Journeys: Discover Alaska

Arrive at any time.

Included Experiences

• Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting: The adventure begins tonight. Feel free to explore before your welcome meeting, but make sure you’re back in time to meet the group. Check for the meeting time on the welcome note at the hotel. After introductions, your Expedition Leader will review the details of your tour. Please note that normal check-in times apply at our start hotels, but you can usually store your luggage for the day if you arrive early.

Travel along the stunning coast of the Kenai Peninsula, where glaciers tumble down from mountains towards the ocean. As we drive along the Turnagain Arm, keep an eye out for beluga whales playing out at sea, or catch a glimpse of volcanoes across the Cook Inlet. Upon arrival in Homer, opt to stretch your legs on a short hike outside of town.

Optional Experiences

• Hiking: Enjoy a short hike outside Homer to get a little closer to the majestic landscape.

Enjoy a free day in Homer. Stroll the quaint streets and check out the restaurants and art galleries along the Homer Spit, a 4.5-mile-long finger of land protruding into Kachemak Bay. Discover stories of life on the bay at the natural history museum or satisfy your adventurous side exploring Kachemak Bay by water taxi, kayak, on a self-guided hike, or perhaps trying your hand at the local sport of halibut fishing.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Enjoy a full day to explore the great outdoors.

Optional Experiences

• Halibut Fishing: Head out with the locals to see if you can haul in some halibut, Homer has some of the best fishing in all of North America and is known as the 'The Halibut Fishing Capital of the World.' (200-300 USD per person)
• Hiking: Enjoy a short hike outside Homer to get a little closer to the majestic landscape.
• Kachemak Bay Exploration: Hop on a water taxi and head to Kackhemak Bay. Spend some time hiking the trails, exploring the cove or trying to spot some of the animals that stop to visit the bay like sea otters and seals. With so many different trails to choose from there's a little something for everyone. Many climb up over steep, rugged terrain and offer amazing views at the end, while others wind through deep coastal forests and meadows allowing you to really experience the vast wild landscapes of Alaska. (75-85 USD per person)

Leave Homer and travel the Kenai Penninsula to Kenai Fjords National Park, where the Ice Age still lingers. After lunch on your own, hit the trail to view the impressive Exit Glacier and to witness the size of this natural phenomenon in person. Black bears frequent the area and are a common sight as well. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon free to explore the coastal town of Seward nestled in the majestic fjord of Resurrection Bay. Known for its abundance of sea life, often sea otters and harbor seals are spotted directly from the shore.

Included Experiences

• Hike to View Exit Glacier on the Harding Icefield Trail: Head out on an amazing hike to view Exit Glacier. The Glacier Overlook Trail is a well maintained trail which provides views of Exit Glacier. Follow this moderately strenuous 2.2 mile loop trail to the Exit Glacier Overlook and view the glacier in its own glacially carved valley.

Today, visit the world-renowned Alaska Sea Life Center, an aquarium that collaborates with National Geographic on wildlife initiatives. We'll also set out by catamaran to cruise the glacial waters of Kenai Fjords National Park. Enjoy narration by a knowledgeable park ranger while scanning the sea for puffins, sea lions, colonies of seabirds, and whales (including, if we’re lucky, orcas). See three types of glaciers and watch and listen for ice calving off the tidewater glacier. Spend the evening at your leisure; opt to go hiking or explore the town.

Included Experiences

• Alaska SeaLife Center: On the shores of the scenic town of Seward sits the renowned Alaska SeaLife Center, Alaska’s premier public aquarium. This esteemed marine science facility offers a combined focus on research, wildlife rehabilitation, and educating the public. Enjoy a visit to the centre, which frequently collaborates with the National Geographic Society on various wildlife initiatives such as critter cams, expeditions, and the important Photo Ark project, which aims to create portraits of the world’s species before they disappear to extinction.
• Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise: Cruise through the glacial waters of Kenai Fjords National Park on a large catamaran hosted and narrated by a National Park Ranger. See three different kinds of glaciers, including a piedmont glacier, several cirque glaciers and an active calving tidewater glacier. Take time to look for wildlife in the sky and surrounding waters as you learn about the region. Keep an eye out for Humpback Whales, Orcas, Dall’s Porpoise, Harbor Seals, puffins, sea otters, sea lions, and more.
• Free Time: Enjoy some time to explore this coastal town.

Keep your camera close during a scenic drive to Denali National Park, named for the highest mountain in North America—formerly known as Mount McKinley, at a dizzying 20,310 feet high. Beginning in the early 20th century, National Geographic has funded several exploratory expeditions and research initiatives in Denali National Park, from early aerial photographs and mapping expeditions, to research pertaining to the volcanic craters here and the behaviour of wolf packs. Upon arrival take time to settle into your rustic lodgings in the Denali wilderness before the group will meet with an instructor from the Denali Education Center. The instructor will share a presentation focusing on Indigenous history in Alaska. They will discuss the global and hyperlocal effects of the modern age on generations of Indigenous cultures while standing on the very land that five different native groups lived on and called home for thousands of years.

Included Experiences

• Denali Immersion: An Indigenous History of Alaska Presentation: For thousands of years the traditional lands of five different indigenous groups intersected at Denali on the land that is currently part of Denali National Park. The Ahtna, Dena’ina, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, and Tanana peoples each have their own language and traditions. During the presentation at the Denali Education Center our instructor will use an indigenous worldview as a framework to discuss human migration theory, colonization, its effects on Alaska, federal legislation, land rights, and the plight of sovereign Indigenous tribes today. The 1-hour program is an introduction to Indigenous history in Alaska and focuses on the global and hyperlocal effects of the modern age on generations of Indigenous cultures.

Depart early and catch the shuttle into the heart of Denali National Park. As you make your way to the East Fork Bridge at (Mile 43) take in breathtaking views of the Alaska Range and snap pictures of wildlife such as caribou, grizzly bears, Dall sheep, moose, and wolves in their natural habitat.

Included Experiences

• Shuttle: Hop on a national park transit bus to travel into the heart of Denali National Park. Make multiple stops en route to watch wildlife in its natural habitat.
• Denali National Park Visit: Spend the day exploring Denali National Park. The area is well-known for its diversity of wildlife and the highest peak in North America, Mount McKinley, also known as Denali. There are 39 species of mammals, 167 species of birds, 10 species of fish, and one species of amphibian known in Denali. Summer is a time for raising the young and preparing for migration, hibernation, or survival during the winter and, with a little luck, we witness it all. Discover the dynamic glaciated landscape providing large rivers, countless lakes and ponds, and unique landforms which form the foundation of the ecosystems that thrive in Denali National Park.
• Scenic Shuttle to East Fork Bridge (Mile 43): Depart early to explore Denali National Park. Take the shuttle bus to the East Fork Bridge at (Mile 43) and back, getting deeper into the heart of the park. The journey takes approximately 6 hours and shows off the stunning wilderness of Denali.

Learn about the extreme conditions that shape life in Denali National Park and its subarctic ecosystem, hearing stories of the resilient First Nations people who have survived here for generations. Head out on a guided hike with a naturalist and take in the rugged beauty of the Denali wilderness. Enjoy a free afternoon to relax and explore on your own. Opt to observe a dog-sledding talk and demonstration.

Included Experiences

• Denali Immersion: Welcome to the Subarctic: Rejoin the Denali Education Center for an interactive introduction to the park and its subarctic ecosystem. Learn about National Geographic’s legacy with American national parks, as well as other projects National Geographic has supported in Denali NP and across Alaska. Listen to stories about the park’s history and culture, as well as characteristics of its subarctic ecosystem. Learn about the complex geology here and how First Nations people have survived for generations in one of the most formidable climates on the planet. Then head out on a hike with a naturalist guide to take in the awe-inspiring beauty of the Denali wilderness.
• Free Time: Spend the day exploring Denali National Park – with so much to see and do, your options are endless!

Optional Experiences

• Denali Visitor Center & Dog Sled Demonstration: Learn about the flora and fauna throughout Denali National Park at the visitor centre before a dog sledding talk and demonstration by the park rangers.
• Denali Hiking: Use any of the hiking trails around the park to enjoy the rugged beauty of Denali National Park. If the weather is clear, look up to see Mount McKinley, locally known as Denali, towering overhead. Some of the most popular trails are the Mount Healy overlook trail and Horseshoe Lake trail. The Mount Healy trail allows hikers to travel part of the way up Mount Healy which overlooks the entrance area to the park. Even though it is one of the steepest trails in Denali the effort is well worth it. You will walk steadily through spruce forest before encountering the switchbacks that will have you above the tree-line in no time. The official trail ends at the overlook with great views to the south where you can choose to continue to the true peak of Mount Healy or you can turn back. Please note that this trail is not a loop. The Horseshoe Lake trail is a rather popular loop hike that attracts quite a few people, so you certainly won’t be the only one out there. As you follow this well developed trail down to the lake you will pass the overlook which gives you a gorgeous panoramic view of the Nenana river often referred to as “Glitter Gulch” right outside the park. You will also be able to see the surrounding mountains towering in the distance. Once you arrive at the lake stay on the lookout for full-racked bull moose as this can be a popular spot for them to cool off during the summer months. This hike is truly a great starter trail in the area that will get you a bit more acquainted with the beauty of Denali National Park.
• Rafting trip on the Nenan River: Enjoy a gorgeous tour along the natural boundary of Denali National Park. You’ll glide through 11 miles of glacially carved valleys and amazing vistas with panoramic views of Mount Fellows and the Nenana Canyon. Although you’ll encounter the occasional rapid, this option is mellow enough for the whole family. (95-135 USD per person)

Enjoy the scenic drive back to Anchorage, following the Alaska Range southward along the picturesque Susitna River. Opt for a final dinner with your fellow travelers this evening, and reflect on your epic journey into the wild.

Depart at any time.