Best of Alaska 12-day Escorted Tour - Three national parks, brown bears, whales, wildlife, calving tidewater glaciers, Mt. McKinley, fall colors, hot springs and much more.

See Katmai National Park's renowned grizzly bears catch salmon and watch for whales as we cruise past tidewater glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park. Venture into the heart of Denali National Park for views of Alaska's "Great One," Mt. Denali (McKinley) and see one of the greatest gatherings of Alaska's wildlife. Our adventure includes visits to the coastal community of Seward where we'll visit the Alaska SeaLife Center and Fairbanks where we'll explore Alaska's interior by paddleboat.

A raft trip, panning for gold and an evening bike ride looking for moose are included as additional activities with this tour.

Backcountry Safaris has more than 20 years of experience guiding Alaska adventures, and we believe this is the best-escorted tour package offered in Alaska. It is the ultimate Alaska experience, showing you the best scenery and wildlife Alaska has to offer.

Avoid the crowds and cramped tour buses you'll find elsewhere. We believe your trip of a lifetime should be a special experience, so we've designed our Best-of-Alaska tour for small groups desiring personalized service in a carefree atmosphere. We limit the size of our group to 15 people for this special package, so availability is limited. Off-season advance reservations are recommended.

Backcountry Safaris will provide a sleeping bag if you need one and tents for the two nights of camping.

RELATED AIALIK BAY LINKS

• Kenai Fjords National Park Information
• Kenai Fjords National Park Historic Resource Study
• NPS Kenai Fjords National Park
• Denali National Park & Preserve (National Park Service)
• Denali: The Complete Guide (book)
• Wildflowers of Denali National Park (books)

ITINERARY
Arrival Sept. 1 — Arrive at Fairbanks International Airport and lodge overnight in town.

Day 2 Sept. 2 — Enjoy breakfast on your own before we arrive to pick you up for a tour of Fairbanks. We'll travel by paddleboat to explore the Interior's Chena River and see dog mushing, a Native village and fish camp, bush plane display and trading post.

We continue our tour of Fairbanks with a visit to the Museum of the North. The museum's stunning new building houses one of the state's best collection of Native and contemporary art, natural history and wildlife displays and exhibits explaining life and land in northern extremes.

We finish our day in Fairbanks dining at the Alaska Salmon Bake where you can savor some of Alaska's tasty fresh salmon, halibut and cod or enjoy grilled prime rib.

Finally, we travel an hour northeast of Fairbanks to Chena Hot Springs for a soothing dip in the spring's invigorating warm waters. We camp overnight at the springs.

Day 3 Sept. 3 — We return to Fairbanks to visit the historic El Dorado Gold Mine where we'll ride the Tanana Valley Railroad for an adventure into the gold fields of Interior Alaska on a two-hour guided tour. Our visit includes a walking tour of a mining camp where you'll meet Alaska miners who'll explain modern day placer mining methods. Try your hand at mining and grab your own "poke" filled with pay dirt right out of a sluice box.

We drive south to Denali National Park, passing through the heart of Alaska's interior. Our day concludes with a four-hour raft trip down the spectacular Nenana River, which skirts the border of the national park. Choose an easy-going scenic route raft adventure or take a thrilling whitewater ride down the Class IV rapids of the Nenana River Canyon.
We lodge overnight in Denali.

Day 4 Sept. 4 — Venture into Denali National Park aboard a private bus for a full-day narrated tour along the entire 95-mile park road to a Denali lodge in Kantishna. Our trained naturalist guide/driver provides natural history interpretation along the way, helping guests search for bears, moose, caribou and other wildlife while explaining Denali's distinctive biology and geology. We stop throughout the tour for photographs and take several rest stops allowing guests to stretch their legs. Snacks, drinks and lunch are provided.

Lunch is served at a Denali lodge in Kantishna. Dietary restrictions are accommodated with advance notice, and there is always a vegetarian option. Lunch consists of a sandwich bar, soups, fruits, snacks, fresh baked goods and drinks.

Activities in Kantishna with a trained guide are available after lunch. Pan for gold near the lodge or take a guided nature walk to the recently restored Fannie Quigley pioneer cabin.

Return to the Denali Park entrance in the evening.

Day 5 Sept. 5 — Visit the dog kennel of four-time Iditarod Sled Dog Race champion, Jeff King. The "world's winningest musher" and his dog handlers explain the special relationship between musher and dog. Cuddle with the puppies and view summer training in action. See arctic survival gear, sleds and racing equipment and hear stories about 30 years of Alaska dog-mushing from freight hauling on Denali to crossing the finish line in Nome with a champion Iditarod team.

Travel to Anchorage aboard the Alaska Railroad's Gold Star First Class dome car. These specially equipped elevated rail cars provide sweeping views of towering Alaska Range peaks, lush muskegs, majestic black spruce forests and fields of brilliant magenta fireweed. Travel through the funky mountain climbing community of Talkeetna and past rural Alaska on this nostalgic rail journey to Anchorage.

Lodge overnight at an Anchorage hotel.

Day 6 Sept. 6 — Enjoy a casual day in Anchorage visiting the Alaska Native Heritage Center and take an evening bike ride looking for moose.

Venture outdoors to see dwellings and community buildings from Alaska's primary Native Alaskan cultures and hear Native Alaskans tell about village life. Inside displays showcase Native arts and crafts and explain Alaska Native cultures. See a Native Alaskan dance group or hear the tales of a storyteller.

Head out on a evenings bike to ride along Anchorage's Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. We start in the heart of downtown Anchorage and ride through some of the city's cherished greenbelt areas where moose are commonly seen. Clear-day rides offer spectacular views of Cook Inlet, Alaska Range peaks across the inlet and majestic Mt. Susitna.

Lodge overnight at an Anchorage hotel.

Day 7 Sept. 7 — Katmai National Park to view Alaska's famous brown bears.

Today we fly to King Salmon where we board a small Alaska bush plane on floats and fly to the world famous Brooks River. Get up-close views of Alaska's wild brown bears as they roam about the Brooks River and Brooks Falls to feast on salmon. We walk along trails and elevated walkways that give great opportunities for photographing these brawny bruins in their natural environment.

Camp overnight at Brooks Camp in the heart of brown bear country.

Day 8 Sept. 8 — Fly back to Anchorage.

We will spend the morning watching and photographing bears and around 1:00 PM we fly back to Anchorage where you have a casual evening on your own in Anchorage to enjoy and get ready for tomorrow's adventure.

Day 9 Sept. 9 — We drive along the National Scenic Byway Seward Highway to the coastal community of Seward. Our journey to Seward takes us past the churning glacial waters of Turnagain Arm where tidal waters rise and fall as much as 30 feet -- one of the greatest tidal fluctuations in North America. Glance overhead for views of bald eagles and Dall sheep foraging for food on craggy bluffs. Watchful visitors may be lucky enough to see some of the Arm's rare resident beluga whales. Our journey continues south past glaciers and peaks that tower 4,000 feet above the highway. We make several river crossings as we travel mountain passes through lush spruce forests and valleys.

We descend into Seward and head out to explore the large ice fields of Exit Glacier. A short 3/4 mile hike brings us to the face of Exit Glacier or if you're more ambitious you can choose to hike up along the side the glacier for a view looking down on the glacier.

Imagine being the only guests in the Alaska SeaLife Center! This tour takes place after closing so you have your very own private tour. After enjoying a picnic style dinner among our marine animals, an interpreter will walk you through SeaLife Center facility.

Lodge overnight in a Seward hotel.

Day 10 Sept. 10 — Take a full-day wildlife, natural history and glacier cruise into the heart of Kenai Fjords National Park. Our cruise charter, Alaska Saltwater Lodge, has more than 25 years experience showing visitors Kenai Fjord's best kept secrets. The park is a photographer's paradise where you'll see the Harding Icefield, calving tidewater glaciers, seals, Steller sea lions, porpoises and sea otters. We stop for lunch in front of a calving glacier, giving us ample time to witness and photograph the face of the glacier as mammoth pieces of ice thunder into the sea. We frequently see whales on these tours.

Lodge overnight in a Seward hotel.

Day 11 Sept. 11 — Return to Anchorage along the Seward Highway.

We stop for lunch in Girdwood, taking this popular ski resort's aerial tramway to the top of 2,300-foot-high Mt. Alyeska. The seven-minute tramway ride brings you to a viewing deck with breathtaking panoramic views of the Chugach Mountains, hanging glaciers, sparkling streams, towering spruce, and wildlife. Telescopes on the glacier terminal viewing deck intensify what Conde Nast Traveler magazine rated as the best view of any U.S. ski resort.

Lodge overnight in an Anchorage hotel.

12 Sept. 12 — Enjoy a casual morning in Anchorage.

Visit the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center to view Anchorage's showcase of historic and cultural collections. The museum houses more than 17,500 objects plus an educational collection of roughly 2,000 artifacts. Walk through the history of Alaska in one of the permanent exhibits, see one of the Last Frontier's greatest collections of Alaska art or enjoy one of the many traveling exhibits from around the globe on display.

Depart Anchorage.

OPTIONS
Additional nights in Fairbanks or Anchorage can be added. In Denali an optional flight seeing is avaiable.

2007 Tour Dates And Rates

• Departs Fairbanks September 1, 2007 and ends in Anchorage on September 12, 2007

TRIP COST, INFORMATION, WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
You should plan on arriving in Fairbanks on Day 1 and departing Anchorage on day 12. Day 12 includes a morning visit to the Anchorage Museum. If your flight departs before 1:00 PM on day 12 you will miss the Anchorage Museum part of the trip. Optional additional nights are available in Fairbanks and Anchorage before and after the trip.

Some meals are not included. You should budget $10-30 per meal depending on your taste. Meals that are not included are. Day 1 breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Day 2 breakfast and lunch. Day 3 breakfast and dinner. Day 4 breakfast and dinner. Day 5 breakfast and dinner. Day 6 breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Day 7 breakfast. Day 8 dinner. Day 9 breakfast. Day 10 breakfast and dinner. Day 11 breakfast and dinner. Day 12 breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Some hotels server a continental breakfast.)

There will be some snacks, can drinks and coffee on our bus. You might want to budget a little extra for any special snacks or drinks. Alaska law prohibits the consumption of alcohol beverages on the bus.

Our bus is a 24 passenger bus, this tour is limited to 15 people so there will be lots of room to spread out, no crowded tour bus. The one day exception to this is on day 4 we board a Denali Tour bus for the trip into Denali National Park. This is a large tour bus and is shared by others going into the park.

Some parts of this adventure requires walking along trails up to 3 miles round trip. If you have a disability please contact our office so we may discuss how we might accommodate any special needs.

If you are traveling alone we can try to pair you up with another person of the same gender to share hotel rooms so you can take advantage of double pricing. Let us know if you would like us to do this. If we are unable to do so, the cost is the single rate.

We reserve the right to make changes in trip itineraries for the comfort and well being of our guests. Backcountry Safaris is not responsible for weather or other delays and any additional cost that may be incurred by delays. Parts of the Best of Alaska 12-day Escorted Tour is in remote parts of Alaska and weather may force to us make changes in the itinerary. No refunds will be made for any part of the tour for itinerary changes made because of weather or other delays. (Reservation and Payment Terms)

*NOTE
If fuel prices increase there may be a fuel surcharge. We will let you know before final payment is due (60 days) to give you the opportunity to cancel reservation should there be a substantial price increase.

Reservation Information

——— Secure Online Reservation Form ———

WHEN YOU'RE READY TO GO! Fill out the secure on-line reservation form or call our office at (907) 222-1632 or toll-free (877) 812-2159. Reservation requires a 50% deposit. We accept payment by VISA/MasterCard. You will receive a pre-trip packet detailing the itinerary of the tour you have chosen and an equipment list. (Reservation and Payment Terms)

Last minute reservations may be available so don't hesitate to contact us. If a trip has space, we can get you on it.

We use independent contractors to supply Backcountry Safaris with various services on many of our adventures. Some trips require us to use independent tour guides, drivers, lodges and hotels, air and water taxis, and other suppliers. Because we do not own, operate, manage, control, or supervise these suppliers, we cannot be liable for any acts or omissions on their part, including any negligence, gross negligence, or reckless or willful acts. Backcountry Safaris assumes no responsibility for any injury, loss, damage, delay, or death to person or property arising from the negligent or willful act or failure to act of any person who is to or does provide goods or services for this trip or for the action or inaction of any other third party. Without limitation, Backcountry Safaris is not responsible for acts of God, equipment failures, vehicle or vessel accidents, illness from food or otherwise, annoyance, delays, failure of any means of conveyance to arrive or depart as scheduled, and changes in transit or hotel and lodge services over which it has no control. We make occasional changes in trip itineraries for the comfort and well being of our guests. We will keep you informed of any necessary changes in a timely fashion.

On payment of your deposit to Backcountry Safaris, you agree to be bound by the above terms and conditions.