Escorted Group Tours » Alaska & Canada Escorted Group Tours » Winter Alaska Tour

Winter Alaska Escorted Group Tour 2012

21 Feb - 6 Mar 2012

Trip Code: GCA2

Experience the incredible beauty and grandeur of winter in Alaska. For many people that live in Alaska, winter is their favourite time of the year. The scenery at this time of year can be dazzling with pure white snow, crisp blue skies and the northern lights are a formidable combination. You can also view the start of the biggest sporting event in Alaska, the Iditarod. The Iditarod is known as the “Last Great Race on Earth”. This epic dog mushing race is run over 1000 miles from Willow to Nome and starts in early March every year.

PRICES
Land arrangements including twin share	$3,400
Internal Air Travel	$1,000
TRIP TOTAL excl international flights	$4,400
International Flight Optional (read more)	$1,850
International Flight Tax	$150
GRAND TOTAL	$6,400

Included Highlights
Itinerary
Tour Map

Seattle

Seattle is the largest city in Washington State. Seattle is encircled by water on every side with two massive mountain ranges, the Olympic range is to the east and Cascade to the west. The city is diverse and cosmopolitan with great restaurants, cafes and attractions such as the Seattle Art Museum, Experience Music Project and a charming waterfront area. Pike Place Market creates a colourful atmosphere with fresh fish, local produce and food booths. Interestingly Seattle is the birth place of such companies as Starbucks, Nordstrom, Boeing and Microsoft.

Fairbanks

Fairbanks was originally a trading post when gold was found in 1902. Today the city is a blend of old and new; modern shopping strips stand beside log cabins and historic buildings. A popular highlight is the Riverboat Discover; a sternwheeler ride down the Tanana River and Eldorado Gold Mine. During certain months, Fairbanks has some of the best northern lights viewing in the world.

Talkeetna

Talkeetna is an authentic little Alaskan town with dirt streets and log cabins. On clear days, the town has spectacular views of Mt McKinley, North America’s highest mountain. The first ascent of Mt McKinley was June 7, 1913 and since then mountain climbers have come to Talkeetna from all over the world to reach its summit. Flight-seeing tours over Mt. McKinley and Denali National Park are highly recommended. Another alternative is a scenic boat ride up the Talkeetna River or charter fishing.

Alaska Railroad

The Alaska Railroad route spans more than 500 miles from the coastal community of Seward, to the wilderness of Denali National Park before reaching its terminus in the Interior city of Fairbanks. Travelers on this journey pass through alpine forests, coastal regions, and traverse two major mountain ranges. On board the train, local guides provide informative and interesting commentary.

Girdwood

Girdwood began as a gold rush town, and was originally called Glacier City. It was founded by James Girwood who had four gold claims on Crow Creek. It also served as a stopover point on the trek from Seward to Ship Creek (now Anchorage) for tired miners.

Seward

Seward is the gateway to the famous Kenai Fjords National Park. This area is home to abundant wildlife, many species of birds and beautiful glaciers. Seward offers numerous activities including wildlife and glacier cruises, hiking and the Alaska Sealife Center.

Sealife Centre

Alaska’s only public aquarium and ocean wildlife rescue center is celebrating ten years on the shores of Resurrection Bay.

Alaska Zoo

The Alaska Zoo is located on 25 acres of the Anchorage Hillside. The zoo has the widest variety of animals native to the state of Alaska as well as some exotics such as Siberian Tiger, Amur tigers, Bactrian Camels, and yaks. Many of the animals currently in the zoo were found orphaned or injured.

Happy Trails Kennel

The Happy Trails Kennel were established in 1982 with the express purpose to raise and train happy, fast long distance sled dogs to race and win the Iditarod. The owner of the kennels is Martin Buser a 4 time Iditarod Champion and 4 time Leonard Seppala Humanitarian Award winner. Martin is one of the best sporting figures in Alaska.

Iditarod

The Iditarod is an annual sled dog team race across Alaska. Mushers and teams ranging between 12 and 16 dogs cover over 1,049 miles in the race from Anchorage to Nome. Teams frequently race through blizzards causing whiteout conditions, sub-zero temperatures and gale-force winds which can cause the wind chill to reach −100 °F (−73 °C).

San Francisco

San Francisco is often called “Everybody’s Favorite City” a title earned by its scenic beauty, cultural attractions, diverse communities and world class cuisine. Measuring 49 square miles, this very walk-able city is dotted with landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, Alcatraz Island and the largest Chinatown in the United States. A stroll of the city’s streets can lead to Union Square, the Italian-flavored North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Castro, Japan-town and the Mission District. There are intriguing neighbourhoods to explore at every turn.

Tue 21 Feb	Australia to Seattle Departure from Australia on Air New Zealand flights to Los Angeles. After clearing customs and immigration in Los Angeles we board an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle. Airport Hotel (2 nights)
Wed 22 Feb	Seattle A day at leisure or shopping for winter gear.
Thu 23 Feb	Seattle to Fairbanks In the morning we board an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Anchorage and then onto Fairbanks arriving mid afternoon. Spring Hill Suites (3 nights).
Fri 24 Feb	Fairbanks - Northern Lights viewing tour After lunch we head out to Chena Hot Springs which is located approximately 55 miles from Fairbanks. Chena is internationally renowned for its northern lights viewing and natural hot springs. Our visit includes entrance to the Aurora Ice Museum and Snow Coach Tour to view the northern lights. Whilst viewing the northern lights can never be guaranteed, Chena is one of the best places on the planet to see the Aurora Borealis. The northern lights area is an outdoor venue, however, there is a Yurt where we can go inside and warm up. Meals included: Breakfast
Sat 25 Feb	Fairbanks After dressing ourselves in warm clothes we start the day with a visit to one of the largest annual ice art competitions and exhibitions in the world. This competition features teams from around the world with more than 100 ice artists competing in various categories. The afternoon is free to enjoy the winter activities in downtown Fairbanks. Meals included: Breakfast
Sun 26 Feb	Fairbanks to Talkeetna on Alaska Railroad This morning we depart Fairbanks on the world famous Alaska Railroad Aurora winter train. Our journey takes us through the stunning snow coverered interior of Alaska. We pass Denali National Park before arriving into Talkeetna late in the afternoon. Talkeetna Cabins (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast
Mon 27 Feb	Talkeetna to Anchorage After a leisurely morning looking around Talkeetna, we drive through spectacular Hatcher Pass to Anchorage the largest city in Alaska. Meals included: Breakfast
Tue 28 Feb	Anchorage to Girdwood via Seward Today we climb aboard our motorcoach for a journey to the coastal community of Seward. We travel south along the spectacular Turnagain Arm. Visit the Alaska Sealife Center for an in-depth look above and below the waters. Return to Girdwood for overnight accommodations at The Hotel Alyeska.(2 nights) Meals included: Breakfast
Wed 29 Feb	Girdwood Day at leisure at the resort. There are many optional tours to choose from or just relax and enjoy the hotel amenities ranging from relaxation in the spa or undertake activities such as: dog sledding, snow machining, flightseeing, or snow shoeing (costs not included). You can also enjoy a tram ride (cost included) to take in spectacular views of the valley. Meals included: Breakfast Lunch
Thu 1 Mar	Girdwood to Anchorage We start the day by driving north from Alyeska back to Anchorage. On arrival, we take a tour through the historic downtown district, Lake Hood, Lake Spenard and also visit the Alaska Zoo for a “behind the scenes” tour. In the evening we enjoy Iditarod festivities and dinner at the Musher’s Banquet. Anchorage Hilton (4 nights). Meals included: Breakfast Dinner
Fri 2 Mar	Anchorage - Happy Trails Kennel Tour We travel north to the home of four-time Iditarod Champion Martin Buser at his Happy Trails Kennel. We hear personal stories from Martin and also gain an appreciation of the grandeur Alaska has to offer along the Iditarod trail. Meals included: Breakfast
Sat 3 Mar	Anchorage - Iditarod Ceremonial Start This morning we head to 4th Avenue to take up our positions to watch the start of the Iditarod. We have the opportunity to view each of the mushers depart or alternatively take off early and enjoy other Iditarod festivities in Anchorage. This afternoon, enjoy the cultural opportunities available at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner
Sun 4 Mar	Anchorage - Iditarod Official Restart This morning we board our coach and travel north to Willow for the official restart of the Iditarod. The mushers head from the start line in Willow into the Alaskan Wilderness on their 1,000 mile race through to Nome.
Mon 5 Mar	Anchorage to San Francisco via Seattle In the morning we transfer to Anchorage Airport for our flight to Seattle, then onto San Francisco. San Francisco Airport Hotel (1 night)
Tue 6 Mar	Depart San Francisco We have the day at leisure to enjoy San Francisco before boarding our evening Air New Zealand flights back to Australia.