Alaska: Call of the Wild

Tour begins: 6:00 PM, The Hotel Captain Cook. A transfer is included from Anchorage International Airport to The Hotel Captain Cook. Join us for a welcome dinner tonight. Stay: The Hotel Captain Cook (D)

In Alaska, dog sledding is both a very popular sport and an important mode of transportation to remote places where roads still don't go. Drive from Anchorage this morning to Big Lake for a visit to a facility where Alaskan huskies train to become sled dogs.

Continue on to Talkeetna for a jet boat* ride with a naturalist guide to look for bald eagles, beavers, moose and even bears that live along the river, and a nature walk in the Alaskan bush to see a turn-of-the-century trapper's cabin. If the weather is good, you'll have an incredible view of Alaska's famous Denali en route to your wilderness lodge for a two-night stay. Once there, you and your family can compete in a high-tech treasure-hunting game – known as geocaching – where you'll use a GPS system to find hidden treasures. Stay Two Nights: Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge (B/L/D)

Nature is everywhere on a morning hike* at Talkeetna Lake, with loons and kingfishers above you, and a forest brimming with wildflowers and wildlife surrounding you. As you walk, your local guide shares stories about how the first native peoples survived in this beautiful but wild land, and about life in Talkeetna today – and, of course, about amazing encounters with wildlife. After lunch at your lodge, travel to Trapper Creek to visit the private homestead of Joanne Porterfield, nestled in the Alaska wilderness; her family's gardens and farm have flourished here in the shadow of Denali for more than four decades.

Later, back at your lodge in Talkeetna, enjoy an interpretive experience with storytelling, s'mores and more around an old-fashioned campfire tonight. (B/L)

Depart your lodge in Talkeetna and soar over the Denali foothills in a small plane (weather permitting) for a breathtaking bird's-eye view of towering Denali, the tallest mountain in North America.

After your flight, you'll travel to Anchorage for a visit to the Alaska Native Heritage Center, a renowned cultural center and museum where you'll come away with a greater understanding of Alaska's indigenous people.

Following a tour and lunch, continue on to the wildlife-rich Kenai Peninsula and a two-night wilderness lodge stay in Cooper Landing, nestled within Chugach National Forest. Stay Two Nights: Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge (B/L/D)

Today, you can choose how you and your family will experience the wonders of the Kenai Peninsula, as your Alaska family vacation continues at your lodge in this wilderness wonderland between Cook Inlet and the Gulf of Alaska. You can choose to go kayaking*, take a scenic river-rafting trip*, or embark on a hike into the wilderness with a local guide – they're included with Tauck Bridges! You might also want to take advantage of optional opportunities for fishing or horseback riding that may be available at an additional cost. (Note: Tours of June 5, 19, 23; July 3, 5, 17, 19, 31; August 2, 14 and 18, which stay at the Seward Windsong Lodge nights 4 & 5, will visit the Alaska Sealife Center.) (B/L/D)

Get a close-up glimpse of Alaskan wildlife on a visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center on Turnagain Arm, meeting moose, bison, elk and other orphaned or injured animals being rehabilitated by this non-profit organization. Next, head to the Crow Creek Mine in Alaska's historic gold rush country, where you'll meet a "prospector," pan for gold and dig into a barbecue lunch. Then it's on to your resort in Girdwood, where a fun evening is in store. Stay Two Nights: The Hotel Alyeska (B/L)

Hop aboard an Alaska Railroad self-propelled rail car for a trip along Turnagain Arm to Whittier; there you'll board a boat that takes your family on a glacier adventure cruise on Blackstone Bay in Prince William Sound! With an expert wildlife guide aboard, you'll sail past thundering waterfalls and tidewater glaciers (your cruise includes lunch). Keep your ears ready for sounds the glaciers make as they groan and crack – and keep an eye out for eagles, otters and harbor seals along the way. En route back to your hotel, you'll travel through the Whittier Tunnel, the second longest highway tunnel in North America.

Tonight, join us back at the hotel in Girdwood for our farewell dinner, where your family shares memories of your Alaska family vacation with your newfound friends. (B/L/D)

Tour ends: Girdwood, Alaska. Fly home anytime. A transfer from the Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood to Anchorage International Airport (approximately 75 minutes) is included for your flight home. Allow a minimum of two hours at the airport for check-in. (B)