjoying an evening at leisure to discover what Alaska's largest city has to offer.
Delve into the area's Indigenous culture this morning at the Alaska Native Heritage Center where you'll learn about Alaska Native customs, dances, songs, and local crafts. Head to Whittier and embrace the sheer magnitude of Alaska's natural beauty on a glacier cruise through Prince William Sound. Listen to an expert narrate your journey through a geological wonderland as blue skies collide with stark white glaciers and playful otters dip in and out of the calm waters.
Tonight, gather at a local restaurant and toast to your journey through America's last great frontier.
Your Alaskan adventure comes to a close today.
Trip Inclusions
- Visit Musk Ox Farm and learn about the sustainable domestication project.
- Learn about Alaska's gold mining past through the voices of 2 local sisters and try your hand at panning for pay dirt.
- Get a local's perspective on the Alaskan way of life during an interactive discussion.
- View the scenery from Fairbanks to Denali aboard a deluxe domed railcar.
- Embark on a Tundra Wilderness Tour with an expert in Denali National Park.
- Enjoy a scenic glacier cruise of Prince William Sound.
- Dine on the grounds of the champion-owned Trail Breaker Kennel.
- This tour requires average physical activity. You should be in good health, able to climb stairs and walk reasonable distances, possibly over uneven ground and cobblestoned streets.
- Itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
- Price is for land, cruise and specified internal flights. International flights not included.
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Trip Optionals
- Location: Talkeetna, AK. Cost: $719.
- Soar among the peaks of Denali National Park during this incredible flightseeing experience. Behold the South Face of Denali and the jagged peaks of Mount Huntington and Moose’s Tooth. Take in the vast expanse of the Great Gorge and make a mid-flight stop for a walk on a glacier. As you step off the plane and out into the quiet stillness, you’ll get a sense of the scale of the Alaskan Range paired with incomparable views. Duration approximately 2.5 hour(s). Transportation is included. A minimum of 1 passenger(s) is required to operate this option.
- Location: Fairbanks, AK. Cost: $224.
- Enjoy an included lunch, then step aboard the Sternwheeler Discovery and explore the “last frontier” by river to uncover Alaska’s rich culture and history. You’ll disembark the boat and take a tour of the Chena Indian Village Living Museum to learn about the Athabascan tribe’s way of life and how they thrived in the harsh Arctic. Then, you’ll see a bush pilot demonstration as a plane takes off and lands right on the water next to the boat and hear how these pilots connect the remote destinations in Alaska to civilization. Afterward, meet the dogs and drivers at Trail Breaker Kennel, home of the late 4-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher. You’ll also dock at Steamboat Landing, a throwback to trading posts where you can shop for unique souvenirs. This is a 3-hour river journey you won’t want to miss. Duration approximately 3 hour(s). Transportation is included. A minimum of 5 passenger(s) is required to operate this option. This option must be booked at least 48 hours prior, as final counts are required. A visit to Trail Breaker Kennel is already included in your tour. This River Boat option also includes it, as you will watch a demonstration from the ship as one of the many featured Alaskan experiences. When you visit the kennel as part of the main tour, it will be in our Collette group only, for a private more in-depth experience.
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Collette Worldwide (2026-27)
Dates & Pricing
Collette Passport Club
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A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you Enquire. Additional savings may apply. T&C’s apply.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by Collette. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
